In early September, a baby less than three months old came to the studio. Mr. and Mrs. Kito took time out of their busy schedules to visit us and introduce their youngest daughter, Akari, to us.

In May, while Shiozawa was working on the fusuma paintings for the tea room in Tamba-Yura, she had been in her mother’s womb listening to his voice, so it didn’t feel like their first meeting; she was in a good mood and calm the entire time.

At first glance, babies at this stage may seem unable to do anything on their own, but every cell in their bodies is in the midst of dividing and growing at a furious pace. We sense the very mystery of overwhelming vitality in little Akari.

It is said that at this stage, when they try to respond when spoken to, babies possess the seeds of an all-knowing, all-powerful language. Just observing them is so fascinating that we could watch them forever.

The odds of being born on Earth as a human being are one in 80 trillion, and the odds of being born as a Japanese person are one in 300,000 of that. We felt deeply that we have a duty to ensure a bright future for the lives born into these chaotic times.

 We would like to once again express my gratitude to Ms. Kito and Ms. Sayaka.