Genfukei - Native Green (2024)

I have come to accept that attaining an ideal, even if it remains unnoticed by others, must be enough. The truest treasures are those that can be processed in the quiet confines of one’s own heart. There is no need to share happiness or joy with others, nor to entrust one’s inner world to their understanding. I wish to embrace this absence of need as a virtue.

Many of life’s struggles, I’ve realized, stem from a compulsion to seek external validation—a constant attempt to ground oneself by aligning with others. Yet, the real challenge lies in reconciling the inevitable dissonance with the collective, in learning how to accept it and move forward. At this moment, I find myself torn between the yearning for recognition and the pursuit of authentic artistic expression.

It was a deeply familiar environment that ultimately anchored my restless spirit. I recall the awe I felt upon visiting a small neighborhood shrine for the first time. Hidden amidst residential streets, it unveiled an unexpected “native green.” The beauty took me by surprise, and as I listened to the wind stirring the trees and the water rippling gently across a pond, I realized—this is my Genfukei.

Through this experience, I discovered that the profoundest moments often reside in the overlooked simplicity of everyday life.

A maddening jealousy once spurred me into action, fueling a desperate urge to create. In much the same way, I wonder if the longing for approval could still be transformed into something vital, something new. Through this energy, I hope to become someone who inspires others—a figure of aspiration shaped by vulnerability and resolve.