I recently finished a painting that I had been working on for over a year.
Several years ago, I received a vision of a white swan and a black swan merging face to face, and I had been waiting for the right time to bring it to life on canvas. I’m glad I finally did.

As I wrote in a previous post, when I begin a new painting, I always receive a visual image, a color impression, and a “feeling” — something that could be described as a frequency. Then, as I continue working, the meaning of what I’m painting gradually reveals itself, step by step.
The same process unfolded this time, too. And because this one was quite symbolic and easier to show, I’d like to try to describe it.

When I first received the vision of the two swans, I immediately understood that it was about “Yin and Yang” — the principle of duality and complementarity.

As many of you probably know, this concept of Yin and Yang (陰陽図) originates in Chinese Taoism and is also deeply rooted in the philosophy of Zen in Japan.
The Yin-Yang symbol represents not only the dualism of Yin (negative) and Yang (positive) in the universe, but also the fact that there is no absolute border between them. A white dot exists in Yin and a black dot exists in Yang. These two energies are complementary, interconnected, and interdependent — their union forms a state of equilibrium in the universe.
This idea has been within me for the past ten years, and I have created some ceramic works based on the same concept as well.

I also saw an image of a circle behind the two swans, surrounded by flowers, so I painted following that vision. Then, as I continued painting the flowers, I suddenly realized that it was the “Flower of Life.”

The Flower of Life is an ancient symbol found all over the world.
No one knows its precise meaning, since it has been passed down from ancient times, but it is believed to represent the unity of all life and the interconnectedness of all beings — and I truly feel the same.

I encountered the Flower of Life engraved in ancient sites when I traveled to Egypt, Turkey, and Pompeii, Italy, and I know there are also some examples in Japan.
It’s mysterious and fascinating that this symbol appears all around the world. Considering that even Leonardo da Vinci was drawn to it and studied its geometry, there’s no doubt that it is one of the most meaningful and sacred patterns known to humankind.

Flower of Life symbols found in ancient sites which I photographed.
Left : Osirion temple at Abydos, Egypt / Right : Ephesus, Turkey

*Da Vinci's note for the study of Flower of Life*

As I was painting the flowers around the metallic circle behind the two swans, I kept seeing geometric patterns with my inner eye.
—I know this might sound a bit strange to some people, but if you’re not familiar with this kind of experience, please don’t try to interpret it. Just let it be as it is.

The next realization came when I was lying down in front of the work-in-progress.
During that period, I couldn’t focus on painting for a few weeks, so I was simply gazing at the canvas. Then, I noticed another symbol hidden within it — “Vesica Piscis.”

Vesica Piscis, which means “bladder of a fish” in Latin, is a symbol composed of two equal circles whose centers rest on each other’s circumference.
What makes this symbol special is that, like the Flower of Life, it has existed since ancient times — and in fact, it is the primal form of the Flower of Life. If you continue multiplying the circles according to the same rule, the Flower of Life will emerge.

While the Flower of Life represents the wholeness of the universe, Vesica Piscis represents creation itself.
The form easily reminds one of cell division — it indicates the primordial moment when creation first occurs. It shows two different energies accepting one another while maintaining their own nature, transforming, and then giving birth to something entirely new.

This is exactly the kind of energy I had been sensing from this painting from the beginning.
I was amazed to realize that the space between the necks of the swan and the black swan naturally formed a shape almost identical to the overlapping part in the center of Vesica Piscis — of course, I hadn’t planned that at all.

Yin and Yang, the Flower of Life, and Vesica Piscis — I thought these were all the symbols I needed to decode in this painting. But when I finished it, one more symbol appeared: “Enso.”

Enso (円相) can be translated as “circle form,” and it is drawn in a single brushstroke to express the principle of the universe in Zen philosophy.
What it represents is the simplest — and therefore, the most difficult — to explain. Or perhaps there is no need to explain it at all.

It shows the state of the universe itself: an infinite flow with neither beginning nor end. And its center is empty— the void.

At times, I thought it might be better to fill the space inside the circle in my painting, but in the end, I didn’t. Even when my mind urged me to paint something there, somehow I couldn’t. When I finally finished the piece, I understood why.

After understanding the meanings of this work — duality and wholeness, creation and interconnectedness as the principles of the universe — I was deeply moved by how beautiful all beings are, and by their eternal flux.
It felt like a symphony of the universe.
So I titled the piece Symphonia in Latin.

And here lies the most fundamental truth, as Enso shows us — one that cannot be grasped by the mind.
Behind the grand symphony... it’s just empty.

It means we are all simply dreaming the symphony within our consciousness.
Everything is but an illusion. How mysterious.

I also created a short film with the painting.
At the end of the film, I think the feeling of emptiness is unintentionally expressed.
I’d be happy if you could let yourself sink into it and resonate with the frequency of the piece.

Listen to the Symphony -Hidden Codes of Creation-

The Shape of Dignity

Secret of Creation