THE BLACK HANNYA.

Hannya masks appeared often during Marküzō's twelve years in the tattoo industry, and he took them at face value as angry and menacing. Working in Japan revealed the meaning behind that anger: the Hannya represents a wound left unresolved, hardening into rage that lands on those who had no part in causing the original pain, so the grief compounds with each generation.

Becoming a father gave that message new weight. The phrase "heal your wounds before you bleed on those who didn't cut you" stays with Marküzō nearly every day as a parent, and he created this piece as a reminder to himself, and to the future owner, that every person who faces what hurt them leaves the next generation with less to carry.

Constructed from many layered pieces of reclaimed, ethically sourced wood, held together and preserved in epoxy, the work brings a traditional Japanese form into a contemporary context. Gold runs through the fangs, teeth, and brow, drawing on kintsugi, the Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery with gold so the mended break becomes part of the object's beauty. Placed within the Hannya, the gold marks the possibility of healing inside the rage, showing that a wound, once faced and repaired, can become a source of strength.

Because this work draws on Japanese tradition and speaks to healing old wounds, 5% of proceeds will be donated to TELL, a community mental health nonprofit in Japan that funds a confidential crisis Lifeline and subsidised counselling for people working through what hurt them.