Self Portrait

Sugimoto, Henry [ bio ]

Description

Stretched and framed.

Self portrait of Henry Sugimoto as an older man. A greying Sugimoto, dressed in a dark suit and black tie, gazes directly ahead through black-rimmed glasses. Around his neck he wears a white ribbon with red stripes tied in bow above a five-pointed yellow star with a red circular design in its center. On his left breast are two medals: Kyokujitsu sho (The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays) and Shiju hosho (Medal of Honor with purple ribbon). The Kyokujitsu sho is a hexagonal medal with gold and white rays radiating from a red sun hanging from an paulownia medal attached to a red and white ribbon. The Shiju hosho is a circular medal of a silver wreath surrounding two kanji characters attached to a silver clasp and bar with a dark purple ribbon. On the left, behind him, a grey table with a Bible is visible. A white scroll with two kanji characters hangs (possibly "bright hope") in the upper right corner on a deep blue wall.

Inscription
Signed in medium, bottom left corner: H. Sugimoto, 1982 Written on back, bottom left corner: 1982, Henry Sugimoto ; left center: Self Portrait (In Japanese) slogan: will not lose hope. Self Portrait Henry Sugimoto Yuzuru In Commemoration of receiving honors [6th Order of the Rising Sun bestowed by the Emperor [Japanese character] Silver Award bestowed by the Japanese Government Cultural Award, Gold bestowed by Wakayama City] 1982 In my New York City Studio Frame, top center: IT 212GC Black Stencil, 20 1/4 x 16"

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in this collection must be submitted to the Hirasaki National Resource Center at the Japanese American National Museum (hnrc@janm.org).