Artist and Writer.

In director Tanaka Tokuzo's 1968 Japanese ghost film, Kaidan Yuki Jorou (Ghost Story of the Snow Witch) an impoverished apprentice sculptor becomes enchanted by a witch and marries her. Unbeknownst to him, she has taken on human form after falling in love with the apprentice after a fatal encounter with his master in the forest. Towards the end of this film which explores the themes of love, compassion, trust, class and power, the young sculptor is frustrated by his inability to complete an important statue of the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion, Kannon. He has spent five years waiting for the wood from a sacred tree to cure, followed by a long and challenging time carving the form. Kannon's features gradually become increasingly lifelike, however, the details of her face elude him, particularly the necessary expression of her eyes. Thus her intrinsic essence remains unknown to her creator. Inspiration eludes him as the completion deadline draws closer. When inadvertently he breaks an oath he made to the Snow Witch and her true state is revealed, she chooses to return to her liminal world rather than killing her husband. As she looks upon their young son with extreme tenderness for the last time, the sculptor recognises the expression he must convey in Kannon's face, that of compassion, and he completes the artwork. This single insight made the difference between him producing a well-crafted yet soulless work, and one which would possess an authenticity communicating the metaphysical dimension of compassion to the villagers who would revere her.

Location

Australia

Disciplines

• Creative Writing
• Digital Humanities
• Philosophy
• Visual Arts
• Political Science
• Sociology

Affiliation

University of Technology, Sydney