This article features behind the stage stories and artworks of the mermaid and merman created by Takeshi Yamada in Japan and America. This manuscript was produced by Dr. Eriko N. Bond, an art critic and book author in New York City, as told by Yamada.   In Japan, Takeshi Yamada created a series of artworks (oil paintings on canvases) featuring gods and goddesses associated with water. Nevertheless, the images of them featured on his canvases were not the off-the-shelf ones created by major religions such as Buddhism, Shintoism, Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, or Christianity. In those artworks, being inspired by the philosophy of alchemy, Yamada tried to create and express his own version of images of gods and goddesses. His “River Goddess” painting represents varieties of aspect of symbols in alchemy. Yamada was 22 year old then, and his technical skill to create a masterpiece with oil painting was already equal to that of Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. The Sea Goddess, which Yamada created in 1983, was a mixture of mermaid, Venus, and Aphrodite.   River Goddess, oil on canvas, 29x36 inch, 1982   Sea Goddess, oil on canvas, 36x46 inch, 1983. Yamada considered all the divine creatures are  hermaphrodites – both make and female at the same time, and embodiment of alpha and omega.   When Yamada lived in Chicago for 13 years, he created a series of paintings on canvases representing the unique and distinctive culture there as Visual Anthropologist. His artworks reflected the visual and spiritual culture of City of Big Shoulders. When he create paintings, Yamada intentionally utilized the appearances of unique distortions produced by the camera and photograph to make his artworks more interesting. Yamada called his style of artworks “Post Super-realism”, “Post Photo-realism”, and “Post Highper-realism”. Most of his artworks (paintings, mixed media drawings, serigraph prints, etc.) had mythological titles.         (left) Mermaids at Oak Street Beach in Chicago, 30x30 inch, 1993, acrylic on canvas (left) Mermen at Oak Street Beach in Chicago, 30x30 inch, 1993, acrylic on canvas    Mermaid at Ohio Street Beach in Chicago, 24x24 inch, 1991, acrylic on canvas   Lake Goddess of Chicago, acrylic on zinc plate, 10x8 inch, 1999, private collection   In 1998, Yamada, created over three dozens of oil paintings of mermaids and sea horses. They were not rendered on canvases. They were painted on ceramic plates, antique silver spoons, and vinyl panels. Most of them are exhibited at his solo fine art exhibition at the Brownsboro Gallery in Louisville, Kentucky in 1998. They are engimono (good-luck-charm, talisman) based on the cultural background of these animals (horse and mermaid) in Japan.        (left) Sea Horse, oil on antique silver spoon, 1998 (middle) Sea Horse, 3-1/2 x 2-1/8 inch, oil on vinyl plates, 1998 (right) Mermaid, 3-1/2 x 2-1/8 inch, oil on vinyl plates, 1998   Sea Horse, 12 inch diameter, oil on ceramic plate, 1998 Yamada created a series of intricate miniature oil paintings of elegant sea monsters in 1998.       Several examples of the Mermaid’s Knives by Takeshi Yamada, varieties of sizes, 1993. Yamada created over three dozens of these completely original artworks when he taught wood craft class and art classes at the Camp Northwestern (Northwestern Military &b Navel Academy) in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. For Yamada, these artifacts simulate the hunting tools of mermaids.   In the summer of 2000, after arriving to New York City from Chicago, Yamada started drawings to create a monumental pair of paintings based on his vision – Holly War of 2001. One is about war and another is peace. In his “War” painting, Yamada rendered himself as a warrior general to lead the army to defeat our enemy of civilization/culture/existence. In his “Hope and Dream of Peace” painting, World Trade Center’s twin tower was painted clearly in the middle back ground. This painting was completed in the spring of 2001. Yamada was a man who saw the future. These artworks were exhibited at art exhibitions at Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition gallery in Red Hook area of Brooklyn, New York and caused sensations.     (left) War, oil/acrylic on canvas 48x36 inch, 2000 (right) Hope and Dream of Peace”, oil/acrylic on canvas 48x36 inch, 2000-2001   Unfortunately, Takeshi Yamada’s vision was confirmed when the major attack on the homeland of America, now called Nine Eleven, which killed 3,000 innocent people (civilians) here in the downtown of New York City on September 11, 2001 and other cities caused by religious fanatics from middle eastern countries. The World Trade Center’s twin towers, which he painted in his “Peace” was destroyed by two air plains which were hijacked and crashed into them by those killers. By the president of the United States, the criminals who caused the savage mass murder was called “Islamo Fascists” – these are small numbers of fanatic Islam believers who use violence as the major mean of propagate their religious belief on the contrary to the “peaceful” followers of the exactly same religion. Yamada knew it was the beginning of the World War III when his father informed him from Japan by telephone about the first air plain crashed into the first tower. The world as we knew changed forever. (Even now 2006, almost no politicians still refuse to use the term “World War III” to describe what is happening since Nine Eleven.) Yamada knew this is what is known in the later century, the Holly War of New Millennium”. He saw the burning city of Manhattan across the Hudson River from the pier of Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn. The city was completely engulfed by the angry smokes. Yamada started his most ambitious battle painting on canvas (based on his drawings already completed in early 2001) immediately after his eye witness. Yamada named this sublime artwork, “Battle of Coney Island (Prediction of Holly War of 2001. Holley War of New Millennium)”.       Battle of Coney Island by Takeshi Yamada, oil/acrylic on canvas, 2000-2002, 48x72 inch. Details below shows Renaissance-style magnificently rendered mermen. The image of this historical painting is based on Takeshi Yamada’s vision of historical interspieces battle between humans and mermen to win over the land of Coney Island. The horseshoe crab at the right bottom represents the reincarnated warrior (Japanese mythology of the horseshoe crab). This painting also symbolically represents the World War III which began the terrorists’ mass murder took place in September 11, 2001.   Nine Eleven moved Takeshi Yamada. To protect America, he summoned the guardian power of mermaids/sea goddess and warrior’s helmet crabs (horseshoe crabs. They are believed to be the reincarnations of Japanese samurai warriors in Japan) at the beach of the New York City. Before long, a series of artworks featuring these mythical divine creatures of power to protect his sacred land emerged in his art studio by the sacred golden beach of Coney Island.       Mermaid Princess (Princess Otohime) #1, 2, 3, 4. acrylic on the carapaces of the horseshoe crabs, 2002.        Shortly after moving to Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York, Takeshi Yamada started creating a series of artworks inspired by horseshoe crabs gathering for their spectacular annual spawning ritual at beaches of Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York.       Mermaid Princess #5, 6, 7, 8, acrylic on the carapaces of the dead horseshoe crabs, 2002.       Mermaid Princess #9,10,11,12, acrylic on the carapaces of the dead horseshoe crabs, 2002.          (left) Mermaid Princess (Princess Otohime of Chinese Dragon King) #13, acrylic on carapace of dead horseshoe crab which Takeshi Yamada collected at the beach in 2002. (right) Mask of Mermaid Princess.     A shoe and hair style of mermaid princess (Princess Otohime), pen and ink drawing on paper, 2002 Several dozens of drawings like these were created by Yamada by using a sharp sword-like tail of dead horseshoe crab as original home-made one-of-a-kind fine art luxurious dipping pen.     Color drawings on paper featuring images of the mermaid princess 11x8.5 inch, 2003   “Homage to the Horseshoe Crab” solo fine art exhibition of Takeshi Yamada held at the Arsenal Gallery  operated by the New York Park & Recreation Department in Manhattan in 2003. This is Yamada’s one of four major traveling solo fine art exhibitions of the horseshoe crab artworks in New York City 2003. The theme was Japanese mythology of horseshoe crab and mermaid princess (Princes Otohime).   Japanese Samurai warrior’s ceremonial mask #8. One of 23 warrior masks created on the carapaces of dead horseshoe crabs. 2002. This series of artworks is inspired by the Japanese mythology of the horseshoe crab. Horseshoe crabs are considered reincarnations of samurai warriors, who fought and dead at major battles and wars (such as Japanese Civil War) in Japan.   Color picture in the newspaper shows Yamada with his Samurai Warrior’s Ceremonial Mask at Pro US Troop Larry at 42nd Street of Manhattan on March 23, 2003. His picture and interview were featured in Sing Tao Chinese Community (newspaper) next day (March 24). The headline  of the newspaper reads “A Rally Held in Manhattan for Supporting the US Military Force.”     (Continue to Part 4)     All rights reserved by Takeshi Yamada, Museum of World Wonders, Brooklyn, New York, September 2006. Special thanks to Eriko N. Bond, Maremi Kakushina, Lauren D. Travis, and Diane M. Taros.