An artistic illustration featuring traditional Asian-style pagodas on the left, a group of women dressed in traditional attire with moon and star symbols on their hair or clothing in the center, surrounded by bamboo trees and ornate lanterns, set against a dark sky with celestial motifs.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya

This story tells of Princess Kaguya’s return to the moon. Born in the lunar palace and raised by an old bamboo cutter, she is cherished by the human world. Yet when the time comes to leave, nothing of that world, not its treasures nor its love nor the devotion of her parents, can keep her. Her homecoming is, for those left behind, a final farewell; she returns to where she belongs, while the human world loses her forever.

I wanted to capture the moment she turns to leave, suspended on the threshold between the human world and the moon. On one side, the warmth of the human world strains to hold her back. On the other, a remote, cold pull of her origin quietly draws her away. The viewer feels helplessness; the ending was fixed from the start, because she belongs elsewhere.

A two-page magazine spread about the story of Princess Kaguya, featuring illustrations of celestial dance scenes, lunar landscapes, and traditional Japanese figures.
Mockup of a hardcover book titled 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya' with cover art depicting a traditional Japanese scene, shown open and closed from different angles.