7. Chishimaro-fu

This is the Chishimaro-fu, made in 1957. This work is said to be a figure of a young child, entrusted to the expressive form of a Buddhist statue. In it, one senses innocence and artlessness — and yet, at the same time, something sacred: a quiet composure. Please also notice the soft texture of the surface, something only lost-wax casting can give. The rounded cheeks, the gentle expression of the arms, the figure standing quietly. That metal can feel this warm is because the subtle transitions of the surface, formed in the wax original, remain exactly as they were. Though profoundly quiet, this work holds a deep interior space — formed as if a tender life had been softly sealed within the hard metal.