Japanse familiewapens 1913

This book, "Japanse familiewapens" which translates to "Japanese Family Crests," was made by an anonymous artist. I love the colour of the cover: it's kind of blue, kind of gray, like a cloudy day. It’s a simple book, bound at the side. What’s interesting is the label pasted on the front – a pale rectangle with beautiful, hand-painted black writing. The marks look confident. They seem to almost dance on the page. I imagine the person who made this book, carefully grinding their ink, dipping their brush, and holding their breath as they make each stroke. I think about how I, too, am an artist, and how we share this deep human impulse to make marks, to leave our traces in the world. Whether it's a grand gesture or a quiet, intimate one, there's something profound in the act of creation itself. We’re all in conversation with each other, across time.