Introduction to Kyushu-Ha Takami Sakurai
Kyushu-Ha began with a street exhibition (Fukuoka Prefectural Government West Street,a joint effort of painters and poets) in 1956.In 1958, we organized the first Kyushu
Independents Exhibition.The following is a quote from the call for the second Kyushu
Independents Exhibition in 1959 to help you understand the essence of Kyushu-Ha.
In April of last year, we held the Kyushu Independents Exhibition for the first time with thehope of establishing a place for avant-garde art in Kyushu. This exhibition was a significant
first step in bringing together avant-garde artists scattered throughout the region, and as anexhibition it was a groundbreaking success due to the novelty of the "independents" format.
In today's Japan, young artists of all genres are working together to push forward a new art
form, and it is unacceptable for us local artists to stand idly by and watch. I believe that wemust actively and enthusiastically promote our own new art. In this sense, it is with great
ambition and confidence that we present the Second Kyushu Independents Exhibition.Weare eagerly looking forward to the participation of new artists and ask for your support andencouragement. Among the exhibitors at the first exhibition, Fumiko Yamada and MitsukoIshibashi (now in Tabe) won first and second prizes at the Women's Art Exhibition, Koji Koga
won first prize at the Ishibashi Museum of Art Newcomer's Excellent Work Exhibition, andYoriko Cho received special treatment at Ichiyo-kai. At the Yomiuri Independant Exhibition,
critics such as Yusuke Nakahara, Shinichi Segi, and Kimihide Tokudaiji selected the best
three works, which attracted much attention, but we would like to mention that the Kyushu
Independant Exhibition is expected by experts to be a breeding ground for the second andthird new artists. From all members of the Kyushu-Ha.
Since then, we have held nearly twenty exhibitions in Fukuoka and Tokyo, and held thehistoric "Great Meeting of Heroes" in 1992. Here is a quote from Miyazaki and Obata's record.
Obata was lying wrapped in bandages. Next to him are three white Leghorns with their legs
tied. On a small desk, a stand flashes and a dissecting scalpel glows sharply. All three birds,
like Obata, were wrapped in bandages and strangely still. All is silence. When three chickens
and a human being were placed next to each other on the silent white campus, theunbelievable fornication between chickens and human beings began. When the silence wasfilled with a dim joy of unintelligible meaning, the dissection began as if the silence had been
fully taken in. Even a drop of blood is forbidden on a white campus in silence. What wasneeded was certain death, and with the grace of an assassin bee from Fabre's Insects, Obatastabbed his brain with a needle and instantly became an object. The pure white feathers aretransformed into jet-black wet feathers, sadly decorating the pure white of the campus,
competing with the depth of silence. The pure white of Obata's bandage, turned into the blackof suffering by the sin of adultery, settled in the depths of the earth just like the chicken. Again,
Obata fell into a deep sleep with the bandage wrapped around his head, as if he weredreaming of the delicious taste of meat.
Even we were surprised at the presence of Miyazaki, whose life and death depended on time,
regardless of the time table. Miyazaki participated with a shovel (a tool for digging in theearth). It was already dark at 7 p.m. in November in Hakata. And it was raining. Around seveno'clock, the tide began to ebb and the beach became wider and wider. As soon as eachparticipant started indoors, Miyazaki went out to the beach by himself and started digging ahole. As soon as he dug a hole, he had to move on to the next one because the tide water
would come up. This necessity made him dig one hole after another. By twelve o'clock, hehad dug seven holes, each about twelve meters long. He was soaking in the water anddigging hard at the bottom of the dark hole. There was no one on the beach but the sound of
the waves. The sand was thrown high up on the sides to form sharp corners at a moment's
notice, but the rain soon turned them into dull corners. His endless, monotonous work
continued. As I watched him, from the dark depths of the hole, the past of losing so many
comrades as a result of the forced schedule of this meeting came to me. Since the formationof the group, many friends have joined and many friends have left. As the history of the group
has progressed, the friction of separation has become more and more intense, and even theslightest difference in opinion has become a major debate involving ideas. These people fled
to a foreign land of spirit. Like a migratory bird leaving for Siberia. "If you do somethingfoolish, your whole life as a painter will be ruined. They left one by one, leaving only thewords, "There is no point in risking one's life to attend a meeting that is not an exhibition. Thetraces of their disappearance become holes of sorrow, or hollows of despair. This may be
the only glorious achievement of the movement. Regardless of such sentiments, the hollow
remains only a little in the waves that come again and again since ancient times. The nightof the event in Hakata, where only a few friends knew the meaning of the hole. I wonder how
many of these few remaining people will construct this beautiful hole of empty despair. I don'tknow the meaning of art movement. Painting is a castle that can only be built in such a
wasteful and minuscule hole, isn't it? What a "shabby" fortress. Miyazaki is digging thisshabby hole in the middle of the night in reality. At around one o'clock in the morning, thehorizon swelled up like the belly of a pregnant woman, probably due to the high tide. Thenthe waves began to slowly erode the hole. It seemed so slow and yet so swift. The tidecompletely submerged the hole, and huge waves washed over Miyazaki's entire body. Surely
the ocean is a mother. But people must have called the sea mother only when the azure
waves sentimentally embraced the green peninsula and white sandy beach when viewed
from the safety of the mountain top. But for Miyazaki, who dug a hole in the cold, rough wavesof the Genkai Sea, covered head to toe by the waves, could it be a mother? The sea is justlike a vicious and cruel stepmother. Miyazaki's death-defying actions are as passive as a girlbeing raped by a black demon. The fangs of the sea thoroughly bullied Miyazaki. It may bethat a hole is something that is attacked forever, a white skinned girl who is tortured, an"oppressed and eternal class. Only sad motherhood can qualify a beholder to see behind. Inreality, Miyazaki gambles his death on the sandy beach at the seaside and builds up aconcave castle in a hollow space through the act of digging. This may be the art of the female
that deserves to be called the castle of minus. Only a hollow can devour death and becomea fertile castle of time. Miyazaki was born into this tenderness, and will probably die being
eaten by it.
These are just a few episodes of Kyushu-Ha, but this is the reality of Kyushu-Ha. At present,
Ochi Osam is staying in San Francisco, the point of contact between the East and the West,as an organizer, and is continuing an active movement. Based on our experience, we areconvinced that unless we both engage in bloody debates and work tirelessly, we will neverbe satisfied with the results of our work. Based on our experience, we are convinced thatunless we both engage in bloody debates and work tirelessly, we will never be satisfied withthe results of our work. For this reason, all of us at the Kyushu-Ha are delighted to support
this meaningful exhibition of inter-group competition, and we would like to take thisopportunity to present a letter of challenge to each group.
Why are you (or your group) in Kyushu and why do you want to be an avant-garde artist?
Do you (or your group) intend to stay in Kyushu in the future?
Do you (or your group) intend to stay in Kyushu in the future?
Please explain your (your group's) painting theories and arguments in relation to yourachievements, either as a group or as an individual.
Do you (your group) believe that an avant-garde art group will bloom in Kyushu?
What do you want to earn a living from now or in the futureWhat do you want to earn a living from now or in the future
Kyushu-Ha shows through its works and actions. We know that there are no quick
conclusions everywhere, but we want to discuss thoroughly and get to the essence of things.
So, please do not avoid us. Let's have an unreserved clash with the audience and eachgroup.