Artist’s Statement…
I was born on February 7, 1945 in Honolulu. My childhood and
subsequent years were then spent in Lahaina, Maui. My parents and
grandmother taught me lessons and values, and what it means to be
Hawaiian. From my Japanese bloodline, I inherited a sense of precision
and artistry. These are some of the greatest gifts I received from my
family and my ancestors, which I hold dear to this day.

I attended Kamehameha III school in Lahaina, and then accepted by
the Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu. While there, Mr. Wright Bowman, Sr. taught me woodcarving until the 8th grade. In the following four years, with Mr. Frtiz Alplanalp, I learned to refine my woodcarving, after
which, he recognized me as the most gifted wood-carver he had taught in his 20 years at Kamehameha. I graduated in 1963 and then attended BYU at Laie, Oahu. I entered the U.S. Air Force in 1965, was trained as a Loadmaster on a C-141 transport jet cargo plane, and spent more than three years flying in and out of Vietnam.
Following my Honorable Discharge from the service, I returned to
Maui and worked for the Maui Police Department for 22 years, until my
retirement in 1992. During the years since leaving school, except for
my years in Vietnam, I continued to practice and refine my woodcarving skills.

In 1970, I helped start the Lahaina Canoe Club and have made
hundreds of paddles for this and other canoe clubs on Maui. In 1975,
the 42 foot, double hulled sailing canoe, Mo’olele, was completed at my
home in Lahaina. I was Kahuna Kalai Wa’a (Master Carver) of this
canoe. In 1980, I was commissioned to carve two large ohia ki’i
(images) for the Ahuena Heiau in Kona. An akua (spirit) chose to enter
the image on its delivery to Kona. This is regarded as a great honor to
the carver. In 1997, at the State of the World Forum, Hale Makua, elder
of Pahoa, Big Island, Hawaii and the men of his Na Koa recognized me as Kahuna Kalai Wa’a and Kahuna Kalai Ki’i. My study of Hawaiian culture and art has been driven by a question: Why did Hawaiian art excel? One answer I have found is that the essence of Hawaiian art is in its form. Its mastery is found in understanding the concept of curves and how they relate.

I am currently incorporating more modern art into my traditional
art. My ongoing study of curves and proportions guide my creations.
One of the lessons and values handed down to me from my traditions
is love and respect for the materials with which I work. When I take
wood from a tree, I handle it with reverence. In this way I hope to
take the spirit of the living tree through the carving into the work of
art, and ultimately honor the tree’s spirit.

As a self-employed, full-time Hawaiian carver, I work in wood,
ivory, bone, plastics, gold and bronze. Most of my work is featured at
the Village Galleries. I feel that the Hawaiians developed the highest
form of wood sculpturing in the Pacific. To this I devote my life’s
work.

For more information or photos of available works: click here