Kanda Nissho: Brushstrokes to the Earth

This is the official catalog for "Kanda Nissho: Strokes of the Earth," a retrospective exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of Nissho Kanda's passing. This book traces the life and work of the artist who continued to paint while farming the land of Hokkaido.

Nissho Kanda was born in Nerima, Tokyo, in 1937. To escape the ravages of war, he and his family settled in Shikaoi, Hokkaido. Arriving in the northern land the day before the war ended, he began painting under the influence of his older brother, Kazuaki Kanda, while facing the challenges of pioneering and farming. After graduating from junior high school, he continued to farm while creating art, exhibiting his works at the Heigensha Exhibition, the Zendo Exhibition, and the Dokuritsu Exhibition.

This book includes Nissho Kanda's representative works, such as "Dead Horse," "Alone," "Interior Landscape," and "Horse (Last Work, Unfinished)." The memories of pioneering, the labor as a farmer, and the desire to paint as an artist—the joy, struggles, and pride of a painter for whom living and painting were inseparable are revealed in his rough yet earnest brushstrokes.

The plate pages feature all exhibited works in color. Also included are essays by researchers, interviews with Nissho Kanda's wife Misako Kanda and brother Kazuaki Kanda, gravure photographs of places associated with Nissho, a chronology, and a list of works. This exhibition catalog reexamines the entirety of the artist, who died prematurely at 32, with the latest research.

[Title] Kanda Nissho: Strokes of the Earth
[Publisher] The Hokkaido Shimbun Press
[Publication Date] 2020
[Number of Pages] 193 pages
[Size] Approx. 236 x 306 x 18 mm / 1280g
[Format] Softcover
[Language] Japanese
[Title Reading] KANDA NISSHO DAICHI E NO HISSHOKU
[Author/Editor] Aya Hatori/Editor, Mayuko Kawagishi/Planning/Composition/Text, Akira Tomita/Planning/Composition/Text, Shiho Murayama/Planning/Composition, Yoshitomo Nara/Text, Yukihiro Sato/Text, Kazuaki Kanda/Interview, Misako Kanda/Interview, Kimiko Steiner/Translation, Shunichi Miki/Design
[Printing] Yoshihara Printing Co., Ltd./Printing
[ISBN] -
[Condition] Used【8】Excellent to Very Good
[Accessories] Exhibition flyer
[Featured In] -
[Related Exhibition] "Kanda Nissho: Strokes of the Earth" (Tokyo Station Gallery, Nissho Kanda Museum of Art, Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, 2020)

Nissho Kanda (1937-1970)

Born in Nerima-machi, Tokyo. Painter.

In 1945, to escape the war, he and his family applied to join the Takuho Farming Soldier Corps and moved to Hokkaido, settling in Shikaoi. While engaging in pioneering and farming, he began painting under the influence of his older brother, Kazuaki Kanda.

After graduating from junior high school in 1953, he continued to create art while farming, exhibiting his works mainly in Hokkaido at exhibitions such as the Heigensha Exhibition and the Zendo Exhibition. In 1964, he was first accepted into the Dokuritsu Exhibition and continued to be accepted thereafter. He left behind works that combined his life as a farmer and his expression as an artist, with themes such as labor, livestock, interiors, self-portraits, and horses.

On August 25, 1970, he collapsed from exhaustion while engaged in farm work and art production, and died at the age of 32. His last work, "Horse (Last Work, Unfinished)," was left in his studio.

Major works include "Dead Horse," "Alone," "Interior Landscape," and "Horse (Last Work, Unfinished)."

Major collections include the Nissho Kanda Museum of Art and the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art.

< Related Figures >

Yoshitomo Nara