Mochizuki Katsura (1886-1975) was an artist who co-founded the Kokuyokai, which organized one of the earliest independent exhibitions in Japan. 

The Kokuyokai was an art collective that argued that the revolution in society and the revolution in art were inseparable in the pursuit of freedom. It was formed in 1919 with the participation of expressionists from various fields, not only art, but also literature, music, and theater, as well as labor activists. 

Its members were an extraordinarily diverse group, including Osugi Sakae, a leading figure in the anarchist movement; Sakai Toshihiko, who would become a leader of the socialist movement; folklorist Hashiura Yasuo; and Enka artist Soeda Azenbo.

Another important characteristic was the high degree of freedom, which allowed everyone to participate without a selection process, based on the belief that expression is personal and should not be subject to evaluation by others.

The collective held four exhibitions before disbanding around 1922 and is now regarded as a pioneer of the proletarian art movement.

Mochizuki’s activities extended far beyond his work with the Kokuyokai. He had previously run a canteen that served as a gathering place for social activists and laborers. In the late 1920s, he also drew cartoons for the daily newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun under the pen name Saikawa Bontaro and later provided illustrations for Heibonsha’s encyclopedia. From 1938 to 1939, he led the comic magazine Bakusho, where he collaborated with cartoonist Ono Saseo and Fujita Tsuguharu, a classmate from the Tokyo Fine Arts School.

After returning to his hometown of Nakakawate Village, Higashi-Chikuma County (now Azumino City) in Nagano Prefecture in 1945, he was a leading figure in the post-war agricultural land reform and devoted himself to the peasant movement despite being a landowner himself. At the same time, he left numerous landscape paintings depicting the natural beauty of the Shinshu region.

This exhibition highlights his wide-ranging activities and showcases his spirit of freedom and support for others that underpinned all his work.

To prepare for the exhibition, the Mochizuki Katsura Research Unit, was formed in response to a proposal by Adachi Gen, associate professor of art history and social history at Nishogakusha University, who has long studied Mochizuki. The unit comprises museum curators, local community members, researchers of art, literature, and social movements, as well as archivists, journalists, and editors. Over the past three years, with the generous cooperation of Mochizuki’s family, the team has conducted extensive research into his life and work.

Notably, contemporary artists such as Kazama Sachiko, Ushiro Ryuta, and Matsuda Osamu, who have long been admirers of Mochizuki, joined the research unit. Their contributions include devising the exhibition title and logo, supervising the exhibition, and producing the video. The way the exhibition was initiated through this kind of collaboration transcending professional boundaries will be an important guide to re-examining the spirit of Kokuyokai from a contemporary perspective.

The issues that Mochizuki raises are also relevant to those of us who live our daily lives in an era of stagnation. This exhibition traces the footsteps of Mochizuki through approximately 120 works, including oil and ink paintings, drawings, cartoons, and various related documents.

Co-organized by Azumino City Board of Education
Planning: Mochizuki Katsura Research Unit (Representative: Adachi Gen)
Supported by: Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Suntory Foundation, and Toshiaki Ogasawara Memorial Foundation
This research is supported by JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research JP24K00022
Cooperation: ANOMALTY

* Please see the Japanese page for information on events during the exhibition period and related publications.

トークと書籍については日本語サイトを参照