The Sculptures
by
Thomas Matsuda
I would like to welcome you
all to the sculpture exhibition “Searching for the Buddha in the Forest” by Mr.
Thomas Matsuda, presented by the American Buddhist Study Center and the New
York Buddhist Church. It is our great pleasure to host such a great event. I was very impressed with his
works when I first visited his place and saw his works several years ago. I was
able to see his wonderful exhibition at Smith College in 1998. Now I am very
happy to see that his works are displayed here at our temple. His Buddha and
Bodhisattva statues bring us comfort, warmth and peace. I enjoy both the
traditional style and his own style. As the words and actions of a person
reflect his or her mind-heart, Matsuda’s works reflect his sincere and gentle
mind-heart. Throughout Buddhist history,
statues of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas have moved people’s hearts and guided
them to the world of Enlightenment. I am sure that Matsuda’s selfless works can
touch and move your heart. May his sculptures heal your wounds and bring you
peace. May this exhibition give you an opportunity to learn the Buddha-Dharma.
In Gassho-Nembutsu
T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki, Rev.
Resident Minister of New York
Buddhist Church
President of the Buddhist
Council of New York
Thomas Matsuda brings a unique perspective to his sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.
That
perspective comes from his background which combines American upbringing,
Japanese apprenticeship, and Native American visions.
Receiving his
basic training in the arts at Pratt Institute, where he now teaches, his
aesthetic sensitivity has been shaped by American artistic beliefs and
attitudes. But he has lived in Japan for twelve years as an adult, first
studying under the renowned sculptor, Koukei Eri of Kyoto, who specializes in
Buddha images, but later spending most of his time in remote mountain villages
in the tradition of Enku and Mokujiki, both well known sculptors who carved
Buddha figures for the populace. Also, having worked closely with Native American
spirituality, he identifies with their respect for mother earth and all living
beings equally.
While this rich
background comes together in various, positive ways, Matsuda is also his own
person and brings his own vision to his works. His Buddhas and bodhisattvas are
neither Japanese nor American; rather, they are creations of an artist who
brings something new and universal to our fragmented world. They reflect what
his teacher Eri said of old sculptures that contain “a mysterious strength that
has the power to penetrate our spirits.” Among people who saw his works
displayed at the Hillyer Gallery at Smith College in October 1998, one praised
his sculptures, saying that “There is stillness and transcendence conveyed
through these forms. They draw me into the flow of shapes, form and meaning.”
Tom Matsuda is quickly becoming one of the foremost Buddhist sculptors in North
America.
Dr. Taitetsu Unno
Conway Professor Emeritus of
Religion at Smith College
Thomas Matsuda’s Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas
The sculpture of Thomas
Matsuda first came to my attention in the fall of 1999, when I was planning an
exhibition at Stone Quarry Hill Art Park in Cazenovia, NY, titled “Earth’s
Altars: Ritual and Revelation.” I was looking for work that would express the
seamless whole that we call nature;
that would touch us deeply, challenge us to
look within, and offer spiritual replenishment.
His “Purification,” a two-part
installation of wood with a fire ritual, fit what I had envisioned perfectly.
In my other role as abbot of
the Zen Center of Syracuse Hoen-ji, I was delighted to arrange an exhibition of
his Buddhist sculpture at the Zen Center that ran concurrently with “Earth’s
Altars,”
from summer 2000 through early 2001. Many of the pieces were purchased
by Dharma students, who continue to be inspired each day by their sweet,
tender, pure energy.
These Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas have a vibrant expressionism that calls to mind the sculpture
of
the 17th century Japanese artist-monk Enku. Matsuda’s training, in
05/30/2007 Institute in printmaking, included an
apprenticeship with Koukei Eri of Kyoto, renowned for his Buddha images. Then
he spent twelve years alone in the remote mountains of Japan, using wood from
the forests and carving stones from riverbeds. That experience, combined with
an earlier period in which he joined a group of Japanese Buddhist monks on a
six-month peace pilgrimage across America and spent six months with the Dine
(Navajo) nation, strongly influenced the direction of his work.
Matsuda’s sincere vow of
compassion is reflected in each of his sculptures. Each one of them is a
portrait of true nature—the artist’s and the viewer’s simultaneously. His
loving, gentle, humble spirit pervades these figures, which exude a cheerful
and comforting presence. Matsuda is an artist who, by getting out of the way,
dynamically manifests the Way.
Roko Sherry Chayat, Abbot,
Zen Center of Syracuse Hoen-ji
