Takeshi Haguri's Sumo Wrestler Sculptures Celebrate Exaggerated Physique

Japanese sculptor Takeshi Haguri (Nagoya, 1957) has built a cult following in Japan by making the exaggerated physiques of sumo wrestlers his primary subject. His monumental figures, often reaching 2.5 meters in height, are carved from camphor wood—chosen for its delicate reddish-yellow grain and insect-repelling aroma—and painted with acrylic to simulate intricate irezumi tattoos. The sculptures wear minimal loincloths, leaving much of their tattooed skin exposed. For outdoor works, Haguri prefers aluminum. The article discusses the tradition of irezumi, a painful tattooing technique historically associated with warriors and, more recently, with the yakuza. It notes that Western monarchs like Tsar Nicholas II and King George V also got irezumi tattoos. Haguri's figures embody a dual attraction: the illustrated body and the enhanced, muscular body. The camphor wood's scent adds an olfactory dimension to the ambiguous allure of these male figures, which possess an ideal superhuman strength.