The universality of natural beauty
I want to continue expressing myself with these hands
FEATURES
September 2023 Issue
The protagonist of this year's NHK Taiga drama is Tokugawa Ieyasu. His character design, which is completely different from the "Father Tanuki" (a male raccoon dog), has been much talked about, but the bronze statue of Ieyasu that stands on the pedestrian in front of the station in Higashi-Okazaki, his birthplace, has also changed the public image of this historical figure. Standing at 9.5 meters tall, it is one of the largest statues of Ieyasu in Japan, and it has a truly heroic appearance, with a dignified expression handling the reins of a swift horse. The artist of this equestrian statue is one of Japan's leading sculptors, Mineo Kambe.
Interview: Hanako Watanabe
彫刻家
Professor Emeritus of Nagoya University of Arts
Mineo Kambe
Mineo Kambe
Mineo Kanbe: Born in 1944 in Toki City, Gifu Prefecture. He studied at Musashino Art University where he studied under Takashi Shimizu and Shigeru Kinoshita. In 68, a year after graduating from the same university, he was selected for his first Nitten Exhibition. Since then, he has received numerous awards, including the Nissho Award, the Nitten Special Selection, and the Japan Art Academy Award. In 88, he became a professor at Nagoya University of Arts. In 2002, he was a visiting professor at Xinjiang Academy of Arts, China. In 03, he became the dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Nagoya University of Arts. In 09, became a director of Nitten. Became a member of the Japan Art Academy in 12. Became professor emeritus at Nagoya University of Arts in 14. 16: Chairman of the Japan Sculpture Society. 18: Vice-chairman of Nitten. In 22, he became the executive director of the Nitten Public Interest Incorporated Association.
Born in a historic craftsman's family, he switched from archery, which he was passionate about.
-- Toki City in Gifu Prefecture is known as the city of Mino ware, the number one ceramics producer in Japan. Professor Kobe is from this city rich in history and culture.
Kobe: I was born into a family with a long history of pottery manufacturing.
-- Except for your time as a student at Musashino Art University, you have been actively engaged in creative activities in Gifu. What was your childhood like in your hometown?
Kobe: I'm the middle child of three siblings, but I was the eldest son sandwiched between an older sister and a younger brother, so I think people around me saw me as the heir apparent. But my parents never forced me to "take over the business." So I didn't think much about the future and spent my childhood at a leisurely pace. I guess my parents thought, "It's decided that you'll take over anyway, so do as you like until then."
--Does coming from a family of craftsmen for generations shape your foundation as a sculptor?
Kobe: Perhaps I unconsciously felt that sculpture was something like the foundation for working on three-dimensional sculpture. But as a child, I never really gave sculpture any thought. I was drawn to the kyudo (Japanese archery) that people would gather at shrines to practice enthusiastically, and in high school and university I joined the kyudo club and even competed in national tournaments.
Entering the Department of Sculpture
An exciting life in Tokyo
Kobe: After I was accepted into art school and came to Tokyo, the preparations for the Tokyo Olympics were in full swing. I stayed in Tokyo for six years, and my student life was incredibly stimulating. It was also my first experience working part-time. My first job was creating a mural for the National Stadium, which will be the main stadium for the Tokyo Olympics. I carried materials and assisted the craftsmen on-site, and as a first-year art school student, I thought, "Could there really be anything more fun in the world?" The past 60 years have been an extension of that. I believe that these experiences have led me to where I am today.
- Was it your overwhelming creative drive that led you to pursue sculpture as a form of expression?
Kobe: That may be true for other sculptors. Perhaps it was because I was so ignorant when I was young, but I thought that painting, sculpture, ceramics, and landscaping were all similar forms of expression.
To tell you the truth, I still think that way, and I've been doing it without really being aware of the difference. In a broad sense, all of them are forms. If it's a sculpture, it's appropriate to learn the basics of modeling...well, it's an afterthought.
Pursuing natural beauty
Arriving at “Nude”
-- Among your diverse creative endeavors, you are particularly well known for your "nude statues." At the Nitten Exhibition, where you currently serve as vice-president, you have repeatedly received awards for works with nude motifs.
