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ART IN HAWAII
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Lynn Matsuoka, of Honolulu and Tokyo, fell in love with sumo and spent the last 22 years documenting the ritualistic lives of the giant wrestlers of Japan's national sport. She trained as a reportage artist at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, and the School of Visual Arts in New York. She gained experience with many subjects, from Watergate characters for television, to New York Yankee ball players, from high fashion in New York to new fashion and ancient kabuki theatre in Japan.
When Lynn discovered sumo, she made
her home in Tokyo. She decided to develop her skills in oil pastel, a
medium that allows her to create images of the rikishi (sumo
wrestlers) quickly, in the dressing room and in the dohyo (sumo
rink), without requiring them to stop and model, without making a
big display of her presence. However, being a woman among 800
sumo wrestlers-from lowly trainees at the sumo stable, to yokozuna
(grand champions)-could only draw attention to Lynn Matsuoka. She
soon became a novelty in Japan, interviewed by newspaper and
television reporters and invited to galleries to exhibit her work.
Making her even more visible in the sumo world, after four years of
documenting the sport, she fell in love with Iwatora, a top-division
wrestler, married him upon his retirement and produced two sons.
Now their sons are travel between Honolulu where Toranosuke, 14, attends Mid Pacific Institute, and Tokyo, where younger Jesse attends private school. Lynn plans to spend more time with her family in the multi-cultural environment of Hawai`i where she maintains her friendship with Hawai`i's sumo wrestlers and their families. She admires, in particular, Akebono, who grew up as Chad Rowan in Honolulu to become the first westerner to reach grand champion rank. She says Akebono has incredible inner strength, from days of living without pay in the heya (stable) where he cooked and cleaned for those of higher rank, and submitted to the rigors of constant training and restrictive protocol. She proclaims that Akebono's character would lead him to success with any goal.
Lynn's eldest son spent the last two
summers with Akebono at his training center in Japan where
"Akebono taught him to be a gentleman." No matter how many sumo
bouts are won, gentle manliness is a prerequisite for graduating to
grand champion, with the final decision made by the Sumo Society.
Lynn describes Akebono as a gentleman with dignity. "He is nothing,
if not dignified."
Lynn Matsuoka's sumo paintings and drawings focus on the visual culture of sumo, particularly the large rounded forms of the giant wrestlers, the traditional top knots on their heads, the mawashi - silk loin cloth they wear during the bout, and the kimonos they wrap around their giant girths while resting. Sumo culture has evolved for more than 2,000 years in Japan. Sumo was mentioned in the Record of Ancient Matters, the oldest document in Japan (circa. 712 a.d.) It describes the legendary Takamikazuchi, who won a grappling contest for control of the Japan Islands to become the ancestral patriarch of the Imperial Family. Legend also describes a sumo match in 23 b.c. when Sukune, the potter, beat an unpopular brazen braggart to become the father of sumo. Sumo became integral to seasonal celebrations of agricultural abundance and peaceful relationships.
During the Edo period, (1603 - 1867), sumo became a regulated sport with a ranking system, rules and compensation for rikishi. Sumo tradition from the Edo period survives, an attraction for Lynn that has remained vital for more than two decades. She says she doesn't know why, but her work with sumo seems to be "En Ga Aru. It was fated."
When Lynn is free from painting sumo and commentating for sumo on television, she is invited to exhibitions around the world, from the Royal Albert Hall in London to her studio gallery in Tokyo. This December her sumo art will be shown at the Honolulu Club, and for enthusiasts internationally, she has built an Internet page, now awaiting permission from the Sumo Society. A leading Internet sumo page has created a link to Lynn Matsuoka's Sumo Painting & Drawing on the Web and urges net surfers to send comments and encouragement to the Sumo Association through e-mail to: webster@iac.co.jp (the leading advertising supported internet access in Japan.) In the meantime:
Lynn's kabuki theater art can be seen on Planet Hawaii: http://planet-hawaii.com/matsuoka/
Her sumo cards and clothing can be found at The Sumo Connection owned by Akebono's mother at 525 Kapahulu Ave. in Honolulu.
Sumo sites on the internet include:
Lynn Matsuoka's sumo art: lynn.@iac.co.jpor
Jerry Yang's sumo page from Stanford
University: http://akeb
ono.stanford.edu/users/jerry/sumo/
Noriko Oshima's sumo page from Keio University in Japan: http://www .sfc.keio.ac.jp/~s93073no/sumo.html
Fuji Tv's Sumo page:
http://www.fujiin
t.co.uk/Sumo/sumo.html
Nathan Hoover's sumo page from HaL computers: http://www.hal.com/~n athan/Sumo/