Shachiku Part I — The Weight (社畜 – “Corporate Livestock”)

Shachiku Part I — The Weight (社畜 – “Corporate Livestock”) is a study of the salaryman as both an individual and a symbol of Japan’s culture of overwork. The title comes from a slang term likening corporate employees to livestock, a reflection of the rigid expectations and long hours that define much of urban working life.

The piece was inspired by a night out in Koenji, Tokyo, surrounded by salarymen unwinding after work. I wanted to capture the moment when that fleeting camaraderie fades and the weight of the day returns, a solitary figure bent under invisible burdens.

The muted monochrome palette strips away distraction, focusing on posture, expression, and atmosphere. Textured shading and careful tonal balance emphasize heaviness, while the absence of background detail leaves only the figure’s quiet gravity.

The work is not a portrait of one man, but of a shared condition, for anyone who has felt the toll of giving more than they had to give.