Sawada Seiko

Sawada Seikō ( Japanese 澤 田 政 廣 , actually Sawada Torakichi (澤 田 寅 吉); born August 22, 1894 in Atami , Shizuoka Prefecture ; died May 1, 1988 ) was a Japanese sculptor from the Taishō and Shōwa periods .

life and work

Sawada Seikō was born as the third son of an innkeeper in Atami. He made an early decision to become a painter and left Nirayama Middle School with this intention. But since his parents were against the idea, he gave it up. Later he went to Tōkyō and became a student of Yamamoto Zuin ( 山 本 瑞雲 ; 1867-1941), a wood carver who was a distant relative. After five years of diligent and patient work, he was able to attend the private training facility of the "Taiheiyō Gakai" ( 太平洋 画 会 ) in 1918 . In 1921 he exhibited his first work at the 3rd  Teiten exhibition , which was entitled "Mermaid" ( 人魚 Ningyo ). In 1924 he enrolled in Tōkyō Bijutsu Gakkō ( 東京 美術 学校 ), the forerunner of the Tōkyō Geijutsu Daigaku , for a special sculpture course, where he was taught by Asakura Fumio . Sawada's "daydreams" ( 白日 夢 Hakujitsu-mu ) were approved for the Teiten in 1927, and his works continued to enjoy special recognition. From 1931 he was a member of the "Nihon Chōkoku-Kai" ( 日本 彫刻 会 ), but withdrew from it in 1940 and founded the "Association of Traditional Woodcarvers" ( 正統 木彫 家 協会 Seitō Mokuchōka Kyōkai ).

After the Pacific War he showed his works on the Nitten , where in 1951 his sculpture “Gomoku no Sei” ( 五 木 之 精 ) won the promotion award of the Minister of Education ( 芸 術 選 奨 文 部 大臣 賞 Geijutsu Senshō Mombudaijin-shō ), in 1952 his sculpture “Sange” ( 三華 ) received the Japanese Academy of Arts Award. In 1962 he was elected a member of the Academy of Arts. In 1970 he created a sculpture of the Shaka Buddha ( 釈 迦 如 来 像Shaka Nyorai-zō ) for the Reiyūkai religious community , which is 7.58 m high.

Sawada had been interested in Buddhist sculptures from a young age and thus carried on the tradition of the Nara , Heian and Kamakura periods , but also gave his sculptures a personal, modern touch. His style was highly recognized. The sculptures "Hakuhō" ( 白鳳 ) and Yō are also known, the latter representing the goddess Ame-no-uzume-no-mikoto.

In 1973 Sawada was honored as a person with special cultural merits , in 1979 he was also awarded the Order of Culture .

In 1987 the memorial museum for Sawada, the "Atami Shiritsu Sawada Seikō Kinenkan" ( 熱 海市 立 澤 田 政 廣 記念 館 ) was opened.

literature

• S. Noma (Ed.): Sawada Seikō . In: Japan. An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Kodansha, 1993, ISBN 4-06-205938-X , p. 1324.
• Tazawa, Yutaka: Sawada Seikō . In: Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art. Kodansha International, 1981. ISBN 0-87011-488-3 .
• Laurance P. Roberts: Sawada Seikō . In: A Dictionary of Japanese Artists. Weatherhill, 1976. ISBN 0-8348-0113-2 .

Web links (images)

At the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo :

• Sculpture: 救世 に 立 ち あ が る 釈 迦, Kyūsei ni tachiagaru Shaka - "Shaka, coming to save the world", 1966

Web links

• "Atami Shiritsu Sawada Seikō Kinenkan"

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus Sawada is the family name, Seikō the first name.