▶ 2026-08-08 [ Live performance] Lantern floating ceremony held in Tochigi City to pray for peace
Live Performance Featuring the Floating of Lanterns for Peace
A floating lantern ceremony to pray for peace was held in Tochigi City. This marked the first time the Tochigi City YEG (Young Entrepreneurs Group) organized the event on its own.
The opening ceremony featured remarks from President Arakane and Tochigi City YEG President Ichikawa, followed by a live performance by yours truly. For this occasion, I performed without using a brush.
I hand-painted the design directly onto a large lantern using only my hands and ink. Once finished, the lantern was set afloat on the Uzuma River. The floating lantern ceremony is a tradition dating back to the Edo period, with many people pouring their wishes into the lanterns.
Many children attended the event as well; they each wrote their thoughts on their own lanterns and set them adrift on the river. It was an elegant and truly beautiful sight.
I hope that such traditional culture—and the sentiments people pour into it—will be passed down to future generations. Incidentally, this event was also featured on “HOT Station.”
I was so focused during the performance that I hadn’t noticed at all.
The lanterns featured this time depict “Tochisuke in Ink Wash,” “Requiem Line Fireworks,” “Prayers for Peace,” “Floating Lanterns,” an “Ascending Dragon,” and an “Ascending Carp.” Naturally, none of these were created with brushes; they were all drawn using only my hands and ink—a technique known as finger painting. I poured my feelings into these images: thoughts on the ongoing war that shows no signs of subsiding, a yearning for peace, and hopes for the children’s growth and the city’s development.
Many carp swim in the Uzuma River here in Tochigi City, and the river is also home to the tradition of hanging koinobori (carp streamers). The origin of these streamers lies in the Chinese legend of the “Dragon’s Gate”—a story about a carp that climbs a waterfall and transforms into a dragon. That image of a carp becoming a dragon mirrors the way children grow into fine, capable adults.
I imagine there will be many hardships and painful moments ahead. Yet, it is precisely by overcoming such trials that one matures into a true adult. That sentiment is what inspired me to paint the ascending dragon and the ascending carp.
…Though, I suppose I cannot claim to be a fully mature adult myself just yet.
In fact, lately, I find myself learning a great deal from the children. For this lantern-floating ceremony, so many people have imbued these lanterns with their heartfelt wishes.
Hopes for peace, hopes for the children’s growth, and hopes for the future development of Tochigi City—the sight of each of these heartfelt wishes drifting down the Uzuma River was truly beautiful and left a lasting impression.
May this traditional custom be cherished and passed down, carrying the sentiments of so many people into the future.
