OLIVER HADLEY STATLER / 1915-2002

Author built large
collection of Japanese art

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By Pat Gee
pgee@starbulletin.com

Oliver Hadley Statler, an internationally acclaimed author and interpreter of Japanese arts and culture, died Thursday at the Queen's Medical Center after a lingering illness. He was 86.

A resident of Honolulu since 1977, Statler was "a quiet man who exuded an enormous influence on many thousands of people through his personal leading of pilgrimages in Japan, the books he wrote and the classes he taught," said his friend of 30-plus years, James R. Brandon, professor emeritus in the University of Hawaii's Department of Theater and Dance.

"He had an incredible curiosity about the culture and arts around the world, especially Japan ... maybe because of the gentleness of Japanese art -- he was a very gentle man. Two years after the end of World War II, he championed modern Japanese woodblock printing when nobody paid any attention to it," said Brandon, who also specializes in Asian theater.

The Chicago-born Statler trained with the Army on Kauai during World War II. From 1947 to 1958 he lived in Tokyo and Yokohama, first as a civilian employee of the Army and then as an independent art researcher and author.

He immediately "fell in love" with Japanese art, building one of the largest collections of modern Japanese prints outside of Japan, Brandon said.

Statler produced his first book, "Modern Japanese Prints: An Art Reborn," in 1956 and wrote weekly art reviews for the Asahi Evening News in Tokyo.

Statler became a close friend of best-selling author James Michener, who in 1961 encouraged him to write "Japanese Inn," a widely read historical novel. He later wrote the highly praised "The Black Ship Scroll" in 1963 and "Shimoda Story" in 1969, according to Brandon.

Statler was influential in introducing to foreigners the 1,000-mile pilgrimage to 88 Buddhist temples on the island of Shikoku. In 1983 he published "Japanese Pilgrimage," which a reviewer called "a beautiful book by a master craftsman," Brandon said.

In 1977, Statler moved to Honolulu to become adjunct and visiting professor of Asian studies at UH-Manoa. In following years he was a guest professor and lecturer at universities and museums throughout Japan and the United States, and wrote articles and film scenarios.

Statler was a member of the board of directors of Kobe College in Japan. A graduate of the University of Chicago in 1936, he received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the National College of Education in Evanston, Ill., and the prestigious Guggenheim Foundation and Japan Foundation fellowships. At the time of his death, he was writing a history of the ancient city of Dazaifu on Kyushu, Brandon said.

He is survived by several cousins on the mainland. Memorial services will be held at a later date.