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“The Open Mind of Lafcadio Hearn” Matsue, Japan 2010

「ラフカディオ・ハーンの開かれた精神」 松江市

    Open Mind Of Lafcadio Hearn Matsue

    The Open Mind of Lafcadio Hearn
     Stainless Steel, Black Granite
    2.7 meters
    Shinji Lake
    Matsue, Shimane, Japan
    2010
    120th Anniversary of Koizumi Yakumo’s (Lafcadio Hearn’s) Arrival in Japan
    ラフカディオ・ハーンの開かれた精神
    ステンレス・スチール, 黒花崗岩, 2.7 m
    宍道湖
    松江市, 島根県, 日本
    2010
    小泉八雲来日120周年記念

     

     

    This is a sister monument of the monument erected in the American College of Greece in Athens, commemorating the 110th anniversary of Japan-Greece relations. Its multi-layered flow seems to express Hearn’s remarkable life, and its heart-shaped opening seems to symbolize his viewpoint of non-prejudice and the spirit of “coexistence,” which he valued.

    Mr. Masaaki Noda, the artist who created this monument, has been drawn to Hearn’s world ever since visiting Lefkada Island, Hearn’s birthplace. He has donated his monument to pay homage to Hearn’s achievement’s: Hearn visited many countries and understood their local cultures and peoples. It also stands as a message to the next generation.

    I hope this monument will be loved forever as the symbol of Hearn’s Spirituality.

    Bon Koizumi, great-grandson of Lafcadio Hearn, “Masaaki Noda – Open Mind of Lafcadio Hearn – Matsue City.” 2010. p. 6.

    Hearn sent out his writing about Japan to the world more than a century ago. Mr. Noda turned his spirit into a sculpture installed in Greece. Now that its replica is coming to Matsue, its citizens as well as the visitors to the city can fully savor the old Japan-Greece linkage in a universal art form that transcends the ages, in a model of expression that goes beyond different cultures and ethnic prejudices.

    Masanori Matsue, Mayor of Matsue, “Masaaki Noda – Open Mind of Lefcadio Hearn – Matsue City.” 2010. p. 5.

    “The Open Mind of Lafcadio Hearn” was donated by Masaaki Noda to City of Matsue with the support of the fabricator Noda Metal Working of Osaka, Japan, to commemorate Lafcadio Hearn and his home in Matsue. Other supporting donors include Space Core Yogi, Kazuyuki & Etsuko Kawamoto, Taira Fujiwara, Atelie Matsuda, Nakamura Japanese Tea Diet, Medical Co. Tatsukawakai, Museum Hana, Bon & Shoko Koizumi, Tadashi & Miwa Takahashi, Kazunori Tsukiji, Seiho Wada.

     

     

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    Masaaki Noda on His Lafcadio Hearn Sculptures

    “The Open Mind of Lafcadio Hearn” in Athens, Greece, is one of four sculptures that I have created commemorating Lafcadio Hearn, the Greek-born writer who adopted Japan and became the revered storyteller of Japanese folk tales. Go to this page for the background of Hearn and my sculptures.

    Pamphlet

    Matsuura, Masanori. Tsamados, Nikolaos. Horner, G. David. Koizumi, Bon. “Masaaki Noda The Open Mind of Lafcadio Hearn.” [Pamphlet] 2018 Matsue City (Shimane). For installation of sculpture. October 10, 2010. 8 pages.
    2010 Matsue Poster

    Press/Media