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ART BRUT CREATION NIPPON ARCHIVE

Regional Feature 3 / Tottori, Kurayoshi-city


Against the backdrop of regional characteristics that nurtures cultural arts closely related to "Humanity and Nature in Japan”,
Kurayoshi Mirai Chushin in Tottori Prefecture held disabled people’s arts and culture festival.




/The Kurayoshi Mirai Chushin was the venue for the exhibition, “Art Brut; Humanity and Nature in Japan” and the performing arts performances of disabled people. A grand opening ceremony was also held in the large hall.

Over two days from September 5th (Sat) to 6th (Sun), 2020, at the Kurayoshi Mirai Chushin in Kurayoshi City, Tottori Prefecture, the "Art Brut CREATION Nippon in Tottori" was held jointly by the Chugoku and Shikoku prefectures. The stage events held in the Large Hall and disabled people’s stage performances held at the atrium that were live streamed, and this is a report on the exhibition "Art Brut; Humanity and Nature in Japan-" held at the venue, along with the appeal of Kurayoshi City.


The Governor of Tottori Prefecture issues a statement to promote art of disabled people


The opening performance was held in collaboration between Utsubuki Dojibayashi and Kotonoura High School Dance Club. Thereafter, Shinji Hirai, the governor of Tottori Prefecture, issued a statement to promote art of disabled people, saying, "Our desire is to create a society where we can live together with the power of culture and art." Also, messages from the five prefectural governors of the events were distributed online. After introducing the performers, the opening declaration of "Tottori kara Genki wo Get's (Getting energy from Tottori!" was kicked off with special supporter Dandy Sakano.


"Art Brut ; Humanity and Nature in Japan" Exhibition in Tottori




/In addition to some of the Grand Opening works exhibited in Shiga Prefecture in February 2020, other works selected from Chugoku and Shikoku prefectures were exhibited.

This exhibition showcases, both domestically and internationally, "Humanity and Nature in Japan" through works of art by disabled people. In addition to some works exhibited at the grand opening, authors reminiscing the theme of Japan's view of nature were selected from each prefecture in Chugoku and Shikoku. Mami Morishita, who worked on this exhibition as a planning counselor of the "Ai Support Art Center," an organization supporting the creative activities of disabled people, mentioned, "The design was created by considering many people viewing Art Brut for the first time." We will introduce below the works of artists from the Chugoku-Shikoku region, with explanations from the person in charge of the exhibition, for each of the first to third exhibition sections.

1.Points, lines, and surfaces: The three elements that make up the world. The points connect to form a line, and the lines overlap to form a surface.

2.Contours: The act of cutting out contours, which is a characteristic of Japanese paintings. An expression created based on the Japanese people's perspective on nature.

3.Actions and forms: Things that are there, such as solids and installations. One can sense the act of creating.


Disabled People’s Performing Arts Fair



/Performers from Tottori and eight other prefectures in Chugoku and Shikoku regions have come together. Various programs were held, such as singing, reading, playing musical instruments, dancing, and presenting local performing arts.

/Performance of Freedom Theater Program: What wandered from Macbeth Date: September 5(Sat),2020 10:30-

At the start, Makoto Nakashima, the director, provided explanations of the work. In Shikano-cho, Tottori Prefecture, he runs a theater and theater company called "Tori no Gekijyou (Bird's Theater)" in a closed school building transformed into a theater. The Jiyu Gekijyo (Freedom Theater), which performed this work, is a project produced by the Tori no Gekijyo, which began its activities in August 2013, and those with and without disabilities create the stage together.

Participants are recruited every year, and this year 14 people and 3 actors from the Tori no Gekijyo took part. Using "Macbeth" as a general framework, the relationships of power were expressed by interweaving other plays and participants' experiences.

Based on Shakespeare's "Macbeth," this work incorporates the lust for "power" from the perspective of the minority and the clasping "wall." When the curtains rise, the opening act starts with cries of the "wall" that each person retains. An insurmountable "wall" that stands in the way of society represents the inability to identify with society, failure to build human relationships, and anxiety about where to belong in the future. While focusing on the story of "Macbeth," a work called "Haiyaku (Casting)" by Tomoyuki Nagayama, a world where a prime minister with disabilities is brought into being is suddenly introduced into the play. These are the main subjects, along with "power," and the "wall" retained by each actor is woven into the scene.


Performance of Iwami Kagura/Iwami Welfare Society Performing Arts Club (Shimane)
Program: Orochi


September 6(Sun),2020 13:00-14:00

At the social welfare corporation Iwami Welfare Society, an entertainment club was established in 1985 to work on the performances of Iwami Kagura. The facility users and staff carry out activities on Friday nights. What began as leisurely activities gradually became full-scale, and it led to their joining a council composed of local kagura groups. The "Orochi," which was live-streamed at this festival, is one of the most popular performances in Iwami Kagura. The Iwami Welfare Society Performing Arts Club has a track record of performing the same work at the "2017 Japan x Nantes Project" held in Nantes, France, in October 2017.

