GIOTOKU Sunao
行徳スナヲ
Born: 27 December 1884 – Died: 17 May 1945
Particulars:
Sunao was born in Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan. She was a widow with one son, and living in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia when the Pacific War broke out. She was captured in Sibolga, Sumatra and was taken to Australia. She was interned at Tatura Internment Camp in Victoria with her nephew, a bar keeper in Sumatra, and his wife. Sunao was in and out of Waranga Hospital where she died at aged 60. The cause of her death was not recorded in documents held at the National Archives of Australia. Her grave is in the Japanese Cemetery in Cowra, New South Wales, Australia.
–Mayu Kanamori
More info:
Tomoko Tamada
Artist/s Statement:
Gyotoku / Giotoku Sunao had a son. She must have loved him. It would not have been easy as she raised her child during difficult times in Japan and the world, but I hope that Sunao was able to watch her son grow. Using the traditional Japanese stitching technique sashiko, I put my feelings for Sunao into each stitch. The design of hemp leaves, symbolising a wish for the growth of a child, is used in abundance, and windmills and noshi (dried sea weed) patterns are scattered to protect the child from evil spirits. To honour Nagasaki, the sea, mountains, flowers, and soaring plovers were depicted to express my feelings of awe for Sunao, who must have survived stormy seas.
Sashiko, born from the wisdom of using cloth carefully until the very end, is the culmination of the love and wisdom of the Japanese people, who put their prayers into each stitch. At the same time, it reminds us of Sunao, who must have had great strength. My time spent stitching and sewing, day in and day out, is the very essence of Sunao: the love of a mother for her child, and the beauty of humanity itself. I am grateful for this time.
Artist Bio:
Tomoko Tamada is an architect who lives in Tokyo, Japan. She loves people, the countryside, handicrafts, dogs, and other living creatures. Her hobby is reading books. She is always impressed by people who make an era, and her curiosity goes endlessly towards the beginning of time.