An unpaved road turns from East Avenue at the southern end of Ashland, passing cows, abandoned farm tools and old cars, to a picturesque old barn. Walk through the paintbrush to the back, where you will find the studio of the sculptor Sugiyama Shibuya. The bookshelves in the 10 ft x 12 ft spare room are filled with his unique interpretations of traditional Japanese wagon images - meditating elephants, blessed boars, violin-playing foxes, and turtle monks - all of which are in gallery exhibitions The different stages of completion and commissions.

Sugiyama, 64, has been working in the barn studio for nearly 15 years. The location along the Hamilton River is more suitable for his material enjoyment than a more suitable place for him. He often got up from the workbench, wandered on the nearby dirt road, stopped in the nearby pond full of aquatic life, meditated on the rolling hills opposite, or played the flute to welcome the morning sun.  

Nature has always been the source of Sugiyama's inspiration and part of his deep intuitive relationship with the world of life. "I do find beauty in nature. I like talking to the rising sun (in fact, I pray to the sun goddess), clouds, trees (I like to embrace them), and the biological and non-living forms of nature," He explained. "Not only did I get the idea of ​​shape or color when creating sculptures, but I was also charging myself." He said that the form of nature provided him with a kind of spiritual energy to realize his mission as a sculptor: Light is conveyed to the hearts of the audience.

Although he grew up in a Buddhist family in Japan, Sugiyama does not consider himself a serious Buddhist. He also does not consider himself a follower of Shintoism or animism. These practices believe that the spirit exists in living and non-living things in nature. On the contrary, he is open to any spiritual beliefs. His works draw on many cultural and religious forms and inspirations, including Ganesh in India; Pacha-mama in Peru; the happy, bald-headed Ksitigarbha in Buddhist traditions, guardians of travelers, women and children; of course, And Haniwa from Japan. "I have never seen any gods with my naked eyes, but I would rather feel them while remaining mindful in my nature. I accept what I think is right," he added. "My goal in creating these sculptures is to make them as vibrant as they are alive, as if I am injecting life into them, so that the audience can experience some catharsis-sadness, crying, laughing, smiling, healing."

Sugiyama was born in Tokyo and grew up in a traditional family with traditional Japanese occupations and success ideas. By the age of 26, he was already a mature civil engineer. He worked for a blueprint company. According to social standards, he was successful, but his soul was empty. He knew he had to leave and find his mission in life, although he was not sure what that mission was. "I didn't know my destination at that time, but my heart was calling to find the life I really wanted." He began to study English at a private language school in Tokyo. Eventually, his path led him to Ashland in 1986 to study voice communication at the then Southern Oregon State College (now Southern Oregon University). Although his family was worried about the sudden change in his career and goals, his parents still firmly supported the journey of their youngest child, as he said, to find his happiness.

At that moment, he had to make elective courses as part of the degree requirements. He chose a pottery class and soon discovered a new way of communication, telling stories in a way that does not involve language, but it tells the spiritual life of his work. He completed his initial degree, but then went on to pursue a master's degree in fine arts. With the support of SOSC, he returned to Japan to study Haniwa ceramics. His works increasingly draw inspiration from Japanese mythology, culture and history. In his last master's project in 1992, he sculpted 156 Haniwa for an educational and historical exhibition held at the Academy's Stevenson Art Gallery. He is 34 years old and has just started his career as an artist.

Haniwa, "clay circle" in Japanese, is the unglazed terracotta rings, cylinders and hollow figures, animals, and houses left over or around the tombs of social elites from the ancient burial mounds and the Asuka period (250-710 AD) Ancient Japan. The purpose of these sculptures is unknown, but they are likely to represent the wealth and status of the deceased. Another theory is that Haniwa is the patron saint used to protect the dead and their graves.

The most well-known Haniwa are horses without riders, as well as birds, monkeys and dogs. But the most elegant works are complex figures representing warriors, archers, witches, and monks who are independent or on horseback. Most Haniwa are about 1 yard tall, but some are nearly 5 feet tall.

