Kanda Nissho Memorial Museum of Art

Facility Outline:
The museum houses the masterpieces of Nissho Kanda, a painter who died young

The Kanda Nissho Memorial Museum of Art showcases half of the masterpieces of Japanese artist Nissho Kanda (1937 – 1970), who created powerful oil paintings on an ongoing basis while farming in Shikaoi Town. To honor his achievements, the Town of Shikaoi built the museum in 1993 as a municipal symbol of art and culture with an exterior inspired by the shape of the eastern Taisetsu Mountains.

The museum highlights the works of Nissho, who identified himself as a farmer and an artist as opposed to a farmer artist, as well as his life and historical background. It also hosts thematic exhibitions featuring a wide range of other artists, and plays a significant role as a facility that continues to develop in step with the local community by holding concerts and other events and engaging in efforts to present the art history of the local Tokachi region.

Permanent Exhibition:
A variety of pieces centering on Horse, his final work

Horse (last work, unfinished), 1970
An unfinished work left in the studio. This appears in the design of the Kanda Nissho Memorial Museum of Art’s logo.

The first-floor exhibition space permanently displays Nissho’s last and unfinished masterwork entitled Horse as well as other oil masterpieces (including Bunkhouse Scene, Still Life and Studio C), self-portraits, practice pieces and other exhibits. A chronological record of his life and portraits along with the inclusion of his beloved painting knives among his mementoes provide a reminder of the artist’s unique techniques.

A walk up the wide staircase (staircase lifting device) takes visitors to a variety of artifacts including sketches, esquisses, sketchbooks and notebooks. Part of Nissho’s atelier is reproduced here along with photo panels to give a glimpse into the real life of this farmer and artist.

First-floor Exhibition Space

Recommended Activities:
An event was held in remembrance of the paintings of Nissho

Second-floor Atelier Area

Major annual events at the museum include the holding of the Bukon Festival (the term bukon meaning wilderness cultivation) on June 17 to celebrate the anniversary of the museum’s establishment, the Bakoki event on a Sunday close to August 25 (the anniversary of Nissho’s death) to recall the artist’s achievements, and the Nissho Festival on December 8 to celebrate his birthday. DVDs highlighting his life and achievements are shown on loop in the museum lobby. The works showcase the unique painting style of Nissho, whose career as an artist began with works featuring farmers who engaged in land reclamation in Hokkaido after World War II and who later publicized his output at national exhibitions through his masterpieces, sketches and other art.

Facility name	Kanda Nissho Memorial Museum of Art
Address	Higashi-machi 3-chome 2, Shikaoi, Kato-gun, Hokkaido
Tel.	+81-156-66-1555
Hours	10:00 – 17:00 (admission until 16:30)
Closed	Mondays (open if Monday is a national holiday), the day after national holidays (open if the day is Saturday or Sunday)
Admission fee	Adults: 520 yen; high school students: 310 yen; elementary and junior high school students: 210 yen
Access	5 min. on foot from Shikaoi-cho Yakuba (Shikaoi Town Office) bus stop, which is approx. 30 min. on the Takushoku Bus from JR Shintoku Station 2 min. on foot from Kanda Nissho Bijutsukan (Kanda Nissho Memorial Museum of Art) bus stop, which is approx. 60 min. on the Takushoku Bus from JR Obihiro Station (Access Information (in Japanese))
Website	Japanese
Map	Display the Kanda Nissho Memorial Museum of Art on an enlarged map.