Master wood-turner Robert Mitsuru Hamada of Kauai died Dec. 23 at Tripler Army Medical Center. He was 93.
Hamada, a Kauai High School graduate and Army veteran, was a self-taught wood-turner whose works were sought after by collectors around the world.
His creations, unique works of beauty made out of milo and hau, set the standard for woodworking and have been on display at numerous museums, locally and internationally.
"He told us he planned to live well into his 100s," said daughter Ann McLaughlin. "One thing he’s really remembered for is his generosity. He was very generous to others. No one could ever owe him anything. He would always outdo whatever your generosity was."
Hamada’s works were featured in "Ki: A Retrospective of Robert M. Hamada’s Woodworks," at the Kauai Museum, at the Art in Embassies Program at the U.S. Embassy in Bangladesh in 2000, and in "E Ola Mau ka La‘au: The Wood Lives On (A Retrospective)" at The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Bank Center in 2004 to 2005. His works were also showcased in "The Biennial Survey" at the Honolulu Museum of Art in 2012.
Jay Jensen, curator at the Honolulu Museum of Art, called Hamada one of the finest wood artists in the state as well as one of the finest in the broader world of national contemporary wood.
"He was a true treasure," said Jensen in an email. "He came to his career in wood late in life but he mastered the techniques and had an intuitive eye for fine pieces of local woods and for form."
Hamada was born in Kapahi, Kauai. He was the eldest of five children raised by a single father who worked on a sugar plantation (his mother died when he was 7 years old). His father was also a blacksmith, woodcarver and stone carver.
He fell in love with the raw beauty of wood at a very early age, and started woodworking at the age of 12, though he was not able to devote himself to the art full time until he retired.
While he always worked with wood, he worked in the hotel industry after completing his service with the Army, working his way up from director of engineering for Island Holiday hotels to overseeing the overall maintenance and New Year’s Eve fireworks at the former Coco Palms Resort.
In addition, Hamada was named a Living Treasure by the Kauai Museum in 2001, as well as one of six Living Treasures by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii in February 2014, which honored him as a "master artisan of extraordinary fine wood bowls."
"He was funny; he was witty and charming," said Pamela Brown, who features Hamada in her upcoming book "Kauai Stories 2," due out early this year.
Brown held a reception for him at her home in June, and recalled how he "just held court" with his longtime admirers.
Hamada, a stickler for quality, took his time creating the bowls, according to Brown, sometimes working on them for several years.
Hamada polished his bowls to a high sheen to bring out the beauty of the wood but preferred to leave them unfinished — he did not treat them with lacquer, varnish or any kind of coating.
Eric Matsumoto, bishop of Honpa Hongwanji, said he was touched by Hamada’s incorporation of the wood’s imperfections into his work.
"So many times, imperfections are rejected outright, but he viewed the imperfect qualities of the wood as part of its being and then transformed it into a work of art," said Matsumoto. "What he did was truly amazing and profound."
He was named a Living Treasure because he also took time to nurture and mentor young people in Hawaii, said Matsumoto.
Hamada was also a lover of hunting dogs, said daughter McLaughlin, and raised Catahoula Leopard and Plott hounds that were well-loved and faithful companions in his final years at his home in Wailua Houselots.
In addition to his daughter, he is survived by sons Donald and Ronald, brother Hiroshi "Hiro," granddaughter Tiffany Hamada and grandson Nathan Robert McLaughlin.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Hamada’s honor to the Kauai Museum and the Honolulu Museum of Art.
Public services will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Garden Island Mortuary, 2-3780B Kaumualii Highway in Lawai, Kauai. Visitation begins at 9:30 a.m.
