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A young woman gazes into the distance, slightly leaning her body against the wall. She is wearing a kimono that has been dyed in the traditional Okinawan bingata style and features a vivid vermillion color on a white background.

Her hair is arranged in a hairstyle unique to Okinawa, and a sanshin (traditional Okinawa three-stringed instrument) is propped up behind her. The Okinawan motifs catch your eye within this simple composition.

Nadoyama Aijun had a deep love for Okinawan culture and created paintings that featured traditional Okinawan motifs both before and after the war.

This artwork is said to have been painted in Oita Prefecture, where Nadoyama had been evacuated to during WWII.

Upon learning that Okinawa had suffered devastating levels of destruction during the war, he reated this painting which seems to express his longing for his hometown far away.

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