Ota Ward Cultural Arts Information Paper "ART bee HIVE" vol.20 + bee!

Issued April 2024, 10

vol.20 Autumn issue

The Ota Ward Cultural Arts Information Paper "ART bee HIVE" is a quarterly information paper that contains information on local culture and arts, newly published by the Ota Ward Cultural Promotion Association from the fall of 2019.
"BEE HIVE" means a beehive.
Together with the ward reporter "Mitsubachi Corps" gathered by open recruitment, we will collect artistic information and deliver it to everyone!
In "+ bee!", We will post information that could not be introduced on paper.

Art place: Keio Nishimura's Atelier + bee!

Artful place: La Bee Cafe + bee!

Future attention EVENT + bee!

I feel like I'm with my father forever.
"NishimuraKeioLeaderAtelier

An exterior that blends in with the residential streetscape

After exiting the ticket gate at Ookayama Station, with Tokyo University of Science (formerly Tokyo Institute of Technology) in front of you, follow the road on your left along the tracks towards Senzoku Station, turn right past the parking lot and you will come to a quiet residential area.ElegantLeaderThis white house is the museum "Nishimura Keio's Atelier," which is the studio and home of the painter Nishimura Keio*.
Nishimura Kazuo was a Western-style painter who was active in Paris after the war. He was highly praised by Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, the art dealer who nurtured Picasso, for "combining the beauty of the East and the West." This led to him holding solo exhibitions in various parts of Europe, mainly in Paris, from 1953. His works were purchased by the French government and the city of Paris, and were used by FujitaTsuguharuTsuguharuHe is the second Japanese painter to have his work exhibited at the Musée National d'Art Moderne in France, after Nishimura Takeo. We spoke with his daughter, Ikuyo Tanaka, who supported Nishimura from his early days in Paris until his later years.

By exhibiting my father's work, I can get to know many people without having to go out.

When does it open?

"It was April 2002th, 4, two years after my father passed away (he died on December 5th, 2). April 2000th was the 12th birthday of my mother, who passed away in 4. We built this studio in 4, and from February of the following year, we lived there as a family of six: my father, my husband, my husband's mother, and our two children."

What made you decide to open your studio to the public?

"I opened the studio because I wanted my father's fans to see the studio where he enjoyed painting in his later years. There are many places in Paris that open their studios to the public. I have always thought they were wonderful. In addition to his works, we also exhibit his art supplies such as paintbrushes and painting knives, and his favorite items such as his pipe and hat."

What kind of people visit the museum?

"People who love my father's paintings come to visit. People he met in Paris, people he knew in Japan - all of these people gather here. I hear all these stories about my father and get to know him better. When I listen to my father's stories in this studio, I get the feeling that he is still alive. I feel like he is with me forever. We created this place so that his fans could see his paintings, but in the end, I am remembering the long time I spent here with my father. I feel very happy."

Do you have a lot of long-time fans?

"We have young people coming too. My father's paintings use bright colors and don't look very old-fashioned, so I think young people can understand them quite well. They make a point of finding this place and coming here. All kinds of people really come. Age doesn't really matter. We even have parents and children who love art. The other day, a child came to see my father's paintings because he loves painting and wants his child to become an artist. But it turns out that children can understand my paintings better than adults, and they naturally enjoy them. By exhibiting my father's work, I can get to know many people without having to go out. I'm grateful that it's the greatest gift my father left me (laughs)."

I was drawing pictures while singing a song I had written myself.

The director is watching Professor Nishimura work here. What are your memories of this studio?

"He painted from morning until night. When he woke up in the morning he would paint. When the staff said, 'It's time for dinner,' he would go upstairs to eat, then come downstairs and paint again. When it got dark he stopped painting. He wouldn't paint by electric light, he was the type of person who would only paint while there was sunlight. Because he was that kind of person, he would get up early in the morning. He would wake up with the sun and paint. That was the kind of lifestyle he lived."

Was he concentrating so much while he was drawing that it was difficult to talk to him?

"That never happened. My father was very easygoing (laughs). It was okay to talk to him. He was having fun drawing, so he didn't mind if people came over. He didn't even mind if his grandchildren were playing behind him. I would get so engrossed in drawing that I would nearly step on them. But my father never said things like, 'You can't play here'. He was the kind of person who didn't mind at all, and didn't say anything too difficult. My father was a funny guy. He was in the navy during the war. He would draw while singing a song he made up, like 'The Pistons are Gottonton' (laughs)."