Over the years, Sugiyama's reputation as an artist has continued to improve. Although for many years he made a living with the encouragement and support of ramen and friends, when he moved into the barn on East Street, he had already gained a large number of collectors and gallery followers. Although most of his representative works are in Northern California, he has a long-term relationship with the Hansen Howard Gallery in Ashland and exhibited his work at a popular behind-the-scenes event at the Portland Japanese Garden. His medium began to expand from ceramics to stone, bronze and wood. In 2009, former Ashland City Council member Alice Hardesty bought a piece of granite work "gift" to commemorate her late husband Jack, who has long been an admirer of Sugiyama and his works. This work is publicly located behind the Ashland Public Library on Siskiyou Avenue.

In May 2014, Sugiyama returned to Japan again to attend his mother's funeral. In the grief of losing her, he has no motivation to work, or even to return to Ashland. To distract, he went to Shiga Prefecture near Kyoto, which is famous for its ancient temples, shrines and castles. Sitting in his sister's house in Lake Biwa, he looked across the water and saw Mount Hiei, which has long been regarded as a place of fear by the Japanese. This is a sacred mountain where the 9th-century rooftop monks built the vast Enryaku-ji Temple. .

"When I saw this mountain, I felt that I had to climb up for no reason, but I felt that someone called me from there." He told his sister and brother-in-law of this feeling, and the three drove to the top of the mountain. Arrived before the temple closed. They entered the main pavilion, Konpon-chudo, where the candles had been lit for 1200 years, and approached the huge dark altar where there was a statue of the Medicine Master Tathagata who healed the Buddha.

"Strange to say, I prayed there for nothing, but for everything. At this moment, I still don’t know what happened, but I feel that my body is full of very powerful power. I seem to hear a The voice said,'Go back to the United States to perform the mission.'"

After recharging and getting new inspirations, he returned to Ashland and contacted a sculptor friend Jack Langford, who provided him with additional studio space in his large complex near Phoenix. Metal and stone sculptures. Sugiyama accepted this proposal without hesitation, and he wondered if this was the meaning of the voice coming from the temple.

The new studio provided him with more space than the small barn studio, allowing him to start creating larger-scale sculptures. Langford’s complex also provides the expertise of a forged metal, scaffolding and other sculptors on site. “I started with the image of a rhino standing in a meditation pose because I needed to feel inner peace after my mother died,” said Sugiyama, who first found himself connected with his personal emotions through the creative process. “Many The curved geometric texture represents all my feelings and emotions in order to focus my attention so that I can see my mother’s soul."

As the character he named the fareweller progressed, he knew that he wanted to deliver peace and comfort, not only for himself, but also for anyone who had lost a loved one. "When I bent down one of the eyes of this rhino, I saw my mother's soul disappear with sadness and strength," he pointed out. "I added a bird that is about to take off on the right hand side, because in Japanese culture, this bird guides the soul of the dead to the paradise world."]

Unfortunately, the "Farewell" was never fully realized because the mold of this 5-foot-tall sculpture was lost in the deadly fire in Almeida in 2020, which spread from Ashland to Tallinn and Phoenix . These molds, made of wax clay and waiting to be cast in bronze, were destroyed when the storage unit for their talents was burned down in the fire.

Even when he finished the rhino mold, Sugiyama already had a vision for his next immortal sculpture. Every year, a different pair of great horned owls nest on the rafters above the Ashland barn studio for several months, arrive in early summer, and return to the mountain with their baby birds in late winter. "Looking at them always gives me a sense of peace and calm, even if the world around me is far from it," he said, noting that in traditional Japanese culture, owls are seen as providing protection from pain. "Although I don't remember the exact moment when I imagined this sculpture, maybe the image of an owl has been steadily established in my mind over the years."

While in Japan, Sugiyama also saw the statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, some of which were of commemorative significance. She chose to give up her enlightenment and stay to help the suffering people in this world. The images of owl and Guanyin combine to become a 13-foot-long anthropomorphic owl. May you feel the peace of mind.

