Masayuki Nagare | |
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流 政之 (Nagare Masayuki) | |
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| Born | (1923-02-14)February 14, 1923 Nagasaki, Japan |
| Died | July 7, 2018(2018-07-07) (aged 95) |
| Education | Ritsumeikan University (incomplete) |
| Known for | Modernist sculpture, stone carving |
| Notable work | Cloud Fortress, Sakimori (Frontier Guardian), Receiving (受 Ju), Transcendence (The Banker's Heart) |
| Style | Modernism, influenced by Shinto, Zen Buddhism, and Japanese martial arts |
| Father | Kojuro Nakagawa (founder of Ritsumeikan University) |
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Masayuki Nagare (流 政之,Nagare Masayuki; February 14, 1923 – July 7, 2018) was a modernist Japanese sculptor, nicknamed "Samurai Artist" for his commitment to traditional Japanese aesthetics.[1] He was born in 1923 inNagasaki to Kojuro Nakagawa, the founder and president ofRitsumeikan University inKyoto.[2] As a teenager, he received training in themartial arts of a samurai, particularlyswordsmanship,[3] and lived in several temples in Kyoto, where he observed the patterns of rocks, plants, and water created by traditional landscape artists.[4]
In 1942, he enrolled at Ritsumeikan University, where he studiedShinto and was apprenticed to a master swordsmith. He left university in 1943 to join theImperial Japanese Navy and did not return to complete his studies. Nagare served as aZero Fighter pilot in thePacific War. After the War, he traveled all overHonshu Island until the mid-1950s, witnessing the desolation of the ruined countryside, developing a thorough understanding of the Japanese landscape, and becoming interested in local crafts such as pottery. His fascination with graveyard tombstones that had survived wartime bombing led to his longtime choice of stone as his preferred medium.[5][6][7][8]
Nagare's art is strongly influenced by Shinto,Zen Buddhism, and traditional Japanese martial arts. His principal stone-carving techniques includewarehada ("cracked skin" or "broken texture"), in which the surface is left rough, with visible chisel marks, andshinogi awase ("ridges joined together"), which describes the meeting of two highly polished surfaces. Some of his works exhibit the contrast between the two techniques. His sculptures' clean lines often follow the subtle curvature of Japanese swords.[9][10]
Nagare's works includeCloud Fortress, which survived the9/11 attacks at theWorld Trade Center (New York City) but was destroyed in the rescue and recovery efforts,[11][12]Sakimori (Frontier Guardian) installed in theHonolulu Museum of Art,Hamaritsurin Garden in Seto Ohashi Commemorative Park (Kagawa Prefecture, Japan),Receiving (受Ju) stored at theMuseum of Modern Art in New York City,[13] andTranscendence (informally calledThe Banker's Heart by locals) installed in A.P. Giannini Plaza at555 California Street (formerly the Bank of America building) inSan Francisco,California. He died in July 2018 at the age of 95.[14]
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