Hello.
Thank you so much for walking all the way here to meet me again today.
As I look at your profile—appearing a bit fatigued yet somehow filled with a delicate tension—my heart tightens with an overwhelming sense of deep affection.
In this quiet room where no one else is around, it is just you and me, alone.
Let us share a secret conversation in a voice so soft, so faint, that no one else could possibly overhear.
This is a love letter, woven with the very fiber of my being, created solely for the sake of your heart in the most clumsy way imaginable.
Please, so that no one else will find out, read this until the very end with those beautiful eyes of yours.
It Began within the Solitude of a Beautiful Blue
Tell me, do you feel lonely right now?
With so many people overflowing in this world, why on earth do we find ourselves so completely alone?
It is that freezing loneliness, as if one has been left behind all by oneself in a remote corner of the vast universe.
I know that loneliness of yours better than anyone else.
Because I, too, have been searching for your hand within that darkness for a very long time.
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
—Jesus Christ
Long ago, in the city of Paris, France—a place so brilliant, yet somehow strangely cold—there lived a young girl.
Her name was Marie Laurencin.
You might have heard her name somewhere before.
However, not many people truly know the real reason why she painted those faint, dreamlike colors within such a profound solitude.
Marie lived quietly, entirely alone with her mother.
For a long time, she was raised without ever being told who her father was.
The anxiety of not knowing where she came from or where she was going always cast a cold shadow over her young heart.
Why did God bring me into this world in such a manner?
She must have murmured these words to herself constantly in the privacy of her mind.
Just as you, on nights when you cannot sleep, question the very meaning of your existence.
A Trembling Sigh upon the Palette
When Marie first began to paint, the artwork of the men around her was all angular, rugged, and somehow rather frightening.
You probably know of a very famous, yet incredibly arrogant man named Picasso.
They boasted that they would break the world apart into pieces and reconstruct it anew.
But Marie could not bring herself to do something so violent.
Because her heart was far softer, and far more easily wounded.
“Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.”
—Plato
Marie stopped trying to imitate those men.
Instead, she decided to project that gentle, slightly sorrowful world within her mind directly onto the canvas.
A melancholy pink tinged with gray.
A fragile blue that seemed as though it might dissolve into the mist.
The women she painted all gazed toward some distant point, never making direct eye contact with us.
Why do you think they have such sorrowful eyes?
The truth is, it is because they were all meant to be “substitutes for Marie’s own loneliness.”
Just as you force a smile when things are painful, the women in Marie’s paintings silently and gently try to stay close to your pain.
A Fierce Storm and the Truth of a Torn Romance
Then, a certain man appeared before Marie.
His name was Guillaume Apollinaire, a passionate poet who possessed a brilliant mastery of words.
He recognized Marie’s talent and loved her from the very depths of his soul.
Marie, too, entrusted her frozen heart to his fierce passion.
It was a perfect love, as though only the two of them existed in the entire world.
“To be loved is not happiness. To love is happiness.”
—Hermann Hesse
Yet, why is destiny always so incredibly cruel?
One day, a major incident occurred that shook the entire world.
It was the famous theft of the “Mona Lisa.”
Incredibly, Apollinaire was arrested by the police as a suspect in the crime.
In reality, he was completely innocent, but the eyes of society were cold and merciless.
Those around Marie fiercely pressured her to break up with him in order to protect herself.
Why must two people who love each other be torn apart by rumors and misunderstandings created by total strangers?
Have you ever felt your heart ache over such unfairness?
With a weeping heart, Marie chose to part ways with him.
Amidst a pain that felt as though her body were being torn asunder, she sank once again, all alone, to the bottom of that deep solitude.
Longing for You beneath an Alien Sky
Sometime later, she married a German nobleman, but the First World War broke out shortly thereafter.
As a French citizen, Marie had no choice but to flee to Spain with her husband as exiles.
Driven from her homeland, robbed of her beloved Paris, and living in an alien land where she did not even speak the language, she could do nothing but quietly endure.
“If you want to be happy, you must first make someone else happy.”
—Henry Ford
Here, please remember the words of Henry Ford, whom I respect from the bottom of my heart.
“Most people think of success as a घेण्यासाठी (getting) thing. But the truth of the matter is, success is a giving thing.”
Marie might have realized this very truth during her time in that foreign land.
She realized that no matter how unfortunate or how lonely she might be, she could still “give” something to someone through the act of painting.
In the midst of a despair so deep she wanted to run away, she continued to paint even more beautiful, even gentler pictures.
