Bumpei Akaji (1921 – 2002) was an American sculptor. He was born in Lawai, on the Hawaiian island of Kauai in 1921. In 1943 he joined the United States Army and was sent to Italy with the 100th Battalion of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. He was inspired by the artwork in Florence and received a discharge in Italy. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence and at the Academia de Belle Arti, Brera, in Milan on a Fulbright Scholarship. In 1950, he returned to Honolulu and in 1951 was among the first to received a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Along with Satoru Abe, Edmund Chung, Tetsuo Ochikubo, Jerry T. Okimoto, James Park, and Tadashi Sato, Bumpei Akaji was a member of the Metcalf Chateau, a group of seven Asian-American artists with ties to Honolulu.
Akaji learned welding from a local mechanic and is now best known for his large-scale welded copper and brass sculptures, which are both organic and abstract in nature, as typified by Cyparissus,. The welded and/or pounded surfaces of his sculptures are often warm and sensual and over time develop a unique patina. He died in 2002. The Hawaii State Art Museum and the Honolulu Museum of Art are among the public collections holding work by Bumpei Akaji. His sculptures in public places include:
Untitled sculpture, Leilehua High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1976
Na Mana Nu Oli, Bishop Trust Company, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1969
Koaie, Anuenue Elementary School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1972
Nani Kaua`i: Ke Mau Nei Ke Ea O Kauaʻi I Puhi Aina Malu(Beautiful Kaua`i: The spirit of Kaua`i thrives in the peaceful land of Puhi), Kauai Community College, Lihue, Hawaii, 1977
Untitled sculpture, Hana High and Elementary School, Hana, Hawaii, 1977
Pule Oʻo, Molokai Public Library, Kaunakakai, Hawaii, 1973
Reflections 1989, Kauai High School, Lihue, Hawaii, 1989
Makaʻa eʻIke Aku i ke Awawa Uluwehi i na Kuahiwi o Manoa (Glowing Eyes Looking at the Lush Valley in the Mountains of Manoa, 1979) and VVV (1995), University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1995
Moanalua, Moanalua High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1976
Pupu Aʻo Ewa, Ewa Beach Community School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1972
Gushing Waters, Waipahu Elementary School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1978
Wilia i uka, wilia i kai, Pope Elementary School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1977
Hana Hihi-u O Na Makani Ika-ika O Hono Kaa, Honakaa School, Honokaa, Hawaii, 1975
Hoʻolana, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 1984
Maui Snares the Sun, Maui Memorial Hospital, Wailuku, Hawaii, 1981
The Sun God, Wailuku State Office Building, Wailuku, Hawaii, 1970
The Eternal Flame, Hawaii State Capitol Mall, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1974
Birds Aloft, Ala Moana Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1966
Wai Hoʻola a Lono, Koloa Public School & Library, Koloa, Hawaii, 1973
Brothers in Valor Memorial, Fort DeRussy Military Reservation, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1996
Untitled copper sculpture, President William McKinley High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1963
