#Masakatsu Iwamoto

[pink-plaid]

My Reality, installation view, Chicago Cultural Center, 2002.

Curated by Jeff Fleming, Susan Talbott

Japanese animation (anime), which has attained almost cult status among young people globally during the past several decades, is increasingly breaking into the mainstream. My Reality: Contemporary Art and the Culture of Japanese Animation investigates the effect that this form of pop culture has had on today’s art in Japan and other Asian countries and in the West. Presenting works by artists from these different regions, the exhibition explores how Western and Eastern artists have influenced one another through their shared interest in the culture of anime.

American animated cartoons and comic books became popular among Japanese youth after World War II as part of their rebellion against post-Hiroshima society. In a countertrend, Japanese anime became popular in the U.S. and elsewhere around the world initially through limited importation of Japanese comic books (manga) and animated films. While anime has its origins in Japanese wood-block printing as well as American animation, it posits technology as a positive force in contemporary society and, therefore, much anime has a futuristic quality. The works in the exhibition focus on slick, sci-fi concepts such as futuristic technology, cyborgs and other humanoid robotics, aliens and fantastic creatures, and a post-nuclear apocalyptic landscape. The exhibition also explores social and economic themes such as gender roles, consumerism, and pop culture. The works on view range from Paul McCarthy’s cartoon characters to Micha Klein’s glossy images inspired by club culture; and from Takashi Murakami’s sculpture, which uses anime directly, to Momoyo Torimitsu’s enormous balloon rabbits, which satirize anime’s exaggeratedly cute images.

[samurairobotics]

Various scans from the book “Mr. by Mr.” by Kaikai Kiki

[vortexstreet]

MR., Strawberry Voice, 2007, Installation art, Lehmann Maupin Gallery

[keepingthespiritalive]

[AJPW NEWS] Several updates following the conclusion of the “2018 Champion Carnival”. 

First up director Takao Omori announced that rookie Kazuki Ebina has withdrawn from All Japan Pro-Wrestling. The young man felt the pressures of competing and touring. He last competed on the April 20 show against Koji Iwamoto, but even on his debut back on April 7 there was issues with him not believing himself to be ready. Omori stated that there is a tremendous responsibility for pro-wrestlers to conduct and handle themselves in an appropriate manner, but Ebina proved to be the case of being not 100% mentally when it comes to being disciplined enough for the rigorous work that everyone has to put forth while on tours.

Then Yusuke Okada suffered a right ankle injury during the final day of the Champion Carnival. A right fibula fracture to be exact. It is not career threatening in the least, but one that will take the proper rest and care for him to return at 100%.

Then the board of directors held a meeting and announced it as official that Kento Miyahara will be defending the Triple Crown Heavyweight belt against Naomichi Marufuji. This follows the conclusion of the Champion Carnival in which Marufuji bested Miyahara for the win. Miyahara stated that he is still in regret following the loss, but this is not the first time that he has fallen and needed to strive to come back to the top.

Then the World Tag belts were announced to be in defense on June 3, as  Ryoji Sai and Dylan James defend against TAJIRI and KAI. This match comes about following the conclusion of the final day of the Champion Carnival after KAI captured the direct win over James and asserted themselves as the next challengers. Miyahara stated that he was familiar with Marufuji during his time in NOAH, but the final of the Carnival was the first time he felt what the 20 year veteran can deliver in a big match. He now knows the level that he will have to overcome once more to prove himself as a true Triple Crown Champion. Then Marufuji, though focused on the GHC Heavyweight title match also in May, stated that he cannot deny the history of what the Triple Crown holds. Not only from the lineage that brought forth the creation of NOAH, but the history that the belt holds for the sport in general. To hold the belt around his waist is a cherished with. He acknowledged that he may not stand with the best in terms of size and weight, but his skill and effort in the ring has brought him to this level to compete against some of the very best that the ring has to offer today.

All of the event cards were updated to reflect upon the absences and changes...