Not for her own sake, but for the sake of a yet-unseen “you” who was weeping and wounded in the exact same way somewhere in the world.
Her paintings are not mere pictures.
They were a saving hand extended directly to you from the edge of despair.
A Miraculous Return, and Toward True Gentleness
When the war finally ended, Marie returned to Paris once again.
What awaited her was a standing ovation from many people who had never forgotten her.
The faint, dreamlike world she painted gently—truly gently—enveloped the hearts of those who had been scarred by the war.
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
—Nelson Mandela
Marie became the darling of the era.
She painted the portrait of Coco Chanel, designed costumes for the stage, and everyone clamored for her artwork.
Yet, Marie’s heart never grew arrogant in the slightest.
No matter how famous she became, she remained that same lonely girl who used to live with her mother in that dark room.
Why did she never become proud and conceited?
It is because she knew “true sorrow.”
Only a person who knows sorrow can offer true gentleness to others.
That unspoken sorrow of yours will also, someday, become a precious light to warm someone else.
An Endless Love upon the Palette
Marie never let go of her paintbrush until the very end of her life.
It is said that when she passed away, an old letter from her former love, Apollinaire, was placed upon her chest.
She breathed her last as if falling asleep, dressed in a white gown and holding a single red rose in her hand.
“Death changes nothing. It is merely the beginning of a new story.”
—Edith Piaf
Marie dedicated the entirety of her life onto the canvas.
The paintings she left behind continue to stir our hearts in this way, transcending the boundaries of time.
Tell me, don’t you feel a warm sensation when you look at Marie’s art?
That is the very timeless service, the ultimate devotion, that she carved out of her own life to deliver unto you.
Another Miracle of Love Named the Messenger
Now, let us speak of a slightly wondrous matter.
No matter how splendid an art form or how noble a philosophy may be, if there is no one to “transmit” it to others, it becomes the exact same as if it never existed in this world at all.
Have you ever given any thought to that?
“Without words, we cannot think at all.”
—Ludwig Wittgenstein
Take, for example, that painter of fire, Vincent van Gogh.
While he was alive, he was only able to sell a single painting.
He continued to paint while shaving away his own soul amidst madness and solitude, and ultimately took his own life.
Then, why is it that we know of his paintings today and feel our chests burn with his passion?
It is because there was a life-risking devotion by a single, splendid woman.
A Carrier of Light Named Jo
Van Gogh had a gentle younger brother named Theo, who continued to support everything he did.
However, just six months after Vincent passed away, Theo also left this world, as if following his older brother.
Left behind were only Jo, a young woman who was Theo’s wife, and a tiny, newly born baby.
“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
—New Testament (1 Corinthians)
In Jo’s hands lay an immense volume of Vincent’s paintings, which society mocked as “the garbage of a madman,” along with an almost dizzying number of letters exchanged between the brothers.
An ordinary woman might have been at a complete loss and disposed of them all.
However, Jo was different.
She was an exceptionally intelligent woman of deep love, and a voracious reader.
She stayed up night after night reading the paintings of the older brother whom her husband had believed in and given his life for, as well as the letters exchanged between them.
And then, she realized.
“These paintings, these letters, are a treasure of humanity. Vincent painted these pictures to comfort people. I must deliver this to the people of the world.”
Jo swore to her heart:
“In addition to the child, Theo left me another mission—to have Vincent’s work seen by many people and to have its true value recognized.”
The Persistence of a Single Woman that Moved the World
Jo’s battle began.
She brought Van Gogh’s paintings, which no one in the art world would even look at yet, to various exhibitions.
She bowed her head to critics, and even when treated coldly, she never gave up.
Why was she able to go that far?
It was because she saw the “truth” that saves the human soul within Van Gogh’s paintings and within his letters.
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
Jo did not merely display the artwork; she organized and published that massive collection of letters.
By reading those letters, people came to learn that Van Gogh was not just a mad painter, but a man who deeply loved humanity, loved God, and suffered profoundly.
If Jo had not been there, Van Gogh’s paintings would have been lost forever, gathering dust in some warehouse.
It is the exact same holy miracle of “transmission” as when, after the death of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul risked his life traveling to various regions to share Christ’s words, which led to the flourishing of Christianity throughout the world.
Good things do not spread unless someone explains and communicates them.
In a manner of speaking, Jo and Paul played the same role as Steve Jobs, who was the world’s greatest salesman, Akio Morita of Sony, Takeo Fujisawa, who sold an immense number of Honda Super Cubs, and Shotaro Kamiya, who sold countless Toyota Corollas.
It is vital to communicate good things. If it is not communicated, it is the same as if it does not exist.
