"Tamatori Hime Halfsleeve", approx. 12" x 16", sumi/watercolor on japanese washi mulberry paper. 2020.
Tamatori Hime is a legendary Japanese pearl diver who retrieves a jewel stolen from her family by the dragon god Ryūjin. To escape his pursuit, she cuts open her own breast, hides the jewel inside, and swims to shore—sacrificing her life but restoring her family's honor.