Rokuenkai workshop

From Tadashi Ogasawara and Daiki Hyuga, Ueda Chronicle – 100-year Genealosy of Painting in Ueda and Chiisagata area –, Section 4. Seeds of Culture in the post-war Ueda and Chiisagata area: Master Shikanosuke Oka and Rokuenkai workshop

After the dissolution of the Noa group, Shin Akamatsu  (Hanchiku), Yoshio Nakanishi, Ichiro Wakabayashi, and others established the Ueda Fine Art Club in 1940, which became a meeting place for local painters. At the home of Yoshio Nakanishi, who hosted the club in front of Dairinji Temple in Ueda City, young artists like Takashi Yamagami, Tsuneo Maruyama, Yoshiro Tsuchiya, and Yasuo Tanaka, who later thrived in the Shunyo-kai after passing through the Rokuen-kai workshop, frequently gathered. To provide Western painting education for these young artists and to cultivate culture in the Josho (Ueda and Chiisagata) region, Nakanishi and Akamatsu invited Hohan Kosugi, a senior figure of the Shunyo-kai, to Ueda shortly after the war and held painting workshops. According to testimony and records from participants, the workshops included instruction in Japanese painting and drawing. Kosugi appeared at the workshops held in a middle school building, wearing traditional wide-sleeved clothing and geta (wooden clogs), and without saying a word, merely observed the young artists at work.

The following year, a similar workshop was held, but Kosugi requested that fellow Shunyo-kai member Shikanosuke Oka attend in his place. From then on, Oka conducted critique sessions and practical instruction for 30 years, until his passing in 1978. Nakanishi and Akamatsu, who had been part of the Noa-kai society, supported Oka’s visits behind the scenes. It is easy to imagine the various difficulties involved in organizing workshops back then, such as arranging dates, transportation, and accommodations, when communication was limited to letters and telegrams. Even after enduring a major war, their efforts to keep the spirit of art alive in Ueda were immense, and they should be recognized as key contributors to art movements.

The workshops led by Oka became known as the Rokuen-kai, taking the character “鹿” (deer) from Oka’s name. The first workshop was held in 1948. The instruction focused mainly on critiques of the participants’ works and practical guidance in drawing. Yasuo Tanaka recalled the practical instruction in drawing: “The teacher swiftly drew one line over my drawing, and just like that, the picture came together.” When he was struggling with how to depict the feet of a nude model, Oka’s single line brought the image to life, solidifying the entire composition. While details of the practical instruction are scarce, what stands out is the intensity of the critiques. When Oka encountered a good work, he would pound the table to express his admiration, but if the work was poor, he would tersely dismiss it. Yoshito Urano, now a veteran member of the Shunyo-kai, recalled how his unsatisfactory piece was handed back with just the comment, “You already know,” as he reflected with a stern face.

Despite the harshness, the Rokuon-kai workshop members responded with passionate enthusiasm. Osamu Ichikawa, a member of the workshop, recalled the atmosphere of a 1964 Shunyo-kai local workshop: “After critiquing a few students’ works, Oka-sensei, with the same sharpness as 10 years before, delivered succinct, insightful critiques, sometimes dissecting the details, during a full day of sessions held from early morning until evening. About 30 participants gathered for the Shunyo-kai Western Painting Study Group with Oka-sensei.” Artists from across the region flocked to Ueda to meet Oka again after several years. The scene of artists from all over Nagano bringing their works for critique created a palpable sense of passion, and Oka faced each one as a professional. From Matsumoto area, senior Yanagisawa, Koana, and Kishida came; from Iiyama, Komamura, and Urano the “hero,” along with Kitazawa and others, loaded a small truck with many large works, some as large as 100 or 50 in size. From the local Ueda area, Yamanoue, Maruyama, Takino, and the young Toshiyuki Sunohara participated. After the passing of Akamatsu-sensei, senior Wakabayashi, who took over the role of president of the Ueda Rokuon-kai workshop, played an important part in this study group, and altogether, over 200 works were brought in.

The scene of artists from various parts of the expansive Nagano Prefecture bringing their works to the Yamamoto Kanae Memorial Museum for critique was filled with a palpable sense of passion. Shikanosuke Oka responded to their enthusiasm by treating each Rokuon-kai member as a professional artist.

“Since you’re all already full-fledged artists, let’s critique each other’s works thoroughly today,” Oka would suggest, prompting the first vigorous exchange of opinions in years, according to Ichikawa. Yoshito Urano also recalled Oka’s words: “You are not amateurs; you are artists. You must have the soul of an artist.” By treating the Rokuon-kai members as his equals, Oka inspired them to reach professional levels. In the late 1950s, Toshimichi Kutsukake was recommended as a Shunyo-kai member, and many other Rokuon-kai artists followed suit, earning recognition at Shunyo exhibitions. After Oka’s death in 1980, the Rokuon-kai dissolved, but most of its members joined the Shunyo-kai Tohoku-Shin (East and North Nagano Prefecture) Research Group, continuing to hold critique sessions and study meetings with lecturers from the Shunyo-kai.

Within the Rokuon-kai, there were artists like Tsuneo Maruyama, who became a member of the Shunyo-kai in 1971 and remained committed to this independent group, focusing his exhibitions solely on the Shunyo-kai. Additionally, there were artists who sought new opportunities for exhibitions and evaluations by learning under the guidance of Fujii Reitaro, who, alongside Shikanosuke Oka, served as an instructor for the Shunyo-kai Nagano workshops and played an active role in prefectural exhibitions.　When the Nagano branch of the Shunyo-kai was established in 1961, with key members including Ken Yanagisawa, Takashi Yamagami, Osamu Ichikawa, and Tsuneo Maruyama, local workshops began to be held once or twice a year with Fujii Reitaro as the instructor. Though many of the artists were strongly influenced by Shikanosuke Oka, they also absorbed Fujii’s teachings, and the “commitment to Shunyo-kai” atmosphere that permeated Rokuon-kai gradually began to shift. From 1965, as Fujii’s presence grew, having served as vice president and later president of the Shinshu Art Association, a spirit of seeking freedom in artistic expression started to spread within Rokuon-kai. More artists began submitting works to the prefectural exhibitions, and many became involved with local branches of the Shinshu Art Association, such as the Josho Art Association (now Toshin Art Association). Within this group, former Rokuon-kai members like Shizuo Nakanishi, Shinichi Yamagishi, Toshimichi Kutsukake, and Youichi Yamazaki held chair positions. Additionally, one Rokuon-kai participant, Fukusuke Yonezu, studied under Fujii’s guidance while participating in the Niki-kai art association, where he held prominent positions. In the region, Yonezu went on to serve as president of the Josho Art Association and vice president of the Shinshu Art Association, and today, he leads the art scene in Nagano Prefecture as the president of the Shinshu Art Association. It is clear that the Rokuon-kai made a significant contribution to the development of regional art activities. The seeds planted by Kanae Yamamoto have been nurtured by many artists over the past 100 years, allowing the art scene to flourish in the Ueda region.