Sacred & Profane
What is Amaterasu, the supreme deity in Japanese mythology?
One day, it occurred to me that perhaps Amaterasu is nothing less than the human capacity to believe in the hope that still remains within us. Since that day, I have held on to that belief.
If hope is not something given to us, but something that exists only because we choose to believe in it, then I want to become someone who helps reconnect people with that hope.
In Japanese mythology, when Amaterasu—the symbol of hope—hid herself away inside the Heavenly Rock Cave, plunging the world into darkness, the other gods did not respond with despair. Instead, they held a magnificent celebration outside the cave.
There was lively music.
There was ecstatic dancing.
There was even a striptease.
In that moment, there were no boundaries separating the sacred from the profane. There was only the joy of being allowed to exist.
Just as Plato pursued truth whilst devoting his pure love to his disciples…
Just as Mozart cultivated sublime music whilst never denying the more vulgar side of human nature…
Just as Hokusai pursued the beauty of waves whilst celebrating the tentacles of an octopus…
I, too, wish to embrace both the sacred and the profane, so that people may rediscover the courage to believe in hope.
That is why I create erotic art.
…
……
………Or perhaps…
… I’m just a “hentai” after all. (Laughs.)