tiny Kannons

Basically i don't have many artworks made by someone else at home — but there are a few.

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I used to waitress at a small, old-fashioned koryouriya (a kind of Japanese bistro) run by an elderly couple in the early 2000s .

The mama had a very strong personality - the kind some people loved forever while others just couldn’t stand.

The master was calm and quiet, letting mama say whatever she wanted in front of the regular customers .

But during the years I worked there ,I came to feel that mama actually had deep respect for master, and master loved her just as deeply.

It was tough working under mama until I got used to it, but listening to their stories about the good old days of the koryouriya was truly valuable.

The food they served was authentic.I believe my palate has become more refined thanks to them.

 Master had his own philosophy, and I loved hearing him talking with his favorite old regulars. 

Sometimes, when mama went out for a stroll in the neighborhood, he would start talking about those philosophical things to me - but soon he would fall quiet  again, because he knew mama got jealous about it.

There were several Noh masks on the wall that master carved himself. He said it was just a hobby, but it was hard to believe such beautiful things were made "just as a hobby."

There were also some tiny, beautifully carved wooden Kannnon statues that I loved very much - though  I never said so.

 Master had been using oxygen while working, everyday,for years.

One day his condition worsened,  and he suddenly passed away.

Mama tried to dispose all of master's works, following someone's advice. 

Maybe she thought she couldn't carry them with her for the rest of her life. They had no children.

I meant to respect her decision, but i couldn't stand just watching the Kannons about to be thrown away. So i asked to her not to - and I still have them.

This is my first time to sketch them. The real faces are much thinner.　

( The two weird objects in front are potteries I got at shops selling items made by people at a facility for people with disabilities. They seem comfortable being with the Kannons.)

 

 

− a side to the sketch-awake