Kobe: The "nude" is a major goal and an option in the process of pursuing forms of beauty. I've heard that in recent art education, it's becoming more common to move away from starting with sketching and drawing, but in order to understand the laws and forms of nature, "drawing" is still unavoidable. It's about learning about nature and understanding human beings themselves. This also broadens the future possibilities for art students. I personally believe that receiving this kind of art education has broadened my horizons.
"I can do anything" is the same as "I can do nothing"
- Among your own works, which one was particularly memorable or was a turning point for you?
Kobe: Just like the Tokyo Olympics when I was a university student, the 1988 Seoul Olympics was a turning point for me.
Coinciding with the Olympic Games, a subway line was opened in Seoul and Busan, and a project was launched to decorate the station premises with ceramic murals, and through some coincidence, I was assigned to create and direct the project. For two years, I traveled to Korea almost every week.
This was when I was 42 or 43 years old. He created many works on ceramic walls, and when he finished his work, he felt that his relationship with pottery had come to an end. Until then, in addition to his work as a sculptor, he had also made tea bowls upon request, as well as large ceramic objects. I got a job at Nagoya University of Arts at the age of 27, and in parallel with my creative activities, I continued to talk to students.
However, it was not easy to substantiate the words he spoke to the students in his own work. Isn't it the same as being a multi-author who can do anything and not being able to do anything? Since then, he has almost stopped making pottery as part of his job. It's not like we're breaking up, but it's more like we've distanced ourselves a little.
Abundant study abroad experience
New discoveries from the unknown world
-- Your profile says, "In 2002, you became a visiting professor at the Xinjiang Art Academy in China."
Kobe: I traveled mainly to the West in search of "human activities and appearances," and then applied for a government-sponsored study abroad program at the age of 58. Since I was going out, I wanted to make new discoveries and immerse myself in an unknown world.
While Europe is said to be the mainstream destination for studying abroad in the sculpture world, I chose to study in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
I was in Uyghur for a year, and for the first three months I was an exchange student, and then I became a visiting professor, which allowed me to interact with many people in China.
This experience gave me a new perspective. Until then, what I had learned was to view European values as universal, and that's what I've been doing for about 40 years. When I suddenly came up with an idea and jumped into the cross-cultural world of the Uyghurs, I realized once again that there are people there who bear their own climate and culture, and that they see things from their own historical perspective. I felt it on my skin.
I also realized the importance of knowing and interacting with the history and culture of the region.
I realized once again the diversity of values.
--So you learned something big just before turning 60?
Kobe: Studying abroad in Uyghur made me very conscious of Asia, and by extension, of Japan. This has also led me to be more conscious of myself and what I intend to create in the future. I have once again become aware of the fact that the values of people around the world are truly diverse. With that in mind, what should I do? I feel like I haven't arrived at that answer yet.
- How did this learning influence your subsequent work?
Kobe: I guess it's like most of my previous views on sculpture collapsed, and as a result, I was able to accept a variety of things. And also... I always thought that showing one piece of work would be enough to understand it, and I trusted that feeling. But I also realized that that alone wasn't enough to fully express myself.
As sculptors, we make statements through our sculptures. In other words, for us, sculpture is a language. We want it to be an expression of our senses. Currently, we are organizing our works into a series based on the theme of our sculptures.
It's been about 20 years since I started thinking about how to develop my own work based on a theme.
Tokugawa Ieyasu statue
In the image of the people of the city
-- "Portrait of Ieyasu" is also part of a series. This year, with the taiga drama being aired, new attention is being paid to Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Ieyasu in the taiga drama is an indecisive and naive young man who worries about what to do, but Ieyasu, the teacher, is not at all like a ``raccoon father.''
Kobe: In creating the Equestrian Statue in front of Higashi-Okazaki Station, we conducted a survey of the people of Okazaki.
A variety of opinions were gathered, and it became clear that most of them had an image of a powerful military commander. Small children even drew cool illustrations of generals and sent them to me. I don't have the image of a fat raccoon dog father.
If you look into history, you will find that a man named Ieyasu was also an expert in archery and was praised as ``the best bowman in the Tokai region.''
-- This overlaps with Professor Kobe's time as a student, when he was devoted to Kyudo.
Kobe: It's a legend that he was a master, and whether it's true or not is another matter. But the people of Okazaki have a strong image of him, and they have high hopes for him.
I myself was greatly inspired by the voices of the city that gathered together. All of those things came together in a harmonious way, and the overall shape came together.
