Bushiro Mohri (1923-2004). A rather serious-sounding name that you won’t forget easily. Although seen as one of the leading artists of post-war Japanese sculpture, at his peak in the mid 1960s he started to distance himself from the mainstream art world and stopped presenting new work. At age 70, he left his hometown Tokyo, moved to the remote location of Kurobe in Toyama Prefecture, purchased a large industrial milling machine weighing 2.5 tonnes, and spent the rest of his time intensively making artwork. Because of this rather unusual artistic biography, even though his works are in the permanent collections of various public art galleries in Japan, it seems there have not been enough occasions to introduce the work and practice of this artist. Moreover, the artist was known as the ‘Silent Sculptor’. It is thus not easy to know what exactly he was thinking about and how he worked on his art during the silent period.

In March 2015, coinciding with the opening of the new Hokuriku Shinkansen section between Nagano and Kanazawa, ‘Coelacanth – Bushiro Mohri Memorial Museum’ was opened in the artist’s former studio in Kuridera in Kurobe City. This was achieved through the support and passion of people who had connections with Mohri, notably his only daughter Asuka, Masaki Yanagihara (Director of The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto) and Sachiko Yanagihara (artist). The building with sophisticated triangular rooftops appears rather unexpectedly in an idyllic landscape. It is located on a hill where, when the air is clear, we can view both the beautiful Tateyama mountain range in Japan’s Northern Alps, and Toyama Bay. The steel-framed single storey studio, with an area of approximately 160 m² and two main rooms, stands next to the main house. Both the studio and house were designed by the sculptor himself, and were realised together with Toyama’s Uozu City-based architect Hidetaka Hara. One room, which was used mainly for storing works, has been turned into a permanent collection room and now shows Mohri’s iconic pieces spanning each era from the 1950s to 2000s, as well as hand drawn plans, the sculptor’s drafting table, and so on. The other room, which was used mainly for making works, has been transformed into a ‘Free Space’ and is now hosting various occasional events, such as exhibitions by local, national and international artists, and talk events.

One of Coelacanth’s two rooms is a permanent collection room, which tries to show the sculptor’s inner world, and the other is a ‘Free Space’, which invites activities from the outside world. These two rooms with different characteristics are connected through a compact living space along a long corridor. This living space was made to reflect Mohri’s secret wish – that the space would one day be used by young artists. Some say that Mohri must have became disgusted with the art world and chosen the attitude of being silent. But he never stopped his hands from making artwork, and until the very end, never gave up on the possibility that art holds. To me, it seems as if the layout of Coelacanth symbolises the dual nature – and hence honesty – of the sculptor.

Naoko Mabon (Independent Curator)

– photo explanation –

[Ⅰ]Bushiro Mohri ‘Message from Mr. A, No 4’ 1996, stainless steel (?), 12.8 x 51.0 x 12.8 cm
From ‘Bushiro Mohri’ exhibition at AIS Gallery in Shibukawa, Gunma, September 2016 (as part of CONCEPT SPACE The 35th Anniversary Programme, curated by Naoko Mabon)
Photography: Satoshi Mouri

[Ⅱ]Bushiro Mohri ‘Coelacanth’ 1953, colour on plaster, 106.0 x 132.0 x 55.0 cm, Collection: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Photography: Yoshikazu Kosugi

[Ⅲ]Installation view of ‘At Utopia’ exhibition by Sachiko Yanagihara and Akane Nakamori at Coelacanth, 20 October – 4 November 2018 (plus tour to Suisei-Art in Kanazawa from 10 November – 25 November 2018)
Photography: Ryohei Yanagihara

[Ⅳ]Unfinished final work left on the milling machine, 2004
Photography: Masaki Yanagihara

[Ⅴ]Coelacanth – Bushiro Mohri Memorial Museum, October 2018
Photography: Ryohei Yanagihara