In 1981, Tanaami contracted pleurisy and he hovered between life and death. Based on this experience, he made a series of works around the theme of “life and death” throughout the 80s and 90s. His works at that time tended to evoke his understanding of the finite aspect of life, heavily using spiraling motifs and images of pines and rings that evoke mini-escapes. Differently from them, works for Kannooon take bright approach featuring rounded erotic forms personified through goldfish, despite a girl shaking with sobs. From the point that this sculpture is the multi-armed deity, which weeps about people’s torture, It is clear Tanaami formed the exhibition Kannooon to show the Buddhists’ paradise that he had visualized during his various life experiences with war and illness.

Tanaami describes about the Kannooon:
“The standard form of Buddhist statues is specified by its scriptures. My favorite Buddhist statues are, however, the series of bizarre, odd and mysterious ones that step out of the various rules. I have a continuous interest in the amazing Buddhist statues that transform freely into various forms including Rokuromi Kannon (in a temple in Rokuromi, Mie) that rides on the 4-legged and 8-headed bizarre bird and Senshu Senzoku Kannon that has multiple arms and legs (in Shomyoji)”.