19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Asahi Shimbun
Final Fantasy artist gives mythic paintings to Kyoto shrine
Yoshitaka Amano, third from left, talks about the paintings with Masami Funahashi, head priest of Fushimi Inari Taisha, second from left, and other members of the shrine at Fushimi Ward in Kyoto on May 18. (Yoshiaki Arai)
KYOTO—Famed artist Yoshitaka Amano, known for his iconic illustrations for the Final Fantasy game series and the Vampire Hunter D novels, donated 17 magnificent sliding door paintings to the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine here on May 18.
'I tried to express the world of Fushimi Inari Taisha and the world of mythology. The time I spent painting was fresh and blissful,' said Amano, 73.
The dreamlike paintings depict goddesses, foxes, horses and dragons rendered in black 'sumi' ink on 17 white 'fusuma' paper doors of the shrine.
The paintings are titled 'Inari.'
Amano started working on them at the shrine office on May 10 and completed them on May 18. That afternoon, a dedication ceremony for the offering was held in the shrine's main hall.
In 2023, Amano collaborated with artist Baku Yumemakura on another artwork that they donated to the shrine. Afterward, Amano asked to create something more for the shrine, which led to this series of door paintings.
The paintings will not be shown to the public for the time being, but the shrine will consider displaying them publicly in the future.