All Japan Pro-Wrestling "2018 SUPER POWER SERIES", 5/24/2018 [Thu] 18:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo

(-) Yohei Nakajima vs. Ishikiri (-) Osamu Nishimura & Kotaro Suzuki vs. Masanobu Fuchi & Keiichi Sato (-) Jun Akiyama, Takao Omori, Atsushi Maruyama & Black Tiger VII vs. Suwama, Shuji Ishikawa, Atsushi Aoki & Hikaru Sato (-) Joe Doering, Ryoji Sai & Dylan James vs. Zeus, TAJIRI & KAI

(-) Jake Lee's Return Match: Jake Lee & Koji Iwamoto vs. Naoya Nomura & Yoshitatsu

(-) Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Match: [60th Champion] Kento Miyahara vs. [Challenger] Naomichi Marufuji ~ 1st title defense.

All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2018 Super Power Series”, 6/3/2018 [Sun] 16:00 @ Kobe Sanbo Hall in Hyogo

(-) Yohei Nakajima vs. So Daimonji (LAND'S END) (-) Takao Omori & Atsushi Maruyama vs. SUSHI & Otokozakari (-) Jake Lee, Koji Iwamoto & Billyken Kid vs. Shuji Ishikawa, Atsushi Aoki & Katsumi Oribe (-) Kento Miyahara, Yoshitatsu & Naoya Nomura vs. Zeus, The Bodyguard & Takoyakida

(-) World Tag Championship Match: [82nd Champions] Ryoji Sai & Dylan James vs. [Challengers] TAJIRI & KAI ~ 1st title defense.

(-) Masakatsu Funaki Debut 33rd Anniversary ~ Special 6 Man Tag Match: Masakatsu Funaki (FREE), Suwama & Hikaru Sato vs. Jun Akiyama, Kendo Kashin (FREE) & Black Tiger VII (FREE)

AJPW Event Cards for May & June 2018 http://puroresuspirit.net/2018/04/ajpw-event-cards-for-may-june-2018/

[puroresulist]

Puroresu Best Bout Listing for March 2017

All Japan Pro Wrestling

Keisuke Ishii vs. Koji Iwamoto, 3/12 @ Korakuen Hall Jun Akiyama vs. KENSO, 3/12 @ Korakuen Hall Kento Miyahara, Daisuke Sekimoto & Kengo Mashimo vs. Zeus, Jake Lee & Ryoji Sai, 3/27 @ Shinkiba 1stRING

Big Japan Pro Wrestling

Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Hideki Suzuki, 3/5 @ Korakuen Hall Kankuro Hoshino vs. Masashi Takeda, 3/5 @ Korakuen Hall Isami Kodaka vs. Ryuji Ito, 3/8 @ Shinkiba 1stRING Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi vs. Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani, 3/12 @ Hiroshima Industrial Hall Masashi Takeda vs. Masaya Takahashi, 3/19 @ Hakata StarLanes Ryuichi Sekine vs. Yuko Miyamoto, 3/19 @ Hakata StarLanes Yuko Miyamoto vs. Masaya Takahashi, 3/26 @ Aichi Diamond Hall Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Hideki Suzuki, 3/30 @ Korakuen Hall Jaki Numazawa vs. Masashi Takeda, 3/30 @ Korakuen Hall Isami Kodaka vs. Takumi Tsukamoto, 3/30 @ Korakuen Hall

DRAGON GATE

Shingo Takagi, T-Hawk & Cyber Kong vs. Jimmy Susumu, Jimmy Kanda & Ryo “Jimmy” Saito, 3/4 @ EDION Osaka, 2nd YAMATO vs. Cyber Kong, 3/5 @ EDION Osaka, 2nd CIMA Dragon Kid vs. BxB Hulk & Kzy, 3/5 @ EDION Osaka, 2nd CIMA, Dragon Kid, Naruki Doi, Eita & Takehira Yamamura vs. Shingo Takagi, T-Hawk, ‘brother’ YASSHI, El Lindaman & Punch Tominaga, 3/8 @ Korakuen Hall Naruki Doi, Big R Shimizu & Ben-K vs. Shingo Takagi, T-Hawk & ‘brother’ YASSHI, 3/20 @ Wakayama Pref. Gym Jimmy Kagetora vs. El Lindaman, 3/20 @ Wakayama Pref. Gym

