The frequency and impact of earthquakes in Kobe, Japan, deeply influenced Yamamoto’s contemplation of nature, its beauty and ferocity. In fact, it is within the devastation of the earthquake that Yamamoto found the essence of life. Her use of natural elements to interpret concerns of light and shadow, blood lines, family lineage, the forces of activity and inactivity, yin and yang, is an extension of her world-view. She shares here with us, some of her thoughts that permeate her work.