Akio Morita left behind these words:
“A product that has never been produced like that before, which not a single person has ever seen, yet has been painstakingly researched in some corner and manufactured after tremendous hardship. If one intends to turn that product into a commodity, one must arouse the desire to possess that product among the people; otherwise, no matter how excellent a ‘product’ it may be, it can never become a ‘commodity.'”
Jo transformed Van Gogh’s “cry of the soul” into a “salvation” that people all over the world sought.
Because of this life-long, magnificent achievement of hers, we are able to shed tears in front of Van Gogh’s paintings today.
Beyond the Pouring Rain, I Can See You
Thus far, I have told you the story of Marie Laurencin, and the story of Jo, who supported Van Gogh.
How do you feel? Have the thorns in your heart become even a little softer?
I want you to smile.
If you can tell me that living has become even a little bit easier for you, I will gladly shave away my own life to continue spinning these words for you.
“Man is to be measured solely by the amount of love he possesses.”
—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Look out the window; the rain is falling.
Please think of every single drop of that rain as my feelings for you.
Why do I find myself thinking only of you this much?
It is because you are you, and no one else.
Please entrust your solitude and your sadness entirely to me.
For I am waiting right here, just like this, to accept every single part of you.
Deep inside your old drawer
A forgotten postage stamp
Is quietly breathing
Did you know that?
Upon the white margins
Of a letter that no one ever read
The cold rain
Drop by drop
I watched it soak in
Without wearing your glass slippers
On the night platform
For a train that never arrives
You have been waiting all this time, haven’t you?
From beyond the rusted tracks
The thing that approaches
Might not be happiness
But merely
The sound of a gentle wind’s footsteps
Even so
Those beautiful fingertips of yours
Seeking someone’s warmth
Every time I see them fumbling through the dark
I feel an urge
To turn my own heart
Into bright red ink
And right beneath your feet
Draw a single path
That no one has ever walked before
Please do not cry
Your tears are
Far heavier, and far more beautiful
Than the stars in the night sky
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
—New Testament (1 Corinthians 10:13)
“The key to happiness is returned to God. Inside the hand of God, into His pocket, I gently place it. I am merely moving forward, step by step, into the rays of light of that terrifying, pale One.”
—Osamu Dazai
“Hey, why are you going on a journey?”
“Because it’s painful.”
“Your ‘pain’ is so routine, I can’t believe it in the slightest.”
—From “Tsugaru” by Osamu Dazai
Postscript: The Confession of a Strange Man Named Mimi Takamizawa
At the very end, please allow me to share a brief, truly familiar, and somewhat comical and delightful story.
I have a very close and exceptionally strange painter friend named Mimi Takamizawa.
He is truly a foolish man, and he is constantly the laughingstock of those around him.
After all, despite being a painter, he uses no canvas or brushes whatsoever.
He faces a computer screen, moves his fingers or a digital pen, and creates his art digitally.
Then, using a special technique called giclée printing, he prints it onto high-quality print paper.
“That’s not real art,” many artists criticize him.
But he completely ignores such criticism.
Because he pours only one true thing into his artwork.
The themes he paints are: your eyes and my eyes, Christianity, eternity, psychology, truth, gaze, history, solitude, isolation, hardship, resurrection, and liberation.
It sounds rather difficult, doesn’t it?
But in truth, it is incredibly simple.
He continues to paint “eyes” in his work like a man possessed.
If you ask why…
It is because he wants to continuously feel “you” on the other side of the screen.
“I want to know you, I want to connect with you.”
Solely for that purpose, he moves his clumsy hands.
It is said that he decided to become a painter after learning the sad yet beautiful story of Vincent van Gogh.
The strange name “Mimi” (which means ear in Japanese) was chosen by himself, inspired by Van Gogh’s famous ear-severing incident.
Amusing, isn’t it?
To be honest, his talent as a painter is third-rate at best.
But he knows.
He knows that all the historical masterpieces of the past were not painted solely through the innate inspiration of a genius, but were born from decades of blood-soaked trial and error.
Therefore, he does not give up.
He deeply respects Tokuji Munetsugu, the founder of CoCo Ichibanya, and always says:
“There is no time to look sideways. I must dedicate the entirety of my life to my work.”
Mr. Munetsugu is a man of tremendous hardship; he never knew the faces of his biological parents, grew up in an orphanage, and survived extreme poverty in his youth by eating weeds to stave off hunger.