Dramatic Dream Team

Konosuke Takeshita vs. HARASHIMA, 3/20 @ Saitama Super Arena Daisuke Sasaki vs. Jun Kasai, 3/20  Saitama Super Arena Masakatsu Funaki & Yukio Sakaguchi vs. Shuji Ishikawa & Tetsuya Endo, 3/20 @ Saitama Super Arena

New Japan Pro Wrestling

Kazuchika Okada vs. Tiger Mask W, 3/6 @ Ota Ward Gymnasium Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii, 3/6 @ Ota Ward Gymnasium Hiromu Takahashi vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, 3/6 @ Ota Ward Gymnasium Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL, 3/11 @ Aichi Pref. Gym Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kenny Omega, 3/12 @ Hyogo Baycom Katsuyori Shibata vs. Minoru Suzuki, 3/12 @ Hyogo Baycom SANADA vs. YOSHI-HASHI, 3/12 @ Hyogo Baycom Tomohiro Ishii vs. SANADA, 3/17 @ Tokorozawa Citizen Gym Bad Luck Fale vs. EVIL, 3/19 @ Act City Hamamatsu Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii, 3/19 @ Shizuoka Hamamatsu Katsuyori Shibata vs. Bad Luck Fale, 3/20 @ Aore Nagaoka

Pro Wrestling NOAH

Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Go Shiozaki, 3/12 @ Yokohama Cultural Gym Takashi Sugiura & Kenoh vs. Masa Kitamiya & Muhammad Yone, 3/12 @  Yokohama Cultural Gym Hajime Ohara vs. Hitoshi Kumano, 3/12 @ Yokohama Cultural Gym Taiji Ishimori & Hi69 vs. Daisuke Harada & Tadasuke, 3/12 @ Yokohama Cultural Gym Masa Kitamiya vs. Kenoh, 3/25 @ Korakuen Hall

Pro Wrestling ZERO1

Akebono & Shogun Okamoto vs. Yusaku Obata & KAI, 3/2 @ Korakuen Hall Koji Kanemoto & Minoru Tanaka vs. Isami Kodaka & Takumi Tsukamoto, 3/2 @ Korakuen Hall Atsushi Onita & Masakatsu Funaki vs. TARU & Masato Tanaka, 3/5 @ Nagoya International Hall Kotaro Suzuki vs. Tatsuhito Takaiwa, 3/5 @ Nagoya International Hall Naomichi Marufuji & Dick Togo vs. Ikuto Hidaka & Minoru Fujita, 3/15 @ Toyosu PIT, Tokyo Kohei Sato vs. Masato Tanaka, 3/26 @ Yasukuni Shrine Shinjiro Otani vs. Tatsuhito Takaiwa, 3/26 @ Yasukuni Shrine

WRESTLE-1

Shotaro Ashino vs. Masayuki Kono, 3/20 @ Korakuen Hall Kaz Hayashi & Kotaro Suzuki vs. Koji Doi & Kumagoro, 3/20 @ Korakuen Hall Seiki Yoshioka vs. MAZADA, 3/20 @ Korakuen Hall