"I believe Guanyin lives in this sculpture," he explained. "I carved the feeling of compassion and love into this image. Now, when I stand in front of it, I feel a sense of calm compassion resounding from it. As a sculptor, if those who stand in front of the sculpture I can feel the inner peace, even for a moment, that will be my greatest happiness.

"So the anthropomorphic owl became my second task."

In 2019, "May You Feel Peace Within" started work. Sugiyama borrowed from his original field of civil engineering, and painstakingly drew a blueprint, each owl has a number. [Photo 13, Blueprint] The next step is to create a wooden rectangular base with wheels at the bottom, which allows the base to rotate and makes it easier to work on and around the sculpture.

Six 14-foot-long steel bars, each one-quarter inch in diameter, are then connected to six flanges on the wooden base.

Next, attach four plywood panels to the steel bars, and cut and scrape 24 polystyrene foam panels, each 8 inches x 4 inches. It took six months for this early stage alone to be ready to paste and sculpt wax clay.

In the process, the Almeida fire, the same wildfire that destroyed the storage unit storing rhino mold, also dangerously approached the site where the anthropomorphic owl was built. When the wind moved south, Sugiyama stayed to protect his Ashland studio, while Jack Langford stood on the roof of the Phoenix studio, flushing the building with a hose to protect them and the artwork inside. The wind of wildfire spreads sparks. Sugiyama remembers the moment Longford called him. He assured him, "It's safe to cross, and the owl is safe."

When the sculpture is ready to be cast in bronze, it is divided into many separate parts with flashing plates, which are directly embedded in the surface of the sculpture. After completing all the individual parts, apply the silicone rubber material to the surface of the sculpture. The master material is then applied to the surface of the cured silicone rubber material and allowed to harden. In the past, sculptors used plaster on this stage. Finally, each individual section is marked with a number in the blueprint.

Each mold cut by the waterproof board is peeled off. Use a brush to apply the melted wax to the surface of the silicone rubber mold. After the wax has cooled, it is peeled off. Then, each wax figure is immersed in a liquid of fine silica particles to turn the surface of the owl into a shell. "It's a bit like shrimp tempura," Sugiyama explained. Before the shell is finished, he repeats this process about ten times, then uses a blowtorch on the surface to melt and remove the wax inside. The molten wax flowing out of the shell is called lost wax. What is left is the empty shell of an anthropomorphic owl.

Eventually, the bronze block will be melted and poured into various molds. After the molten bronze cooled, the mold shell was broken, revealing the bronze sculpture. Use a hammer and chisel to remove any remaining ceramic or silicon shells, or use an air compressor to blast sand. The final stage of the process is to weld each piece back to its position on the finished owl.

Although the sculpture itself has been completed, the towering anthropomorphic owl is still in the wax mud stage. Although Sugiyama is still raising the $70,000 needed to complete the work, he has already felt the power of the sculpture and the spirit of it. "It sounds strange, but I think this sculpture is calmer and stronger than before," he explained. "Whenever I see it, I feel very calm. I think this sculpture has been absorbing the feelings of the audience who saw it in the studio. When they stood in front of her, they were moved. Now I I feel more and more that sculpture has vitality, and the spirit of Guanyin lives in it."

His hope is that May You Feel Peace Within will eventually be installed in the Frederik Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Haynes Art Foundation in Ashland has submitted these documents, but due to Covid restrictions, the process has stopped. Sugiyama would be happy to see it in a city park or garden, so that the public can feel the sympathy exuded by this work as a personal inheritance or company commissioned funding. "At this point, the sculpture knows where to go."

Wataru Sugiyama's work can be viewed in his Ashland Barn Studio or Phoenix Studio by appointment (watarusculpting@gmail.com or call 541-601-0713). His work is also on display at the Hanson Howard Gallery, including the current exhibition with Jon Jay Cruson, which will last until August 14. The gallery is located at 89 Oak Street, Ashland, Oregon. It is open from Thursday to Saturday at 4 noon and 5 noon on Sunday afternoons and reservations are required. Works can also be commissioned on www.watarusculpting.com. 

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