Yoko Ono is an intriguing public figure who has received plenty of admiration and criticism over the years. However, there is much more to her story than her marriage to John Lennon and her polarizing art. This is the untold truth of Yoko Ono.
Yoko Ono was born on February 18, 1933, in Tokyo, Japan, to a distinguished Japanese family. She has two younger siblings and spent time in the United States as a child due to her father’s work as a banker. Despite her privileged background, Ono did not have a happy childhood. According to NPR, she felt she did not receive much love or attention in her early years. Her father, a free-spirited man who loved music and played the piano, could not devote much time to her. When Ono expressed her desire to play the piano, her father discouraged her by saying her hands were too small. She retorted that she wanted to be a composer, but he dismissed this as improbable since there were few popular female composers at the time. Nevertheless, she persisted in pursuing her interests.
Her mother was also a harsh critic, often making unkind remarks about her daughter’s looks, as highlighted in Ono’s artist book, “Grapefruit.” World War II further disrupted her family life. The war created a physical separation between family members, and things became particularly dire when Ono, her mother, and her siblings had to seek shelter in a bunker after the 1945 bombings in Tokyo. Food shortages forced them to barter for food, and they sometimes went hungry. They knew people who starved or died after consuming poisonous mushrooms. In an event for the “Imagine There’s No Hunger” campaign in Tokyo, Ono recalled, “I remember being hungry, and I know it’s so difficult to just be hungry.” During these desperate times, she used her imagination to help her and her brother cope with the pain, imagining menus and asking him what he wanted to eat.
Meanwhile, Ono’s father was captured as a prisoner of war, and the family had no idea of his whereabouts for nearly a year after the conflict ended. Ono felt confused by the cultural context. She once recalled watching films where the villains were always Asian and wondering, “Am I a baddie too?”
From the beginning, Ono was different and did not hesitate to embrace her uniqueness. According to HelloGiggles, she was the first woman to enroll in the philosophy program at a university in Japan. However, she did not finish her studies there and eventually transferred to Sarah Lawrence College in New York. Despite being heavily drawn to the arts, her early work was not well-received by the public, with some considering it too progressive. According to Neil Bermel’s book “Yoko Ono: Collector of Skies,” even as a child, Ono did not receive much praise for her efforts. When she mentioned her desire to write, her teachers told her that her work was “hard to categorize,” according to Stanford News.
Ono particularly liked instructional art and created pieces like “Painting to Be Stepped On,” which invited viewers to step on the painting. Her unconventional approach often clashed with societal expectations. In Japan, children were expected to be obedient, but Ono’s time in the U.S. exposed her to a different way of living. However, this did not help her popularity. She once said, “I was terribly lonely at school. I didn’t have any friends.”
At one point, Ono’s mother sent her and her siblings to a rural school where they were bullied for being city kids. While her sibling dropped out, Ono remained resilient and continued attending classes every day. Even later in life, living in New York, she felt different from her family. However, she eventually embraced her uniqueness and accepted that it was okay to be herself.
Ono has never been afraid to take risks. She left college after meeting her first husband, composer Toshi Ichiyanagi, according to the Los Angeles Times. The two were trying to make a mark in the New York art scene in the 1950s. Ono’s parents were uncomfortable with the relationship due to Ichiyanagi’s less privileged background. Despite her parents’ disapproval and threats to disown her, Ono decided to take a leap of faith and married him in 1956. She found comfort in New York’s busy atmosphere.
Ono’s artistic journey was not easy. She struggled with depression and attempted suicide in the 1960s, soon after divorcing Ichiyanagi. She felt her work was not getting the attention it deserved, and worried family members sent her to a mental health clinic. There, she was visited by jazz musician Anthony Cox, who helped her feel better about herself. They eventually married, but their separation turned ugly, and Cox disappeared with their daughter Kyoko. Ono did not see Kyoko for many years.
Ono’s marriage to John Lennon brought further challenges. They made efforts to find Kyoko, traveling extensively before suing for custody. They eventually won custody, but Cox took Kyoko to Texas before vanishing. Ono wrote heartfelt open letters to her daughter, expressing her love and longing. They finally reunited when Kyoko was an adult.
Ono has endured much personal tragedy, including multiple miscarriages. These experiences inspired the John Lennon and Yoko Ono album “Life with the Lions.” Despite these hardships, Ono gave birth to their son Sean Lennon in 1975.
Ono’s passion for music has been unwavering. Although her unconventional musical style initially faced mockery and incomprehension, she remained confident. She enjoyed collaborating with Lennon and other artists, experimenting with different forms of music. Over time, her music found its own fan following, and she has worked with mainstream artists like Lady Gaga.
For Ono, art is something beautiful and meant to be admired. Her work has often elicited strong reactions. One of her most well-known pieces, “Cut Piece,” involved audience members cutting off parts of her clothing while she remained stoic. This performance, among others, highlighted her innovative and provocative approach to art.
Despite the criticism and accusations, such as being blamed for the Beatles’ breakup, Ono has handled negativity with self-compassion. She mended her relationship with the Beatles, and Paul McCartney even praised her, saying, “She’s a badass.”
Yoko Ono’s life and career are a testament to her resilience, creativity, and unwavering commitment to her art. She continues to inspire and provoke thought, leaving a lasting impact on the world of art and music.