After returning from Paris, he was fascinated by Japanese boxes and began to create "box art" with great enthusiasm.

I rented a storage-like attic space and started painting there.

There are many works on display, but is there any that are particularly memorable?

"They are the two paintings in the middle hanging there. My father went to Paris by himself at first, while our family was in Japan. My father was already poor at the time, so he rented a storeroom-like attic room from a rich person's house in the 2th arrondissement and painted those paintings there. There is a small window and a wall, and the paintings say, 'I am painting in such a small space.' The painting on the left is one that he painted in Japan before going to Paris. This is a painting of my younger brother, wearing my father's navy hat, sitting on a stepladder in the garden, just after the war. So his style changed from the painting on the left to the painting on the right after he went to Paris."

There are also many watercolor paintings on display.

"It's a sketch. It's the first thing my father draws before he starts painting. It's the original drawing that makes up the oil painting. We've gathered them all in one place and hung them up. They're not completely finished, but it's because of that sketch that the larger painting can be made. It's important. If it's not solid, the oil painting won't work. Everything my father wants to paint in his head is contained in that sketch. I can't see it, though (laughs). After that sketch is drawn, a few days or months pass and it emerges as a larger painting."

Not only paintings, but also the things that the teacher used in his daily life are on display as they were at the time. Is there anything in particular that you have fond memories of?

"There are a lot of pipes left. I think they're all lying around. He always had a pipe in his mouth while he painted. It seems like he never let go."

The two large works in the center are masterpieces from before and after he went to Paris.

Nishimura Keio's favorite pipes

People who like art tend to have a lot to talk about, so they can become good friends.

Lastly, please give a message to our readers.

"I want many people to see my father's paintings. If you have time, please come and see them. People who like art tend to have a lot to talk about, so we become good friends."

In addition to just looking at the artworks and exhibits, will the director also be able to explain things to us and talk to us?

"Yes. I hope we can have fun talking about various things. It's not a stuffy museum."

Museum director Ikuyo (right) and her husband Tsutomu Tanaka (left)

Atelier of Keio Nishimura

• Address: 3-7-3 Kitasenzoku, Ota-ku
• Access: 6 minutes walk from Ookayama Station on the Tokyu Meguro Line or Tokyu Oimachi Line
• Business hours: 14:00 - 17:00 *Reservation required
• Closed on Saturdays
• Fee/Free
• Phone / 03-5499-1611

website

Profile

Japanese painter. Born in Kyowa-cho, Hokkaido. 1909 (Meiji 42) - 2000 (Heisei 12).
In 1975, he won the Paris Critic's Prize (Palme d'Or).
In 1981, he was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class.
In 1992, the Nishimura Keiyu Museum of Art opened in Iwanai Town, Hokkaido.
In 2007, a commemorative plaque was installed at 16, Rue des Grands Augustins, 15th arrondissement, Paris (the first for a Japanese artist).

allSeiji FujishiroFujishiro SeijiWe have shaped this idea.
"La Bee Cafe"

The red dome is the landmark

Go out of the ticket gate at Senzoku Station on the Tokyu Meguro Line, turn right, and you'll find a shop with an olive tree and a red dome across from the Tokyu Store parking lot. This is La Vie Cafe, produced by shadow puppet artist Seiji Fujishiro. In addition to serving food and drinks, they also sell original goods and prints. Apparently, Mr. Fujishiro sometimes stops by for a break during his walks. Seiji Fujishiro was born in Tokyo in 1924 (Taisho 13), and this year he turns 100 years old. In 1946 (Showa 21), he founded the puppet and shadow puppet theater "Jeune Pantre" (later renamed "Mokubaza"). From 1948 (Showa 23), he serialized his shadow puppets in "Kurashi no Techo," Japan's leading postwar magazine. In 1961 (Showa 36), he created a life-size stuffed animal puppet theater, and the character "Keroyon" from the TV program "Mokubaza Hour" became a national idol. He is truly an artist representing post-war Japan. We spoke to his eldest daughter and owner, Aki Fujishiro.

Owner Aki

It was built as a resting place during rehabilitation walks.

Please tell us what prompted you to start your shop.

"In 2014, my father had a lot of exhibitions and when he went to the country he was sitting down the whole time. As a result, his back started to hurt and he couldn't walk. When he went to the hospital, he was diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis."

It was exactly 10 years ago, when he turned 90 years old.