INDIE/MISC

Toru Owashi Produce - Toru Owashi, Shuji Kondo & Takuya Sugawara vs. Ultimo Dragon, Shu & Kei Brahman, 3/9 @ Shinjuku FACE  K-DOJO - Shiori Asahi vs. Ken Ohka, 3/18 @ Blue Field Chiba K-DOJO - TAKA Michinoku vs. Ayato Yoshida, 3/18 @ Blue Field Chiba MichiPro - Manjimaru vs. Takeshi Minamino, 3/19 @ Yano-machi Town Gym GUTS World - Daisuke vs. Kenichiro Arai, 3/19 @ Shinjuku FACE GUTS World - Masao Orihara, Dick Togo & Liang Ping vs. Mr. Gannosuke, Guts Ishijima & Michio Kageyama, 3/19 @ Shinjuku FACE FREEDOMS - Daisuke Masaoka vs. Masashi Takeda, 3/23 @ Korakuen Hall FREEDOMS - Mammoth Sasaki & Toru Sugiura vs. Shu & Kei Brahman, 3/23 @ Korakuen Hall FREEDOMS - GENTARO vs. Yuko Miyamoto, 3/23 @ Korakuen Hall FMW - Atsushi Onita, Hideki Hosaka, Ricky Fuji & Mammoth Sasaki vs. Mr. Gannosuke, Tetsuhiro Kuroda, Ichiro Yaguchi & Tomohiko Hashimoto, 3/25 @ Shinkiba 1stRING Hard Hit - Yoshiaki Fujiwara & Hikaru Sato vs. Atsushi Aoki & Ryuta Sakurai, 3/25 @ Shinkiba 1stRING Hard Hit - Takuya Nomura vs. Rocky Kawamura, 3/25 @ Shinkiba 1stRING Hikaru Sato Produce - Koji Iwamoto, Takuya Nomura & Yuu Iizuka vs. Yuma Aoyagi, Toru Sugiura & Fuminori Abe, 3/25 @ Shinkiba 1stRING VKF - Koji Kanemoto vs. Tsubasa, 3/26 @ Azelea Taisho Osaka

JOSHI SELECTION

Stardom - Kairi Hojo & Yoko Bito vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Jungle Kyuna, 3/5 @ Nagoya International Hall Stardom - Io Shirai vs. Kagetsu, 3/5 @ Nagoya International Hall WAVE - Ryo Mizunami vs. Moeka Kasuga, 3/6 @ Shinjuku FACE WAVE - Yumi Oka & Yuki Miyazaki vs. Mika Iida & Hikaru Shida vs. Kaori Yoneyama & Cherry, 3/6 @ Shinjuku FACE JWP - Hanako Nakamori vs. Kaori Yoneyama, 3/8 @ Asakusa Hanayashiki Io Shirai Produce - Io Shirai & Meiko Satomura vs. Mayu Iwatani & Chihiro Hashimoto, 3/9 @ Korakuen Hall SEAdLINNNG - Nanae Takahashi & Arisa Nakajima vs. Ryo Mizunami & Hiroyo Matsumoto, 3/15 @ Korakuen Hall SEAdLINNNG - Yoshiko vs. Sareee, 3/15 @ Korakuen Hall Stardom - Io Shirai vs. Kairi Hojo, 3/20 @ Korakuen Hall Stardom - Toni Storm vs. Jungle Kyuna, 3/20 @ Korakuen Hall Stardom - Kairi Hojo vs. Konami, 3/26 @ Shinkiba 1stRING Ice Ribbon - Risa Sera vs. Rina Yamashita, 3/26 @ Korakuen Hall Ice Ribbon - Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Arisa Nakajima, 3/26 @ Korakuen Hall Ice Ribbon - Tsukushi & Kurumi Hirami vs. Misaki Ohata & Ryo Mizunami, 3/26 @ Korakuen Hall Gatoh Move - Makoto vs. Aasa Natsu, 3/26 @ Osaka Hirano Hall Gatoh Move - Emi Sakura & Masahiro Takanashi vs. Riho & 'Kotori', 3/28 @ Shinkiba 1stRING

[contemporaryartcollections]

Mr. real name is Masakatsu Iwamoto. Born in 1969, Mr. is a protégé of Takashi Murakami, internationally acclaimed icon of Japanese Pop art. He borrowed the name “Mr.” from “Mister Giants” (Shigeo Nagashima), the superstar clean-up hitter of the postwar Yomiuri Giants baseball team.

Having grown up during Japan’s postwar “economic miracle” period, Mr. often exercises his art as a weapon against social expectations. As a member of the otaku subculture, his work ties closely with the lifestyle, which is marked by obsessive interests in anime and manga and being confined in one’s room with limited interactions with other people.

