Among Japan’s many sea‑born yokai, Umibōzu (海坊主)  remains one of the most unsettling. Sailors describe it as a colossal, shadow‑black figure emerging silently from calm waters—only the smooth, bald dome of its head visible at first, like a monk rising from meditation. But its arrival is anything but peaceful. The sea churns, winds shift, and the boundary between the living and the drowned seems to thin. 速水春暁斎 - 龍谷大学図書館 貴重資料画像データベースhttps://da.library.ryukoku.ac.jp/page/170269,

Amabie x Aphrodite, 2020, Priovate collection My creative journey often begins at the intersection of my Japanese roots and the ancient stones of Paphos, Cyprus, where I live and work. In my studio, I find myself drawn to stories that bridge these two worlds, and perhaps no piece illustrates this better than my Amabie-inspired series. The story of this work starts with the Amabie itself—a Japanese yokai  or sea spirit from the 19th century Edo period, characterized by its bir