That very Mr. Munetsugu remarked:
“During my active years, I had no hobbies and made no friends. I never once went to a drinking establishment. I did absolutely nothing that would interfere with my work. There were times I worked 5,640 hours a year. I felt that if I didn’t lead by example in this way, my subordinates wouldn’t work for me.”
“It was an incredibly lonely life. That is why I wanted people to show even a little interest in me. I wanted them to be interested. That has become my starting point. Therefore, when I started the business, rather than making money, I wanted to make people happy. I wanted people to say, even just a little, that they were glad I existed.”
Mimi Takamizawa is exactly the same.
He does not paint for himself.
He wants to bring joy to “you” who are right in front of him.
He wants to see your joyful face, and he wants to see your tears of deep emotion.
Solely for that, like stacking bricks one by one, with instant decision and instant execution, he faces his digital screen every single day.
Having no hobbies, never going out to play, and working more than 12 hours a day is the absolute minimum requirement for him.
Just like Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota, who was treated as an “eccentric” and a “madman” by those around him, Mimi creates something and destroys it, creates it and remakes it, from morning until night every single day.
It is like the fierce resolve of Choya Umeshu: “If you do not succeed with plum liqueur, give up on life.”
He is deeply inspired by the “Just-in-Time” concept of the Toyota Production System, thoroughly eliminating waste, thinking only of delivering the finest artwork exactly when you need it.
The words of Kiichiro Toyoda: “The joy of life lies in bringing to fruition the things that almost no one else does, the things that are difficult to achieve.”
And the words of Eiji Toyoda, Kiichiro’s cousin who later became the president of Toyota: “Execute with a strong conviction. Anyone thinks the same things, and it is not that Kiichiro was a genius. What is important is that he did not merely think about what is generally considered impossible, but possessed a strong conviction that it must be done at all costs, made thorough preparations, and executed it.”
Mimi has these words pasted on the wall of his room, gazing at them every single day.
A painter’s job should be that of a doctor who saves souls, he says.
An utmost performance of a buffoon, cutting into one’s own pockets.
It is fine if you laugh at him, it is fine if you look down on him.
He wants to be laughed at, laughed at, grow stronger from it, and serve you.
If he were to be abandoned by you, he would not be able to go on living.
Just by you being there and looking at even a single one of his paintings, he is saved.
“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
—Henry Ford
“The prime of life is a time when one thinks one can remake the world with one’s own hands. The privilege of old age is to know that the world does not change so easily. However, true wisdom lies in having the courage to take a step forward nonetheless.”
—Agatha Christie
“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. Choose life, so that you and your descendants may live.”
—Moses (From the Old Testament, Deuteronomy)
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
—William Shakespeare
“Who is rich? He who is happy with his lot.”
—Talmud
“On the whole, what we call happiness is something that cannot be felt at all at that specific moment; it is only later on, when we look back, that we truly realize, ‘Ah, that was when I was happiest.'”
—Osamu Dazai
“I am appealing to you now about a loneliness so fierce it makes me want to die. And you are listening to it, merely laughing.”
—Osamu Dazai
“An artist must always believe in himself. Even when no one else believes in him, he must be his own sole ally.”
—Osamu Dazai
“Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense.”
—Winston Churchill
“Have courage, be the first, and do something different from everyone else.”
—Ray Kroc
“I was an overnight success all right, but thirty years is a long, long night.”
—Ray Kroc
“Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.”
—Walt Disney
“The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.”
—Leonardo da Vinci
A Secret Gift for You
Tell me, wouldn’t you like to take a look at the artwork of such a clumsy, foolish, yet single-minded Mimi Takamizawa just once?
In truth, this is a genuinely secret, special offer meant only for you and me.
A set of 10 postcards of his artwork, featuring those soul-saving “eyes”—and in a luxurious A4 size, no less—can be yours entirely for free.
It is no lie.
Solely for you, I will carefully package them one by one and deliver them directly to your precious home.
This, too, is all a desperate service carved out of his life, and mine—our utmost devotion to you.
We want to save, even if just a little, that unfulfilled heart of yours, that loneliness you cannot share with anyone else.
We want to connect with you deeply, deeply, at the very core of our souls.
Therefore, I ask of you.
Right beneath this text, a special application button has been prepared just for you.
Please gently click right there.
I am whispering softly right by your ear.
“Please apply right now,” I say.
If you think, “I’ll do it later,” and close this screen, you might never get the chance to encounter his artwork ever again.
For opportunity always passes before you like a sudden gust of wind.
Please do not leave me, or him, all alone.
Please do not abandon us.
Thank you so, so much for reading my long, long love letter until the very end.
With my heartfelt gratitude to the precious existence that is you.