The work of Japanese artist Mr. will mess with your head. It’s bright and intoxicating, but like the otaku subculture Mr. is inspired by, dark forces pulse just beneath the gloss.

While Mr.’s art often appears playful at first—even cheerful—its veneer of bright imagery expresses darker themes and addresses anxiety. The works seen here offer his personal and artistic responses to trauma—whether natural disaster, war, psychological angst, or social anxiety—and demonstrate defiance against such adversity.

[brutecute]

[samurairobotics]

Poster scanned from the book “Mr. by Mr.” by Kaikai Kiki

[vortexstreet]

MR.,Yoko Natsu Chan (Set of Fifteen), Acrylic on resin. 

[puroresulist]

Puroresu Best Bout Listing for February 2017

All Japan Pro Wrestling

Zeus & The Bodyguard vs Kento Miyahara & Jake Lee, 2/17 @ Korakuen HAll Kento Miyahara vs. The Bodyguard, 2/26 @ EDION Osaka, 2nd Hikaru Sato vs. Koji Iwamoto, 2/26 @ EDION Osaka, 2nd

Big Japan Pro Wrestling

Hideki Suzuki vs. Ryuichi Kawakami, 2/10 @ Korakuen Hall Masashi Takeda vs. Toshiyuki Sakuda, 2/16 @ Shinkiba 1stRING

Dragon Gate

YAMATO vs. BxB Hulk, 2/2 @ Korakuen Hall Naruki Doi, Eita, Big R Shimizu & Ben-K vs. Shingo Takagi, T-Hawk, Cyber Kong & Punch Tominaga, 2/12 @ Hakata StarLanes CIMA & Dragon Kid vs. Kzy & Yosuke Santa Maria, 2/12 @ Hakata StarLanes

Dramatic Dream Team

Jun Kasai vs. Mad Paulie, 2/4 @ EDION Osaka, 2nd KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi vs. Kazusada Higuchi, Kouki Iwasaki & Mizuki Watase @ 2/4 @ EDION Osaka, 2nd Masakatsu Funaki & Yukio Sakaguchi vs. HARASHIMA & Akito, 2/12 @ Nerima, Tokyo HARASHIMA & KUDO vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Dick Togo, 2/19 @ Korakuen Hall Tetsuya Endo vs. Yukio Sakaguchi, 2/19 @ Korakuen Hall DNA - Kotaro Suzuki vs. Shunma Katsumata, 2/23 @ Shinjuku FACE DNA - Akebono & Kazusada Higuchi vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Naomi Yoshimura, 2/23 @ Shinjuku FACE  BASARA - Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu vs. Ikuto Hidaka & Sean Guinness, 2/5 @ BASEMENT MONSTAR BASARA - Isami Kodaka & Takumi Tsukamoto vs. Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu, 2/12 @ Nagoya Higashi BASARA - FUMA vs. Ryuichi Sekine, 2/20 @ Shinkiba 1stRING

KAIENTAI DOJO

Yuji Hino vs. Saburo Inematsu, 2/5 2 Blue Field Kengo Mashimo vs. Taishi Takizawa, 2/26 @ TKP Chiba Shiori Asahi vs. SUSHI, 2/26 @ TKP Chiba Ayato Yoshida & Kyu Mogami vs. Tank Nagai & Yuki Sato, 2/26 @ TKP Chiba

New Japan Pro Wrestling

Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki, 2/5 @ Hokkaido KitaYell Hirooki Goto vs. Juice Robinson, 2/5 @ Hokkaido KitaYell Tetsuya Naito vs. Michael Elgin, 2/11 @ EDION Osaka, Main Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dragon Lee, 2/11 @ EDION Osaka, Main Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii, 2/21 @ Korakuen Hall Hirooki Goto vs. Punisher Martinez, 2/27 @ Korakuen Hall

