Today, October 22, marks the start of the Kyoto Culture Conference, which will be held over two days, October 22 and 23, at Ninnaji Temple in Kyoto.

On the first day, October 22,

workshops will be held on the themes of “Culture x Environment” and “Culture x AI,” featuring international students and young researchers from various countries with specialized knowledge. Participants will draft proposals from the perspective of the next generation, followed by a joint discussion.

On the following day, October 23, a comprehensive final discussion will take place, drawing on the insights from the workshops and panel discussions.

The poster shown above was created specifically for this conference under the title “Ask the Earth.”

This painting depicts the moment a golden wolf and a silver wolf appear before us as we stand at a crossroads, wondering if we can restore the Earth scarred by human activity, and sound a warning for the future.

In the distance stands a single, exceptionally beautiful tree. Its lush, vibrant leaves are imbued with verses from the Dhammapada, which weaves the Buddha’s teachings into poetry. The tree roots deeply into the barren, desertified land, its roots eventually transforming into bolts of lightning. They bring abundant rain to the earth, cascading down as a sparkling waterfall to nourish the land.

The sun and moon floating in the sky symbolize the Earth’s stable cycle, woven from day and night, light and darkness. However, at the very moment this balance threatens to collapse, the gold and silver wolves from Ragnarök (the apocalypse of Norse mythology) loom before humanity. They are on the verge of devouring the sun and moon, threatening to shroud the world in darkness
Yet, these two wolves are not merely symbols of destruction. As the A-and-Un wolves standing upon a lotus flower, they preside over the beginning and end inherent in all things; at the same time, they serve as guardians of the sacred realm, warding off the intrusion of evil.

A path opens between the two wolves—a path of choice entrusted to humanity itself.　Will you be able to pass quietly between them, breathing in harmony with their divine “A” and “Un” presence? And will you choose the grueling path to climb against the raging waterfall that awaits beyond, to reach the natural world that is slowly being lost?
What lies there is a distant natural world, not easily reached. Yet beyond it lies a reborn earth and a place where the heart can find quiet solace.
This painting superimposes destruction and rebirth, end and beginning, and human choice within a single mythical landscape. Does the warning sounded by the gold and silver wolves foretell the end of the future, or do they guard the gate to rebirth? The answer is left to each of us standing before this painting.

*1) Dhammapada: A Buddhist scripture that compiles the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha into accessible verses.
*2) Ragnarök: A series of events in Norse mythology surrounding the end of the world.