"Even so, there were deadlines one after another, so we squeezed in visits to the hospital in between. When it got to the point where we had to have a bolt inserted, we were told, 'please be hospitalized,' and underwent surgery. He was hospitalized for nearly a month, and a year later he was able to go for walks again. My father goes for walks every day, even in the rain, to do his rehabilitation. There is a small park near Kita-Sensoku Station and there is a small rock there, although it is not really meant to be sat on. Seeing my father resting there under an umbrella, it made my heart ache. Then one day my father found this place and asked if he wanted to open a cafe. We built it as a place to rest on his walks for rehabilitation."

A bright space surrounded by Seiji Fujishiro's original works

The cup is a one-of-a-kind piece hand-painted by Seiji Fujishiro.

When will it open?

"It was March 2017, 3. To tell the truth, it was the birthday of my father's cat at the time, called Rabby. We opened on that very day."

Even now, Rabbi can be seen in many places, such as on signs and coasters.

"Yes. It's a cafe for Rabbi."

Is the shop designed by Professor Fujishiro?

"My father designed it. I came up with the overall color scheme myself, something that would be characteristic of Seiji Fujishiro, and the same goes for the walls and tiles. It just so happened that there was a big olive tree in front of the shop, which my father loved. So I enlarged the small windows. I also planted my favorite tree, so that the view outside would look like a painting. Everything was designed to reflect Seiji Fujishiro's ideas."

Do the artworks on display change regularly?

"We change them according to the season, spring, summer, fall, and winter. We also change them whenever new pieces become available."

You seem to be particular about the interior as well.

"Yes, the chairs were also designed by my father. In fact, we are selling them to those who are interested. We have a wide variety of chairs on display at the museum in Nasu. We don't have any actual samples in Tokyo, but we do have sample photos. If you choose one after looking at them, we will send it to you from Nasu."

I heard that you also designed the cups used in your shop.

"The cups used to serve coffee and tea are one-of-a-kind and hand-painted by Seiji Fujishiro."

Hand-painted, one-of-a-kind cup

Original chair with a cute backrest

This is the world of art. This is a cafe with art people.

There are floors with lovely bay windows, not just on the first floor.

"The first floor is a cafe, and we make prints on the third floor. When we make them ourselves, we can pay close attention to the details. If we use a professional print shop, they always prioritize deadlines, and the colors can end up being slightly off. Sometimes we want to print on canvas, but because it's not flat paper, it's hard to get the depth, weight, and vividness of the colors. By making them ourselves here, my father and I can have full control over the finished product."

So you make prints on this.

"Yes. This is the world of art. This is a cafe with art people."

You can ask and talk to the store staff about the items.

"Yes, that's right. Most of the staff at the cafe are art lovers and can speak a certain amount of art. If there's anything you don't understand, please ask me, and I'll be able to answer your questions."

My father, Seiji Fujishiro, is now 100 years old and still continues to create art and walk around in good health.

Please tell us about any specific exhibitions or events you have coming up.

"Whenever there is a new event, we post it on our website. We also announce in advance when we have a solo exhibition or autograph session in a local area. In winter, we have to set up the Nasu Museum for Christmas. Please come and visit us."

Lastly, please give a message to our readers.

"My father turned 100 this year. Even in old age, if you keep using your hands, you can still do anything. Just because you're old doesn't mean you can't do this or that. It's important to always look forward in life. If you don't draw, create, and think for yourself, you'll get more and more senile. And senility makes your body worse overall. Fujishiro Seiji is still creating art, even at 100 years old, and he's still walking around healthy. You're all still in good health."

The walls are decorated with seasonal and new prints, which can also be purchased.

La Bee Cafe

• Address: 2-1-11 Kitasenzoku, Ota-ku, Tokyo
• Access: 2 minutes walk from Senzoku Station on the Tokyu Meguro Line
• Business hours: Weekdays 10:00-17:00 (last order 16:30)
  　　　　　Weekends 11:00-17:00 (last orders 16:30)

*Reservation required (same-day only)

• Regular holiday / Tuesday

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Born in Tokyo in 1924 (Taisho 13). Japanese shadow puppet artist. Received the Order of the Rising Sun, Fourth Class, Gold Rays with Rosette in the spring of 1995 (Heisei 7). Opened the Fujishiro Seiji Shadow Puppet Museum in 1996 (Heisei 8). Received the Children's Culture Special Achievement Award from the Japan Children's Writers Association in 1999 (Heisei 11). Opened the Fujishiro Seiji Museum in Nasu Town, Tochigi Prefecture in 2013 (Heisei 25).

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Public Relations and Public Hearing Section, Culture and Arts Promotion Division, Ota Ward Cultural Promotion Association