Collection Cards: Mindful
Only from the rising smoke did I know their whereabouts
Nourished by the forest, and dying for its sustenance
Their faint voices swallowed up by the mist
Oh, you creatures of the wild
The forest is deep, the vegetation thick
—Konoike Tomoko, Donning Animal Skins and Braided Grass
The poem above was written by the artist about the shining and reflective six-legged wolf sculpture. Large and small wolves once lived in the forests of Japan but now some species have become extinct. In Japanese mythology, the wolf symbolizes the “spirit of the mountain.”
Read the poem out loud or have a grown up read it to you. How do you think the words and the artwork go together? How do you think the artist was feeling when she wrote the poem?
Use your imagination to write a short story or draw a comic that includes the six-legged wolf
Spencer Museum of Art Highlights
Long ago, the forested mountains of Japan teamed with wildlife including the large Hokkaidō wolf and the smaller Honshū wolf. Both species of native Japanese wolves were exterminated in the 19th century when wolves became associated with rabies and Japan modernized their agricultural practices. Within Konoike Tomoko’s art, the wolf operates as a powerful symbol infused with mythic qualities. This six-legged, mirror-encrusted sculpture revives the spirit and lore of the vanished Japanese wolf.
Displacement
Long ago, the forested mountains of Japan teamed with wildlife such as the large Hokkaidō wolf and the smaller Honshū wolf. Both species of native Japanese wolves were exterminated in the 19th century when wolves became associated with rabies and Japan modernized their agricultural practices. This six-legged, mirror-encrusted sculpture revives the spirit and lore of the vanished Japanese wolf.
Displacement
Long ago, the forested mountains of Japan teamed with wildlife such as the large Hokkaidō wolf and the smaller Honshū wolf. Both species of native Japanese wolves were exterminated in the 19th century when wolves became associated with rabies and Japan modernized their agricultural practices. This six-legged, mirror-encrusted sculpture revives the spirit and lore of the vanished Japanese wolf.
Salina Art Center: Shattering the Void: Realms of Meaning in East Asian Art
Invisible, untouchable
Only from the rising smoke did I know their whereabouts
Nourished by the forest, and dying for its sustenance
Their faint voices swallowed up by the mist
Oh, you creatures of the wild
The forest is deep, the vegetation thick
—Konoike Tomoko, Donning Animal Skins and Braided Grass
In ancient times, densely forested mountains carpeted the Japanese archipelago. These alpine forests teamed with wolves such as the large Hokkaidō wolf in the north and its smaller cousin the Honshū wolf in the south. Today both species of native Japanese wolves are extinct. This mirror-encrusted sculpture revives the spirit of the vanished Japanese wolf. Walking on six legs, it gleams like an otherworldly apparition or a mutant clone. In Japanese legend, the wolf embodies the “spirit of the mountain.” Similarly, within Konoike’s art, the wolf operates as a potent symbol infused with mythic qualities.
Shattering the Void: Realms of Meaning in East Asian Art
Invisible, untouchable
Only from the rising smoke did I know their whereabouts
Nourished by the forest, and dying for its sustenance
Their faint voices swallowed up by the mist
Oh, you creatures of the wild
The forest is deep, the vegetation thick
—Konoike Tomoko, Donning Animal Skins and Braided Grass
In ancient times, densely forested mountains carpeted the Japanese archipelago. These alpine forests teamed with wolves such as the large Hokkaidō wolf in the north and its smaller cousin the Honshū wolf in the south. Today both species of native Japanese wolves are extinct. This mirror-encrusted sculpture revives the spirit of the vanished Japanese wolf. Walking on six legs, it gleams like an otherworldly apparition or a mutant clone. In Japanese legend, the wolf embodies the “spirit of the mountain.” Similarly, within Konoike’s art, the wolf operates as a potent symbol infused with mythic qualities.
Temporal Turn: Art and Speculation in Contemporary Asia
Invisible, untouchable
Only from the rising smoke did I know their whereabouts
Nourished by the forest, and dying for its sustenance
Their faint voices swallowed up by the mist
Oh, you creatures of the wild
The forest is deep, the vegetation thick
—Konoike Tomoko, “Donning Animal Skins and Braided Grass”
In ancient times, densely forested mountains carpeted the Japanese archipelago. These alpine forests teamed with wolves such as the large Hokkaidō wolf in the north, and its smaller cousin the Honshū wolf in the south. Today both species of native Japanese wolves are extinct. This mirror-encrusted sculpture revives the spirit of the vanished Japanese wolf. Walking on six legs, it gleams like an otherworldly apparition or a mutant clone. In Japanese legend, the wolf embodies the “spirit of the mountain.” Similarly, within Konoike’s art the wolf operates as a potent symbol infused with mythic qualities.
HA 567 Contemporary Art
Invisible, untouchable
Only from the rising smoke did I know their whereabouts
Nourished by the forest, and dying for its sustenance
Their faint voices swallowed up by the mist
Oh, you creatures of the wild
The forest is deep, the vegetation thick
—Konoike Tomoko, “Donning Animal Skins and Braided Grass”
In ancient times, densely forested mountains carpeted the Japanese archipelago. These alpine forests teamed with wolves such as the large Hokkaidō wolf in the north, and its smaller cousin the Honshū wolf in the south. Today both species of native Japanese wolves are extinct. This mirror-encrusted sculpture revives the spirit of the vanished Japanese wolf. Walking on six legs, it gleams like an otherworldly apparition or a mutant clone. In Japanese legend, the wolf embodies the “spirit of the mountain.” Similarly, within Konoike’s art the wolf operates as a potent symbol infused with mythic qualities.
Temporal Turn: Art and Speculation in Contemporary Asia
Invisible, untouchable
Only from the rising smoke did I know their whereabouts
Nourished by the forest, and dying for its sustenance
Their faint voices swallowed up by the mist
Oh, you creatures of the wild
The forest is deep, the vegetation thick
—Konoike Tomoko, “Donning Animal Skins and Braided Grass”
In ancient times, densely forested mountains carpeted the Japanese archipelago. These alpine forests teamed with wolves such as the large Hokkaidō wolf in the north, and its smaller cousin the Honshū wolf in the south. Today both species of native Japanese wolves are extinct. This mirror-encrusted sculpture revives the spirit of the vanished Japanese wolf. Walking on six legs, it gleams like an otherworldly apparition or a mutant clone. In Japanese legend, the wolf embodies the “spirit of the mountain.” Similarly, within Konoike’s art the wolf operates as a potent symbol infused with mythic qualities.
