日経新聞 10th May 2020 九州派ってなんだ?（2）What is Kyushu-ha, down to the bottom, down to the root
Few existing works “even now still obsessed with it”

Why is it that most Kyushu-ha works no longer exist including the works of the genius
Osamu Ochi which was said to be "outstanding for its experimental and avant-garde
properties. It had a sharp, modern sense and an eerie life-like odour. The work wasfilled with bloodlust.” (Avant-garde researcher Raiji Kuroda).
In the same era there was Jira Yoshihara the president of Yoshihara Oil who was an
absolute leader and patron of Kansai’s avant-garde art movement the Gutai group.

Yoshiwara's strong guidance kept the work at a certain level, and his economic power
supported the activities of the group and created a market overseas. Neo Dadaism inTokyo had organizers and leader Masunobu Yoshimura provided a base and kept
records of the activities.
Kyushu-ha had no leader or patron. Even if the boss Takami Sakurai praised “isn’t itgood”, everyone would argue booing. “What do you want to do?” and “ what meaning
does it have?” these topics were endlessly discussed. Having a drink at the Farmer’s
Hall near Tenjin, Toshio Taniguchi, who lives in Omuta, often missed Nishitetsu’s lasttrain and "fast asleep on the national railway rode all the way to Kumamoto."
Conflict was constant with "whose side do you take?" (Mitsuko Tabe) and "grapplingeach other" (Taniguchi) . The change in members was also incessant.
For example, conflict surrounding an "anti-open call exhibition". Mokuma Kikuhatainterrogates Kenichiro Terada, who continues to exhibit at the Nika Exhibition, Terada
shuts the shoji and leaves. Tabe and Aiko Oguro tried to persuade him but Tarada left
Kyushu-ha. Furthermore, Sakurai’s road to expansion was criticized by Kikuhata, Ochi,and Shigetaro Yamauchi, who advocated for minority elites. The 3 leave Kyushu-ha,
however Kikuhata and Ochi soon return.
The idea of keeping works and records almost didn’t exist. “I was immersed in the work
I did on that moment. So it wasn’t kept, rather it is better that way. It can’t be helped.”
said Tabe.
The basis of “anti-art” is the denial of the preconceived idea. That part carried bypassion would have been overwhelming. “I misunderstood that all art traditions in thehistory of mankind had an institutionalized framework. However, in my career, I didn’t
experience such ecstasy with my body and soul as I did that time” (Kikuhata “Anti-arttalks”)
First of all, there was no place to put the work at home because I was poor.
Kyowa Sakurai, who was an elementary school student, played by tearing apart hisfather's Takami work. There are also local disadvantages. Even if a large work wasexhibited in Tokyo, it was disposed of on the spot as there was no money to send itback.

The only way would have been to call Hariu Ichiro and other up and coming art critics
in Tokyo to showcase their works. “Sakurai’s foresight was discerning. In the days
when rural painters could only become a painter by being a member of a public
exhibition, he realized early on that there was another way.” said Yozo Yamaguchi
curator of the Fukuoka City Museum of Art.
In the Tokyo exhibition held every year there was an exchange between everyone in
Neo Dada including Ushio Shinohara and Kazakura Sho.
However, it also weakened the unity of the group. With the transition from asphalt toobjet d’art and happenings the differences in the direction of each member becameapparent. The art dealer approached individual artists. The National Museum ofModern Art requested Ochi and Kikuhata to exhibit and Minami Gallery also caught
Kikuhata. Sakurai traveled to San Francisco for 5 years and Kyushu-ha headed todissolution.
The exaltation of the period peaked at the year of the Miike dispute. The Kyushu-ha art
movement is not directly linked to labour disputes, but it is certain that “ the energy ofthe times pushed us” (Yamaguchi). From that point on, there is no choice but todeepen their horizons.
Face life and seek your own expression
Kikuhata bought 2 big logs in the lumberyard near Tenjin and his father carried themon the horse carriage to the atelier at the foot of mount Abura. He then borrowed
100,000 yen from a person and went to several banks and exchanged it all for 5 yen
coins. Returning with 2 5kg rice bags filled with 5 yen coins. These were tightly nailed
to the logs.
With about half of the remaining 5 yen coins he took the night train. The cheap upper
berth was squeaky. He was disappointed when the curator at the National Museum ofModern Art told him “ You could have exchanged in Tokyo” as he rolled the glitzy logs
into the exhibition room. The remaining 5 yen coins were dumped and candles were lit.
This is “Slave genealogy (currency) ” exhibited by Kikuhata at the "Experiments inContemporary Art” exhibition in April 1961 upon request of the museum. It was like analtar from ancient times. The two logs are considered to be male and female due to theshape in the central part. Modern “gold” and “gender” come to mind in the folkexpressions.

After that, Kikuhata, who went through Kyushu-ha, became a instat star incontemporary art with the "Roulette" series in 1964, the work was refined and the folkof the Kyushu-ha era receded. From the late 60’s Kikuhata entered a long silent period.
He was impacted by a painting by Sakubei Yamamoto’s, a coal mining painter fromChikuho, shown to him by the artist Hidenobu Ueno. Sakubei’s simplistic drawing, coalminer, “I stood like Nio and couldn’t draw anymore” (movie “ digging Japan withSakubei”).
Kikuhata worked with students on recreating Sakubei's coal mine paintings. At thesame time, he wrote books such as “Rest in peace Fujita (Fujita yo nemure)” and “Theemperor'sart (Tenno no bijutsu)”, and discussed Pacific War reporting paintings that were tabooin the art world.
Perhaps it was necessary to look at coal mines and war at one's feet to capture what
was at the root of modernity. Kikuhata made his comeback as an artist in 1983 with
“Ptolemaic theory”.
“Kyushu-ha suddenly performs in Tokyo.” It was like a public tour of provincial
theatrical performance. There was a poster for the Kyushu-ha exhibition at the Ginza
gallery in September 1961, 19 people’s portraits and names were lined up.
“Lady chairman” Tabe, who was also an accountant became pregnant with her eldest
son, she was 5 months pregnant. On the maternity belt that the mothers wore,
wrapped 200,000 yen in funds collected from members in an obi and rode the nighttrain. “If a man held it, everyone would end up drinking” said Tabe.
The exhibit was an object titled "artificial placenta". Various materials were attached tothe hips of the mannequin. “Why only women give birth to children? It would be easierif there was an artificial placenta. This is not possible, this is new art to think about
things that can't be done.” said Tabe,
She pioneered Western feminist art for over 10 years. Tabe, who is 87 years old thisyear, said “Something only women can do. Men like fighting, they cannot havechildren, serves them right, do you know the greatness of women?”Tabe was just an ordinary citizen. While working in the department store shaked by thelockout, she continued to participate in Kyushu-ha. After marriage, she opened apainting school and earned the fees which were not cheap. “I read the complete worksof Jean-Paul Sartre while breastfeeding and with the other hand I painted, as a result
my left breast got bigger”.( Tabe “2000 years apple”). After raising the children, aged
55, Tabe declared “no more dishwashing” and devoted herself to her painting career,holding a solo exhibition in New York.
“Down to the bottom down to the root”. Like the words written by Tanigawa Gan, a poet
who lived in Chikuho, in “ Origin’s existence”, the Kyushu people faced their lives andsought their own expression. Even after the group vanished like mist, various activities
still continued and beyond those activities, there may be the "Origin’s existence" thatmodern Japan has lost sight of.
Koga Shigeki
Translated by: Sara Melo