DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Koa Art Gallery director David Behlke hangs copper sculpture paintings by Bumpei Akaji.

Akaji’s legacy

The 442nd vet was one of the mavericks
setting the standard for fine art in Hawaii

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By Joleen Oshiro
joshiro@starbulletin.com

Humble, unpretentious and principled, Bumpei Akaji was in many ways much like other men of his time. A member of the 442nd infantry regiment in World War II, Akaji proved his valor alongside other Japanese-American men of his generation. And just as other WWII veterans had, Akaji helped pave the way for a new society in Hawaii after the war.

Yet, unlike most of his contemporaries, Akaji was among a small handful of native sons who set his mettle not toward the practical matters of government or business development, but directed his energy toward cultivating visual arts in the islands. Half a century later, Hawaii is indebted to the mavericks who set the standard for fine art in Hawaii, leaving a permanent record of their times in bronze and oils.

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM

"You can't underestimate Mr. Akaji's influence of art in Hawaii," says David Behlke, director of the Koa Gallery at Windward Community College. "His work represents some of the best fine art ever made in Hawaii by one individual."

Koa Gallery will open an exhibition of Akaji's work tomorrow with a reception that includes guest speakers remembering Akaji's contributions. The exhibition was planned to honor Akaji with a lifetime achievement KOA award, but he died Oct. 27 at age 81.

"Bumpei's lasting importance is his large body of work, especially the public structures like the Eternal Flame at the state Capitol and the sculpture honoring 442nd veterans at Fort DeRussy," Behlke says.

AKAJI WAS BORN on Kauai in 1921. In 1943 he was sent to Italy with the 442nd Regiment, where, amid the horrors of war, he developed a love for Italian art and architecture.

When he was discharged from the military, he remained in Italy on a Fulbright scholarship to study classic mosaic- and fresco-making in Florence and Milan.

Upon his return to Hawaii in 1950, he continued his studies at the University of Hawaii and was awarded with one of the school's first MFA degrees. With the help of his wife, Akaji then committed most of his working hours to art, including many works of armature made from welding rods. His favorite materials, however, were welding rods and copper sheeting. A friend of Akaji's owned a roofing business and was persuaded to give up copper scrap pieces that could be welded together to create "3-D pen-and-ink drawings," Behlke says.

STAR-BULLETIN / 1998 Bumpei Akaji stands next to a monument he created at Fort DeRussy to honor 442nd veterans. The artist died last October, before he could receive the lifetime achievement KOA award. One of his busts, left, goes on display tomorrow at Kapiolani Community College's Koa Art Gallery.

"He made sculptural paintings out of metal, pounding the copper into thin sheets and using acid to force the color forward. These wall hangings have a wonderfully textured surface."

Stylistically, Akaji's work shows the influence of Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollack and David Smith, abstract expressionists of the 1950s, but "rather than copy, Bumpei learned and made his own universe," says Behlke. "His work was local yet universal."

"Bumpei's work was classical," Behlke explains. His most well-known pieces, the "shoe-polish brown" copper sculptures that swoop in arcs and arches, are perfect examples. "First of all, his materials were classical: He used fire and metal," Behlke says. "And the upside-down arches -- arches symbolize the life cycle.

"His work also has subtle tones of eroticism. All the curves he uses perhaps refer to the curves of a woman's body." And the circles and mandala shapes -- classically representative of the womb, Behlke says -- show up a lot in Akaji's work.

At the same time, the inverted arches "also look like waves," and the quality of the copper "displays the almost volcanic heat Bumpei used; his works have an almost volcanic energy -- raw but elegant," Behlke says, to illustrate how Akaji's pieces reflect his sense of place.

Yet for all the tightly balanced energy that bespoke of Akaji's classicism, Behlke also deems Akaji "an incurable romantic" for the emotion inherent in his pieces.

"He saw the positive forces of life rather than the negative, and all that positive energy finds its way into his work. Bumpei's art is not depressing or sad. It's active, searching, life-affirming," he says.

AKAJI AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES, such as Satoru Abe and Tadashi Sato, serve as mentors, both aesthetically and as role models, to local artists today, says John Koga, a 38-year-old isle-born artist.

The WWII generation "came from a time when art wasn't viable, but these guys were doing it," Koga says. "Most people went into more practical fields, but these guys really and truly followed their hearts.

"They were mavericks in their humble, Asian way."

Koga finds wonder in Akaji's works not just for their artistic value, but also for the modest equipment Akaji used and the fact that he created such monumental structures without assistance.

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Some of Akaji's copper armatures are displayed in a row in the gallery at Kapiolani Community College. None of them have titles because Akaji believed that the honor of naming the piece should go to the person who owns the piece of art.

"It's so impressive that he didn't use much more than a welding rod. Today, we must have all kinds of equipment and assistance. Bumpei did it out of what he had and created grand-scale sculptures. It's pretty amazing."

Koga learned of the work of Akaji's generation as many residents did -- just by traveling around the island. "I was always attracted to their work. I'd drive around town, and there would be one of those guys' pieces."

After Koga entered the art world, he met up with his mentors. "I met Bumpei about a decade ago," he says. "He was supportive and encouraging. He told me, 'John, keep on doing it. If you keep working at it, it'll happen.'"

Behlke considers Akaji "a leader in the local art scene because he opened doors for people" like Koga. And for the fact that he continually grew as an artist.

"Bumpei had a gift of form and structure. He took chances. By his 70s he was his most creative," Behlke says.

"Bumpei was always curious, always intellectually active, and there's an intellectual integrity to his work. That's what will make it last."

Bumpei Akaji Memorial Exhibit Where: Kapiolani Community College Koa Gallery When: Opens with a reception from 5 to 7:30 p.m. tomorrow, during which guest speakers will remember Akaji's contribution to art and culture in Hawaii. Show will continue 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays through Feb. 14. Admission: Free Call: 734-9375

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