--Even if the theme is history, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're depicting historical facts, right?
Kobe: If the only purpose was to record historical events in a tangible form, then one would research the facts and depict them faithfully, but that alone would not make a work of art.
Additionally, when it comes to sculptures that feature well-known historical figures as motifs, the viewer often has a certain level of knowledge or impression of that person.
As an author, I place the highest priority on formability, but also consider the historical background, climate, and relationships with the people involved.
I think it would be great if children and young people living today look at my sculptures, feel an admiration for the person, feel something similar to themselves, and have dreams.
I want to make art more of a “basic subject”
-- You mentioned children, but are there any efforts you are making to pass on the appeal of sculpture to the younger generation?
Kobe: In Japan, we see many sculptures, such as monuments and statues of women in parks and in front of train stations, but we often hear people ask, "Why are they needed there?" It would be nice to have sculptures that are clearer, that make the viewer think, "I see." How can modern sculptors elevate that clarity into works of art? That's what I'm thinking about right now.
-- You are also involved in various art experience programs and educational support projects run by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
Kobe: In Japan's primary education system, students focus on studying the five basic subjects of Japanese, mathematics, social studies, science, and English. That alone keeps both the children and the teachers very busy. Arts, which cultivate emotional intelligence, are put on the back burner, and this area is too weak.
I think it would be a good idea to consider art education, which fosters humanity and develops individuality, as a part of basic subjects. I have been involved in various art programs. It's a lot of fun to work with the children and create something together, and it's also a great learning experience. I believe that experiences such as workshops are also a form of grounded art education.
Indispensable reflection for veterans
--Even now that you are serving as vice-chairman, you still exhibit new works at the Nitten exhibition every year.
Kobe: I believe that a creative cycle is necessary. For example, the changing of the seasons works well for an artist.
The same goes for public exhibitions like the Nitten, which is held once a year.
For me, the Nitten exhibition also provides an opportunity for reflection. This is good. I exhibit it thinking, ``Okay, this is it,'' but once I exhibit it, all I see are its flaws. That's why I was worried about what I should do until the last moment of delivery, and in the end, I renewed my resolve and said, ``Next time.'' That kind of cycle keeps me moving forward.
-- Even a master like you struggles to the limit.
Kobe: When you're young, you can get by with just momentum. The momentum that a work possesses is attractive in itself.
However, as you get older, that alone becomes no longer enough.
That's why it's important to think about how to present it as a work. I keep asking myself, "Is this okay?" You'll end up repeating self-denial...but self-denial is something you can't do on your own, right?
-- In that respect, you have a strong ally in your wife.
Kobe: Well...well, he's a comrade who cares for me when I'm in trouble.
My wife and I have known each other since we were 18 years old, the day we took the entrance exam for Musashino Art University. It's been 60 years since then.
-- It's a work that could only be created through an equal partnership. That's wonderful!
Whether it's old or valuable, it has to be polished by people.
--As an active artist, you seem to have a strong passion for antique art.
Kobe: Just being old is valuable. Anything that has a physical form is bound to break. If you drop a teacup on the floor, it will shatter. But if it is treated with care by the user, its shape will remain for decades or even centuries. This is how fine antiques have been passed down to the present day.
The important thing is that people have been able to hold on to it. If something is not left in someone's hands, the passion of the person who created it and the predecessors who used it cannot be conveyed.
What has value is what remains for a long time. That's exactly the case with Cinara. I also visited Shinara, and felt that it was packed with 100 years worth of changing beauty of nature, in addition to the warmth of people from 100 years ago.
-- Your words are exactly what I wanted. In addition to Cinara, Riviera Tokyo in Ikebukuro has been around for 74 years, Riviera Zushi Marina for 52 years, and Riviera Country Club will soon be 100 years old. We have polished them up with our own hands every day to get to where we are today.
Kobe: As a creator, I have always wanted to express something that transcends time and universality. The most universal things in this world are the shapes born from nature.
I am still inexperienced and have only done a half-hearted job, and I don't think I will ever reach it even if I die, but I will continue to challenge myself to give form to the universality of natural beauty with my own hands.
-- From Sagami Bay, which is connected to the world, we would like to promote Japanese art and culture both domestically and internationally. Please join us!