Butterfly Cove

With this tranquil idealised scene Yuse creates an archetypal symbol encapsulating the traditional Japanese veneration of nature. Most Japanese forests are in the mountains and inaccessible, and therefore from ancient times the mountains have been regarded as sacred places, the dwelling place of spirits. There is a permanent, iconic presence and purity to his image that perpetuates Japan's animist approach to nature. To reiterate this reverence, Yuse has subtly shown the gradual autumnal transformation of the mountains, where the autumnal trees and their reflections, form the shape of a butterfly, a traditionally auspicious symbol. By concentrating just on the one motif of the pine tree, and capturing the variations within that one motif, he has demonstrated the perennial Japanese sense of constant refinement of a single motif.

Yuse was born in Akita Province and now lives in Tokyo.

Jackie Menzies, Contemporary Japanese Prints: The Urban Bonsai, 1992, pg. 116.