Labor Day is just around the corner, and beach aficionados will head to the ocean for perhaps their last visit of the season. The Japanese artist Toshihiko Hosaka’s (b.1974) sculptures can be a wonderful reminder of summer at the beach. Hosaka graduated in 1998 with a major in sculpture from Tokyo National University of Fine Art and Music. While in school, he began to make sand sculptures for special occasions and events, among other artistic pursuits, to earn money. By1998, he was participating in sand sculpture competitions, and by 2008, he finished third in the USF World Championships. He continues to compete in international competitions, accept commissions, and conduct workshops for prospective sand artists.
Hosaka’s sand sculpture “Asura” (2015) depicts a benevolent figure combining several symbols from Japanese tradition, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Asuras, also called Devas, can be male or female demigods with super powers. They are great guardians and protectors of humans against evil demons, or they can be evil demons, but not both
“Asura” sits in the formal Japanese Seiza position, the proper sitting position with both knees and the lower legs flat on the floor, sitting back on the heels, with back straight but not stiff. It is considered the respectful position. A similar pose in hatha yoga (Vajrasana) is called the Thunderbolt or Diamond Pose, and it is believed to have several benefits for better health. In Buddhism and Hinduism, the numerous Asuna (body positions) and Mudra (hand positions) have specific meanings.
“Asura” holds his hands in Anjali Mudra, palms pressed together and placed at heart center, greeting and showing great respect to the viewer. This gesture is known to many 21st Century viewers as Namaste, a gesture of greeting, blessing, and adoration
His robe is patterned with lotus blossoms. The lotus, sacred in many eastern religions, represents purity and regeneration. The roots of the lotus are found in muddy water, but the flower rises to the surface and slowly opens one petal at a time to produce a pure and beautiful flower, symbolic of human progress to achieve enlightenment.
“Asura” also represents several aspects of the Hindu god Vishnu, preserver and protector of the universe. He is one of the three major Hindu gods. Vishnu is always a handsome, well dressed young man having four arms. His job is to return to earth, when needed through various avatars, to restore balance and harmony between good and evil. Two arms are in Anjali mudra, while the other two are raised above his head, each holding a globe. The heads of two Hindu goddess can be seen behind Vishnu. Lakshmi is his consort and goddess of good fortune, fertility, and beauty. Sarasvati is the goddess of learning and art.
Two other arms from his waist hold weapons of protection to aid in driving away evil. The two additional arms belong to the Hindu god Shiva. Like representations of Shiva, “Asura” has a mass of hair and a third eye in the middle of his forehead. In the past, Shiva used his mass of hair to prevent water from a hole in heaven flooding the earth. By putting his head in the hole, the water flowed down his locks that distributed the water into the great rivers of India. Shiva’s third eye is all-seeing; it opens only to punish evil. The entire sculpture rises in the form of a mountain where the gods reside. It is the symbol of the gods’ protection of the Earth and its people.
Hosaka’s sand sculptures range in subject matter from the mythology of Japan, India, Greece and Rome, and from Italian Renaissance style to images of 21st Century subjects. “Godzilla” (2015), “Tyrannosaurus” (2016), “Poseidon’ (2019), “Michelangelo Carving David” (2016), “Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe” (2016), and images from contemporary Manga characters are among the range of Hosaka’s sculptures. “Alice in Wonderland” (2016) depicts many of Lewis Carroll’s famous characters. Alice sits like a proper young lady in the center, but she sits on the wickedly smiling Cheshire Cat. Mushrooms surround the base of the sculpture. To her right and left are the Mad Hatter and the White Rabbit. Above Alice are Humpty Dumpty and the Dodo Bird. At the top, four of the Queen of Heart’s card soldiers form a line, while with arms spread wide she yells at the top of her voice, “Off with their heads!”
