This monograph presents new work by prolific artist Yumiko Kayukawa, hailing from the small ruraltown of Naie in Hokkaido, Japan. The love of nature instilled in her from a young age is combinedwith contemporary influences such as manga, kawaii, and American pop culture films, music,and fashion. The pieces in Japanese Wolf are culled from her work of the last six years, after amove to Seattle, Washington in 2005. These large scale paintings are fantastical in subject matterand always include a human woman and surrounding animals, seemingly expressing Yumiko's innerworlds. Imagery of blue sequined mermaids, hyenas, alligators, lotus blossoms, geishas, peacocks,bright flamingos, egrets, flying squirrels, charging bison, ninjas, and veiled dragons paradeinto the foreground or recede into the background, supporting elements in constant interactionwith the solitary human figure. Panes of flat color and criss crossing patterns form dynamic movementacross each piece, an open invitation for us to enter Yumiko's complex and expressionistic world.