MATSUMOTO Kumataro
Born: 8 April 1869 – Died: 12 March 1942
Particulars:
Kumataro was born in Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan. He arrived in Australia in 1894 and never returned to Japan. He first lived and worked at Victoria Mill near Ingham in Queensland, but moved to Silkwood in far north Queensland, where he spent 40 years. He was living El Arish as a gardener when the Pacific War broke out. When he was arrested, he handed over in cash 1 pound 15 shillings to the authorities in Meanjin / Brisbane. He also had one portmanteau or travel bag and two parcels. He was sent to New South Wales and was interned at Hay Internment Camp. A couple of months later, he was admitted to hospital with pneumonia and died on the same day. He was 72 years old. His grave is in the Japanese Cemetery in Cowra, New South Wales, Australia.
–Mayu Kanamori
More info:
Shannon Whiley
Artist/s Statement:
‘Hanafuda Australiana’
Watercolour pencil on paper
This artwork reinterprets Hanafuda (花札 literally flower cards) – Japanese playing cards made up of twelve suits of four cards, each representing a month through seasonal flora – through the lens of the Australian landscape. This work weaves together Japanese and Australian iconography, grounding itself in flora and fauna native to Silkwood and El Arish on the Cassowary Coast, where Matsumoto Kumataro lived and worked as a gardener. The Japanese cards provide a foundation upon which the carefully tended flora of far north Queensland has grown.
Rather than following the Japanese seasons, the three suits align with the Yirrganydji seasonal calendar, with Jawarranyji (storm time) for the Curlew and Golden Penda, Jimburralji (cyclone time) for the Pacific Black Duck and Swamp Bloodwood, and Jinjim (cool time) for the Cassowary and Fan Palm.
The work also pays homage to the Japanese civilians interned in Australia who created their own Hanafuda sets. Matsumoto, who was among those interned, died behind barbed wire at the age of 72. ‘Hanafuda Australiana’ invites viewers to reflect on his legacy not only as an internee, but also through the imagery of the wildlife native to his Australian home of 50 years.
Artist Bio:
Shannon Whiley is an Australia-Japan relations specialist and independent researcher. She has worked in Japanese government agencies promoting ties and supporting local communities for a decade, and is currently based in Osaka, Japan. Her research on Nikkei Australian soldiers was published in ‘New Voices in Japanese Studies’.