In 2017, Hosaka’s “Musahai Miyamoto” won first prize at the International Sand Sculpture Art Festival in Fulong. The theme of the festival was “Hero.” Musahai Miyamoto was a famous 16th Century Japanese master swordsman, ronin (masterless Samurai,) philosopher, writer, and artist. Miyamoto is seated in the Seiza position on a tatami mat. Hosaka’s depiction of him is later in life, after he gave up the way of the warrior for the way of the writer and artist. His sheathed sword lies on the tatami mat to his left. Hosaka comments, “I thought it would not be easy to win because it was a world tournament in which 20 people from 14 countries participated.” He won the “Artist Choice Award,” voted on by all the participating artists.
Hosaka’s training as a sculptor and his great skill allow him to depict perfectly any form he chooses. “Animals in the Jungle” (2016) is a fantastic composition of a lion, meercat, rhinoceros, goat, camel, gorilla, zebra, ostrich, elephant and a pelican. These animals can be seen when the sculpture is viewed from the front. However, all of Hosaka’s works are three or four sided and are fully sculpted compositions.
Frequently asked about his work, Hosaka makes it clear there is no center core to build upon and no mold. They are entirely composed of sand. The sand dries in the sun and must be kept slightly wet with water to be molded and carved. Hosaka uses one trick that is common and acceptable to all sand sculptors. Once the sculpture is finished, a hardening spray is applied to keep it from eroding for a few days by the wind, rain, and sun. The process is similar to road construction in which a spray is applied to keep the dust down. Concerned about the environmental impact, Hosaka collaborated with a Japanese chemical company to make an environmentally friendly spray he called Sand Art Glue.
“Sea Voice Newspaper” was commissioned, photographed and published by the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper in a full-page editorial titled “Plastics Floating in our Seas.” May 30 is Zero Waste Day in Japan and this image is the editorial calling out Japan for its addiction to plastic. It reads: “We Japanese are also largely responsible. Japan produces the second most garbage per person. In order to rectify this, we have to take a good hard look at what is happening in the ocean. We need to think about things we have been ignoring as a result of prioritizing economic growth, everyday convenience, and such.”
Hsaka worked with local residents and students for eleven days at Lioka Beach in China to create the sculpture. It measures164 feet by 115 feet. He describes the experience in an interview: “We sculpt letters, frames, and earth parts using shovels, forks, and rakes used for gardening. It was necessary to always moisten because if the ground was dry, it did not form. It is a huge work. I carved it a little and shot it with a drone to adjust the balance and depth. A dust spray is sprayed thinly on the finished part. The spray is used for road construction. This will withstand some rain and dryness.”
The artist is deeply concerned with this subject. “The sea does not speak. So, I will speak in its place. Currently, the lives of many creatures in the sea are being taken. The cause is plastic. Plastic bags, plastic bottles, Styrofoam… 8 million tons of plastic used in everyday life are dumped in places like rivers and the ocean every year, and remains floating as garbage. By swallowing or being entangled in plastic garbage, about 700 species of animals including sea turtles, seabirds, seals, and fish are harmed and killed.”
Hosaka created a second work on the environment for Time magazine’s Climate Cover for September 23, 2019. The work is 98 feet x 65 feet. The entire text for the cover, including titles of all of the articles, dates, and Time logo, and globe of the Earth are depicted in the sand sculpture. It was photographed with real people walking around in order to create a dramatic image of the size and scale of the work. Including real people emphasized the magnitude of the problem.
Global warming also is a concern for Hosaka: “The biggest enemy of my work is the heat. I have been making sand sculpture for over 20 years and most of my work is outdoors. The heat has increased compared to before.”
Beverly Hall Smith was a professor of art history for 40 years. Since retiring with her husband Kurt to Chestertown six years ago, she has taught art history classes at WC-ALL and Chesapeake College’s Institute for Adult Learning. She is also an artist whose work is sometimes in exhibitions at Chestertown RiverArts and she paints sets for the Garfield Center for the Arts.
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