Pro Wrestling NOAH

Atsushi Kotoge vs. Daisuke Harada, 2/14 @ Korakuen Hall Kenoh vs. Hajime Ohara, 2/14 @ Korakuen Hall Taiji Ishimori & Hi69 vs. HAYATA & YO-HEY, 2/18 @ Hakata StarLanes Takashi Sugiura vs. Kenoh, 2/18 @ Hakata StarLanes Naomichi Marufuji vs. Atsushi Kotoge, 2/24 @ Korakuen Hall Katsuhiko Nakajima & Hajime Ohara vs. Go Shiozaki & Hitoshi Kumano, 2/24 @ Korakuen Hall

Pro Wrestling ZERO1

Kohei Sato vs. KAI, 2/3 @ Korakuen Hall Kotaro Suzuki vs. Shinjiro Otani, 2/3 @ Korakuen Hall Yusaku Obata vs. Shogun Okamoto, 2/19 @ Shinkiba 1stRING Masakatsu Funaki vs. Atsushi Onita, 2/6 @ Esforta Hachioji

WRESTLE-1

Koji Doi vs. Hiroki Murase, 2/22 @ Shinjuku FACE Daiki Inaba, Yusuke Kodama & Kohei Fujimura vs. Shuji Kondo, Manabu Soya & NOSAWA Rongai, 2/22 @ Shinjuku FACE

MISC/INDIES

DOVE - GUNSO vs. Isami Kodaka, 2/4 @ Shinkiba 1stRING PRO WRESTLING MASTERS - Keiji Mutoh, Tatsumi Fujinami, Riki Choshu & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Shiro Koshinaka, The Great Kabuki, AKIRA & Akitoshi Saito, 2/8 @ Korakuen Hall FREEDOMS - Masashi Takeda & Kenji Fukimoto vs. Daisuke Masaoka & Jun Kasai, 2/11 @ Shinkiba 1stRING GUTS World - Masked Mystery vs. YUJI KITO, 2/21 @ Shinkiba 1stRING FMW - Atsushi Onita vs. The Great Sasuke, 2/24 @ Shinkiba 1stRING

JOSHI SELECTION

Stardom - Toni Storm vs. Viper, 2/5 @ KBS Hall WAVE - Ryo Mizunami vs. Misaki Ohata, 2/11 @ Korakuen Hall WAVE - Yumi Oka & Yuki Miyazaki vs. Risa Sera & Maya Yukihi, 2/11 @ Korakuen Hall Marvelous - Mio Momono vs. Mika Shirahome, 2/13 @ Shinkiba 1stRING Stardom - Io Shirai vs. Shayna Baszler, 2/23 @ Korakuen Hall Stardom - Kairi Hojo vs. Jungle Kyona, 2/23 @ Korakuen Hall Diana - Kyoko Inoue vs. Kaoru Ito, 2/26 @ Korakuen Diana - Sareee vs. Yoshiko, 2/26 @ Korakuen Hall Sendai Girls - Cassandra Miyagi & DASH Chisado vs. Hikaru Shida & Syuri, 2/26 @ Shinjuku FACE OZ ACADEMY - Kagetsu vs. Hikaru Shida, 2/26 @ Shinjuku FACE

[blos2om]

'the new me' 2011 by mr. acrylic on canvas 200 x 400 cm

Artist Masakatsu Iwamoto depicts post-disaster anxiety through 'otaku' paintings contrasted amongst an anarchic and intimate installation. View more images here.

[jules420kickflip-blog]

mr. 

[brutecute]

[theartsykappa-blog]

Masakatsu Iwamoto aka Mr (1969-) is often described as Takashi Murakami's protege. He is known for both his sculptures and paintings, which feature the Lolita Complex and otaku culture themes prominently. Mr is also one of the more well known 'superflat' artists in Murakami's Kaikai Kiki Collective.

Check out Aric Chen's interview with Mr for the inside scoop.

[porutomanto]

Intermission- Mr vs Damien Hirst

To close (for now) my appropriation series I present Mr.'s version of Damien Hirst's popular spotted LSD (2000), named Paris-jan, Yokohama-ben (2004).

And now, back to regular tumblring ^^

[vortexstreet]

MR.,Twins, 2001, Acrylic on canvas; 66.5 by 53.5 cm ( 25 3/4 by 21 in)