"Orochi" is based on a myth of ancient Japan, the legend of Yagi Orochi. The powerful performance showcases the Orochi fluttering around the stage. When the eight snakes appear, they run vertically, pile up, lay down, roll up, and entwine with each other, weave into a whirlpool, and go on a rampage. The snake is 18 meters long and weighs 12 kilograms, and it takes vast physical strength and skill to turn around alone without revealing the performer's body. The scene where Susanoo-no-Mikoto and the Orochi confront each other is the highlight of the work. Overcoming crisis, Susanoo-no-Mikoto cuts off the heads of the snakes one by one. The Hayashi (musical accompaniment) also speeds up, and the stage reaches a climax.


Introduction of Local Attractions



Kurayoshi-A town of warehouses lined with storehouses and an art museum utilizing local resources




/Traditional buildings and white-walled storehouses remain on the highway. One can feel the prosperity of the past

Kurayoshi City, Tottori Prefecture, was the venue for the "Art Brut CREATION Nippon in Tottori". Located in the prefecture center, surrounded by hot springs, the townscape near the venue is designated as the "Kurayoshi / Uchibuki Tamagawa Traditional Buildings Preservation District." Among them is a facility that utilizes the old-fashioned warehouse serving as a base for cultural and artistic activities for disabled people. This is said to be the soil ground where cultural arts is nurtured, with deep connection to "Japanese and nature." This festival was held against the backdrop of such regional characteristics. We report on the appeal of the area.


The streets of merchant houses that remain on the highway

The center of the town is 5 minutes by bus or 20 minutes on foot from Kurayoshi Mirai Center, the festival's venue. The town is called "Yabase Ourai," a highway from the Nara period that connects Kurayoshi and Yatsuhashi, which was the center of the Hoki Province. The signboard installed at the junction remains. The Gensui Sake Brewery Main Store is a typical townhouse in Kurayoshi, with a narrow front and an extended back area, with a storehouse at the very back. There are sculptures of the god of good fortune carved by Buddhist masters in various places across town, and the long-headed Fukurokuju placed here is one of them.

The area around Gensui Sake Brewery is the Yabase Ourai, a district where old buildings are concentrated. Merchant houses, Western-style buildings, and shops after the Meiji era can also be viewed. The Kuwata Soy Sauce Brewery was one of the wealthiest merchants at the time, producing and selling soy sauce from the 10th year of the Meiji era. The wide storefront of 26 to 27 meters demonstrates the wealth of the merchant.

Across the Tamagawa River, the Kurayoshi Yodoya built in 1760 (Horeki 10), is the oldest existing Machiya building in Kurayoshi. The storefront is 26 meters in width, with the front interior consisting of shops, the back section forming living quarters and rooms for customers. The entrance is a rare structure where one can directly access a basket. White-walled warehouses stretching across for about 400 meters along the Tamagawa River, were built aligning the Tamagawa River for fire prevention measures during the Edo-Meiji period, and the foundations of the warehouse are made of andesite from Kurayoshi.


An art museum with the name "Mushin"




/ "Kurayoshi Art Museum Mushin" exhibiting works in collaboration with town, welfare, and culture

Walking along the highway from the white-walled warehouses in the opposite direction, one will find an art space, "Kurayoshi Art Museum Mushin," which uses the warehouse vault of the former National Third Bank Kurayoshi Branch. This museum named "Mushin," known as the state of Zen is run by the aforementioned "Ai Support Art Center" and engages in creative activities in collaboration with the town, welfare, and culture. In the same building, the "Kokubo Norimitsu Solo Exhibition: Jyozetsu na machi (Talkative Town)" was held in conjunction with the "Art Brut CREATION Nippon in Tottori". A picture of the city envisioned by the author, Kokubo, is exhibited in the space inside the warehouse. The painting uses Japan and cities worldwide as motifs and draws a unique image of the city while reflecting and filling the existing city with its spiritual world. In recent years, it has been highly evaluated around the world in Europe and the United States. Along with that, his involvement with society through paintings has expanded, and he now often goes abroad for exhibitions and interviews.

Kokubo is interested in works with motifs of ships, cars, warships, etc., including cities worldwide. Data is collected with smartphones and drawn accordingly, with all the exhibited works full of detail and information. He has investigated cities in particular, and in "The town modeled after North Korea and the American Prison," the surrounding wire fences represent borders, and the walls represent Attica prison. Towers and roller coasters are depicted alongside many skyscrapers in the "Developing Tianjin, China." He applied the title himself, and the positive words "Development(Hatten)" and "Economic Revolution (Keizai Kakumei)" leave an impression.

The overflowing information contained in each of the works speaks to the observer in a very talkative manner. The charm of the Kurayoshi area appears to be conveyed through a gentle conversation with the smooth townscape of the Traditional Buildings district and a lively conversation with the talkative town.




Coverage Author: Jitsugyo No Nihinsha, Blue Guide Editorial Department

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