〈Painter’s words〉

Every soldier carried an amulet or good luck charm, without exception. I did not have any formal religious beliefs, but I had an amulet case made by my wife, as well as the thousand-stitch cotton belt that the students from my school had made for me. In my tobacco case I kept a photograph of my wife and I. This never left my side in all those years of being sent off to war, followed by internment and finally repatriation. As the color gradually faded, it felt like the photograph was telling me that I would one day return. It seems that such amulet-like objects seem to have nothing to do with religion.
I think that we all need something to cling onto when we are at our most vulnerable.
I transferred this photograph to the canvas in an enlarged size, expecting our faces to look exactly the same. But as it turned out, my wife looked unexpectedly beautiful—more so than in real life. This was surely my subconscious wanting to repay her for all that she had been through.

Siberian Series (Shinchosha, 1971)

Kazuki Yasuo 1911 – 1974
Born in Misumi-mura (now Misumi, Nagato City) in Otsu-gun, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Studied oil painting at Tokyo School of Fine Arts, then taught fine art while producing works that were primarily exhibited at Kokugakai (National Painting Association). Kazuki was sent to fight in the Pacific War (WWII), then interned in Siberia after the war. This experience resulted in the Siberia Series, which won the inaugural Japan Art Grand Prize in 1967. This series is considered an important body of work that still resonates widely today.

《畫家的話》

士兵們無一例外地佩戴著護身符之類的東西。我雖然沒有信奉過神，但有妻子做的護身符，還有學校學生們做的千人針。特別是香煙盒裏的妻子和我的照片，從出征到被關押，再到複員，都沒有離開過我的身體。變色的照片仿佛在說：“一定要活著回來。”這與祈求保佑的宗教心理不同，或許是為了尋找心靈的依靠，又或許是人類脆弱的心靈在作祟。
把這張舊照片放大臨摹到畫布上時，本想畫得一模一樣，但妻子的臉卻畫得比真人漂亮。肯定是對妻子長期操勞而感恩的心，無意中起了作用吧。

《西伯利亞畫集》（新潮社 1971年）

香月泰男
生卒年　1911～1974（明治44年～昭和49年)
香月泰男出生於山口縣大津郡三隅村（現長門市三隅），在東京美術學校學習油畫，在擔任美術教員的同時，主要在國畫會發表作品。1967年， “西伯利亞係列 “獲得了第一屆日本藝術大獎，描繪了香月在太平洋戰爭中服役以及戰後被關押在西伯利亞的經曆。那些作品至今也受很多人歡迎。