Because I go alone how gladly would I live / いかまほしきは命なりけり　#2/20

■About the work
Butterflies are not considered to be very auspicious as a pattern for kimonos and other items because they "fly away quickly," and are not often used as a motif, but since ancient times, the combination of cats and butterflies has been read as "choumyo," a pun on the word for "longevity," and is considered to be auspicious. So I drew a butterfly and placed cats, borrowed from Utagawa Kuniyoshi, on the collar.
The butterfly that has landed on the hand is a living organism, and on the right side of the screen, a butterfly is depicted in the form of a specimen with its wings spread, representing the act of collecting life, and the title is a quote from the opening of the Tale of Genji. It is part of a poem by the heroine of the opening of the Tale of Genji, Kiritsubo, who is on the brink of losing her own life, about the importance of life.

■ Original Artwork Information
Materials: acrylic, gold leaf
Support / Support: panel
Size: 34.3×60.6cm
Date / Production year: 2021

■Product property production limit: 20
Serial number: 2/20
Secondary content distribution: Authorized royalty rate: 18%
Minimum royalty: 4500 yen Editing: Permitted Cut and paste: Permitted

*This is a sale of digital works generated from the original artwork.
We are not selling original artwork or lithographs.