SUMO

Tradition and culture forge a connection between sport and art

"Are, chodai."

Those words infused artist Lynn Matsuoka with great pride -- and great trepidation. Matsuoka, a sumo fanatic and modern-day recorder of the Japanese sport, has been privy to the back room of the sumo world for more than 30 years. As a fixture in the finest sumo stables, the artist has captured the fabric of the wrestlers' lifestyle in sketches and paintings.

Through July 7, Matsuoka's works are on display at Robyn Buntin of Honolulu in "Sumo Spirit: Works by Lynn Matsuoka." Another show down the street, "Oh! Sumo!" at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, features historical pieces ranging from woodblock prints from 17th century Japan to works by contemporary artists. The exhibit runs through July 22.

Matsuoka's talent got her behind the scenes, and her devotion to the sport not only kept her there, but landed her in a most honored spot for 13 years: sitting beside sumo icon Chiyonofuji in the dressing room before each match.

Chiyonofuji, who reigned supreme as yokozuna (grand champion) during the 1980s, is among the greatest sumo wrestlers in modern times. Nicknamed "The Wolf" for his intimidating stare, he was a force to be reckoned with in the ring and outside it.

"He owned the place," says Matsuoka. "When he was in the room, there was no one else."

Before each match, Matsuoka took her spot beside the yokozuna, who demanded she sit there without fail, and sketched. By the end of the 15-day tournament, she'd have completed a new work.

And if Chiyonofuji liked what he saw, "He'd point casually and say, 'Are, chodai.' ('I'd like to have that.') When he said that, I was done. It was his," Matsuoka says.

Today, the retired wrestler and stablemaster owns eight of "the best paintings I've ever done in my life."

Then, during one tournament, Matsuoka began a work that she deems the best in her career. It took her an unheard-of three tournaments to complete.

As the work progressed, Matsuoka began dreading the two words that had always instilled pride. "Not this one," she thought to herself. But on one of the final days of the last tournament: "Are, chodai."

It took Matsuoka another month to finish the piece, then she carried it to the stables to Chiyonofuji. Mustering her courage, she told the yokozuna she couldn't bear to part with it.

"He had a fit," she says. With fists clenched, he said, "But I'm Chiyonofuji!"

But in character with his elevated position, the yokozuna relented. To this day, though, whenever he runs into Matsuoka, he gives her the glare of "The Wolf."

"He never lets me forget it," she says with fondness.

Sumo's star shone brightly here recently when the 2007 Grand Sumo Tournament made a weekend of it in Honolulu. For the first time in 14 years, fans watched their favorite wrestlers strut their stuff in a ring made of isle soil, and local television station KFVE filmed the two-day tournament for a two-hour special airing on Sunday .

'Sumo Spirit: Works by Lynn Matsuoka' » On exhibit: Through July 7 » Place: Robyn Buntin of Honolulu, 848 S. Beretania St. » Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays » Call: 523-5913 'Oh! Sumo!' » On exhibit: Through July 22 » Place: Honolulu Academy of Arts, 900 S. Beretania St. » Hours: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays » Admission: $10; $5 students, seniors and military; children free (free admission on the first Wednesday and third Sunday of each month) » Call: 532-8700 '2007 Grand Sumo Tournament in Hawaii' » Featuring: Two hours of highlights from the June 9 and 10 tournament » On TV: 7 p.m. Sunday » Channel: KFVE Channel 5

Even the art scene jumped on the bandwagon. Two venues in town, the Honolulu Academy of Arts and Robyn Buntin of Honolulu, put together exhibits in conjunction with the Hawaii tournament.

While the art-sumo connection may be puzzling at first glance, consider that sumo, Japan's national sport, is nearly 1,500 years old and has its roots in religious ritual. Sumo is more than just sport in Japan; it's steeped in tradition and culture. As such, artwork with sumo as subject have not only been present from ancient to contemporary times, but also serve as documentation of sumo's evolution in Japanese society through the centuries.

THE ACADEMY exhibit "Oh! Sumo!" offers just that kind of historical view, through pieces old and new from its collection. Woodblock prints date as far back as the Edo Period (1615-1868), when sumo groups were formed to entertain a growing middle class and sumo became a national sport.

"During the Tenmei Era (1781-89), sumo's popularity began to spread, and ... like other genre prints of actors and beautiful women, the images of famous sumo wrestlers were extremely popular with the public," writes exhibit curator Sawako Chang. The works' "finely delineated forms are achieved with bold lines and often exaggerated features, emphasizing their physical prowess. Their topknots and loincloths reflect a long, unchanged history."

Some pieces depict important moments in sumo's history. Utagawa Kuniaki's 1885 woodblock print of a bout attended by the emperor illustrates the challenges Japan faced in the late 19th century. Some leaders of the time sought westernization and aspired to world leadership. This faction was concerned that sumo, with its loincloths and topknots, conveyed an uncivilized image. Others leaders feared that in the rush to catch up to the West, Japanese culture and tradition would be sacrificed. Those in favor of cultural preservation -- specifically those of the sumo world -- won the good fight when in 1885 the emperor hosted a match that cemented sumo's place in Japanese culture.

"Oh! Sumo!" also features pieces by the famous Edo artist Hokusai and contemporary works including a portrait of Hawaii yokozuna (grand champion) Musashimaru, an abstract by California-born Ansei Uchima and a kitschy piece by American artist Micoi Hebron that re-creates a historical print in glitter.

The range of works, each accompanied by text explaining the relevance of the pieces, ensure that visitors are not only educated, but entertained.

LYNN MATSUOKA'S "Sumo Spirit" works well alongside "Oh! Sumo!" by providing an insider's look into the world of sumo. Matsuoka's intimate, soulful renditions of contemporary wrestlers at work and in repose offer a human facet that complements the sweeping and academic approach of the academy show.

Matsuoka's introduction to the sport was in itself an instantaneous, emotional reaction to seeing the wrestlers in motion.

"I was invited to Japan in 1973 to be a fashion illustrator. I had never heard of sumo. I was from New York City," she says. "Then I saw sumo on television -- and it just grabbed me.

"It was one of the most visually seductive images I've ever seen. Not in a sexy way, but the shapes, the colors, the pageantry just grabbed me. These wrestlers were tremendous in size, and yet they had incredible grace."

Matsuoka was compelled to sketch the wrestlers, and, thanks to friends in high places, gained access to the inner sanctums of sumo. For nearly 15 years, she was granted an official armband that allowed her into the wrestlers' dressing room, where she would sketch them before each match. When in the 1980s officials decided to deny her access, she'd pass the dressing room each day and one wrestler or another would allow her in.

"Lynn-san, are you sketching today?" they would ask, and she'd be invited inside. For another 20 years, the dressing room was her art studio.

Matsuoka's pieces, mostly lithographs and graphite drawings tinted in washes of color, convey the emotional experiences of the wrestlers and the beauty of the sport. There's the grandeur of a proud yokozuna attired in formal dress, intense wrestlers sparring at the stables, exhausted, kimono-clad champions napping after practice and much more.

The works reveal not only Matsuoka's deep love of sumo but her skill as a sketch artist as well. Matsuoka spent her early career covering fashion shows for Vogue and was a court reportage artist for ABC and CBS, covering trials that included the Watergate hearings.

"I've always done most of my work from life, drawing people in action as they do what they do," she says.

As for sumo, the artist says she feels her ties to the sport are almost "fated."

"Everyone I met was another stone in my path toward sumo," she says of her early days in Japan. "I feel my role in sumo is to bring to people the incredible beauty of the sport. I want them to see it with new eyes."