Referring to his feelings at the moment he saw her works, he said, "They have what it takes to give people strength when they look at them." So Isomura asked Ogata to design postcards that would be attached to boxes of baked sweets.
These were to be given to people attending a July 10 ceremony marking the completion of a redevelopment project for the eastern part of the Futako-Tamagawa area of Setagaya Ward.
Ogata painted three pictures for that purpose: one depicting ayu swimming upstream along the Tamagawa river; the other featuring hanamizuki, the flower used as the symbol of Futako-Tamagawa area; and another featuring a group of new buildings constructed in the redeveloped area.
Her pictures printed on the postcards were liked by those attending the ceremony and this led to a project to sell similar sweets with the postcards on the Internet. The recipe for these baked sweets was provided by a confectioner working in the Sangenjaya area of the ward and they are baked at a local workshop for the physically and mentally disabled.
Ogata will receive a portion of the sales. Masako expressed words of thanks to local residents while watching her daughter painting smiling animals and people.
"She has grown up to be a daughter who likes to see people smiling, and I owe it to local residents who have kindly treated her," she said. "I hope she will help build a society in which many handicapped people can support themselves, no matter how small.