About the artwork

The artist gave various expressions to the hog-backed store houses and garages, which are popular in this area. First, he tried to draw happy faces. But later, locals advised him to draw various faces for fun and therefore he drew angry or crying faces. When the artist drew a crying face on one storehouse, the owner said “I don’t want to see a sorrowful face because the earthquake devastated my house, leaving only that very storehouse.” The artist said he was strongly moved by these words.