Take all belongings with you

“Omachi once flourished as a post town on the Chikunikaido, known as the salt road. There was a heroic job called “kachini” which involved carrying a load of over 60kg on foot from the Japan Sea side to passages covered with thick blankets of snow in the mountains. Interested in the activity of the kachini, the artist presents two works at Jorenji overlooking the Northern Alps. Figures of moving people as they carry heavy luggage or souls are projected onto the wall of a kura (warehouse) standing on the shrine precinct. In the main hall, a real-size watercolour painting of “people carrying something important” is created through a painting workshop with local residents. The artist asks – “we all carry the burdens of life (hopes, lusts, and memories). Can we offload such luggage and keep moving forward with pure souls?”