Who do you think is the most famous and talented Japanese woman? With Sanae Takaichi as Japan’s first female prime minister, she raised the image of Japanese women. Although there are many exceptional Japanese women, few have been able to cross cultural borders.
In that sense, I believe Yoko Ono and Yayoi Kusama stand out. Both are globally recognized artists who were born in prewar Japan.
I’d like to focus mainly on Yoko Ono. I’ve read the book, “WOMAN、the incredible life of YOKO ONO,” by Alan Clayson. Barb Jungr and Robb Johnson also contributed to the book. Her courage was remarkable. She had a strong will to pursue her vision. Overcoming adversity as a Japanese woman living abroad deeply impressed me.
（Source: Wikipedia, Marcela_Cataldi_Cipolla&action）
Yoko Ono is a well-known artist, musician, and peace activist. She became the world’s most famous widow after John Lennon’s tragic death in 1980.
To me, her life looked like a roller coaster of highs and lows. In her early years, people cast scornful eyes on her multiple marriages. They also judged her work, including her performance of “Cut Piece” and her “Bed-ins” with John. This was largely because she is an oriental woman. On top of that, for many years, she was unfairly blamed for the Beatles’ breakup.
Despite the unfavorable situation she sometimes encountered, she stuck to her beliefs no matter what people said. It is remarkable that she thrived on adversity and continued to evolve. Actually, she poured her feelings of anger, frustration, and desire for peace into her art projects, sublimating them.
She was born into one of Japan’s wealthy, elite families. These families had shaped the country into a modern industrial and economic powerhouse. She was also privileged to gain a Western education by attending college in NY.
At the same time, she experienced great hardship during WWII. The strong sense of fear she experienced in the Tokyo air raids is the backbone of her peace activities. Especially since she came from the upper class, she was expected to behave elegantly and modestly.
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Yayoi Kusama must have had experiences similar to Yoko’s in Japan. Yayoi Kusama is a celebrated Japanese artist. She is almost 90 years old but known for unflagging energy and creativity. She is best known for her legendary paintings and objects featuring red polka dots and yellow pumpkins. During her childhood, Japan was a poor country. It was not the place where such a forward-thinking lady could display avant-garde works of art.
Yoko’s fateful encounter with John Lennon advanced their efforts toward world peace. She continued to work on her own art after John’s death. Finally, she reached the top as a conceptual artist. It was after John’s death that she gained world recognition in her own right.
Throughout it all, Yoko Ono has overcome racial discrimination and harsh criticism. She learned a valuable lesson that what screwed up her heart and body was fear and anger within herself. In other words, fear, or feeling frightened, weakened her heart. She added that your small movements and actions always have meaning and can help change the world for the better. This is her message for younger generations.
Nowadays, more and more women are getting higher education, but not all of them expect to get ahead in society. Young people nowadays tend to have an introspective mindset and lack entrepreneurial spirit.
Great artists such as Yoko Ono and Yayoi Kusama thrived on adversity. They overcame the challenges life presented them. These artists made important works of art.
Nowadays, Japan is a rich and peaceful country where people enjoy very comfortable lives. The unfortunate side of this is that no one feels the need to challenge themselves. Great artists or game-changers are not likely to be born in the current state of Japan.
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