It all began in the fall of his 17th year. Without that encounter, the Japanese-style painter Hiromitsu Kato would not have been born.
Ever since he was a child, Hiromitsu Kato loved to draw. Black lines run across a blank sheet of paper, and a world is built. Animals that could not exist in reality, strange plants, and people whose appearance is far from reality, all existed in the world on the paper. There was freedom.
One day, when his mother asked him to go to kindergarten, he vehemently refused. His mother was annoyed by her son’s resistance, saying that he would not be able to draw.
If you don’t go to kindergarten, I will put you in the warehouse.
At the time, there was an old storehouse in the Kato family yard. A child would have been terrified to be thrown alone in a dimly lit place.
But he was different. He took a piece of paper and a pencil and went into the storehouse himself. And he did not come out until nightfall. The storehouse, with its paper and pencil and no one to disturb him, must have been his utopia.
His mother gave in and he was free to spend his time painting.
It was only natural that he should dream of becoming a painter.
–I want to be a master of the world.
From the moment he decided to become a painter, he aimed to go to an art university in Tokyo, but he ran into a problem.
He could not decide on a subject.
I have a goal of painting,” he said. So the sculpture department is different. Design is not what I want to do. As far as painting is concerned, oil painting is the best, but the technique does not suit him.
At that time, the only painting technique he knew was oil painting.
One day, three months before his university entrance exam, he was in a department store in Sendai when he came across a “Nihonga” painting.
When he saw it, he cried. He cried without being afraid to be seen. It was that shocking and joyful that he had found what he had been looking for. At the age of 17, he had finally found the perfect technique to express his world.
He would never forget the excitement of that day for the rest of his life.
He decided on the department he wanted to enter and moved to Tokyo with great enthusiasm, but on the day of the entrance examination, he was immediately thrown off the track.
He realized the difference in information and skills between himself and the other examinees. The difference was in the tools he brought with him for the practical examination. Students drew their assignments using beautifully sharpened drawing pencils and kneading rubbers. On the other hand, Hiromitsu Kato carried a writing pencil and an eraser. I was simply stunned to see him produce a number of pencils of different shades from a fine case around him. It was strange to draw a sketch but see eraser shavings strewn at my feet, while the others did not seem to sweep up the eraser shavings.
The first year resulted in tears and he had to attend an art preparatory school. The art college’s Japanese painting department has a limit of only 20 students. In order to pass through the narrow entrance gate, he began to hone his skills. After three unsuccessful attempts, he was admitted to Tama Art University.
He took the first step toward becoming a Japanese-style painter and attended university and graduate school, where he thoroughly studied the techniques of Japanese painting.
Nihonga is a special technique. He draws lines in black ink, applies crushed shells and precious stones to Japanese paper with animal collagen, and applies color. Sometimes gold or silver leaf is used.
Because these are expensive art materials, it costs quite a lot to paint a single picture. He had no money to spend on entertainment, so he cut back on his meal expenses and used it to purchase painting materials. The year he graduated from graduate school, he was 6 feet tall and weighed only 55 kilograms. He had a skinny body with only bones and muscles, and his eyes moved busily, giving him a suspicious appearance at first glance.
Even with such a figure, there were apparently people who took an interest in him. The year he graduated from graduate school, he got married.
After starting a family, he continued to paint. The woman who became his wife married Hiromitsu Kato, a “painter. It was her hope that her husband would continue to paint. Around this time, he began to have doubts in his mind.
After graduating from graduate school, he began to exhibit his paintings at prominent exhibitions in Japan, winning awards. The acclaim was high, and at first he was satisfied. However, this recognition was only in Japan.
His goal is to become a “world master. However, he had no image of being able to enter the world’s art world at his current state. The Japanese market, especially in the field of Japanese-style painting, was primarily a domestic market and was hardly appreciated overseas.
–I want to be recognized on the world stage.
The Gagosian Gallery in New York. To be recognized by this gallery, the most prestigious and influential in the world, was the fulfillment of his goal of becoming a “master of the world.
This desire grew stronger every year. However, he wondered how he, without any contacts or funding, would ever be recognized in the world.
Despite his worries, he could not give up his dream, so he decided to leave the Japanese art world to compete on the world stage.
All he could do was to keep painting and always tell people around him that he wanted to go out into the world.
He believed that continuing to paint would lead him to his dream.
Soon after, invitations to exhibit abroad began to come to him one by one.
In 2009, he stepped on Spanish soil for an exhibition in Spain. He had participated in many exhibitions abroad before, but this was the first time for him to visit Spain.
There he met a critic. The critic praised Hiromitsu Katoh in front of the local media and gave him some advice.
If you want to go out into the world, you need to paint a lot of big works. If you want to go out in the world, you need to do a lot of big paintings, enough to fill the Gagosian gallery, which is as big as a hall.
He concluded by saying, “If you want to go out into the world, you need to do a lot of big paintings.
I’ll be waiting for the day when you come back to Spain with a big painting.
In 2011, he broke new ground in his painting. It was a cherry blossom painting with countless petals, a complete departure from his previous line drawings.
This painting surprised everyone around him, but it also marked the beginning of a new “phase” for Hiromitsu Kato.
The events in Spain were a turning point for him.
Following the advice he had received at that time, he accelerated the speed of production in order to increase the number of paintings. When he found that he could not produce as many paintings as he had planned, he increased the number of solo exhibitions from once a year to twice a year, pushed himself harder, and continued to produce works of art.
With intense passion, as if his life force was on fire, he pushed forward toward his dream.
Then, in 2019, he landed back on Spanish soil. As promised, with several large pieces of work.
It took 10 years, but I finally fulfilled my promise.”
He smiled as he was interviewed by local media.
His solo exhibition held at the Japan-West Center of the University of Salamanca was a great success. Another step closer to his dream of becoming a “world master.
Spring had arrived. Although the cherry blossoms are already in full bloom in Tokyo, they are not yet in full bloom near his studio in the mountains of Saitama.
After a short break, he picks up his paintbrush again. Next March, he will hold a solo exhibition at a museum in Yokohama. He intended to fill the entire venue with his new works.
That night, he said to his wife, “I’m all set.
I’m all set.
He told his greatest friend, with whom he had spent more than half of his life, that he had enough work to fill the walls of the Gagosian. This was undeniably good news for his wife, who had always supported his dream.
Two days later, Hiromitsu Kato passed away. Coincidentally, it was his wife’s birthday.
Everyone lamented that it was too soon, that it was just the beginning. But he left us everything we needed.
The words, “We have everything,” and the remaining works.
The baton was passed on to the next.
The dream of the boy who cried so hard in front of the Japanese paintings that day remains in the hands of those who are left behind.
すべての始まりは17歳の秋だった。その出会いがなければ、日本画家加藤弘光は生まれなかっただろう。
子どもの頃から絵を描くのが好きだった。真っ白な紙の上を黒い線が走り、世界が築かれていく。現実にはありえない動物も、奇妙な植物も、現実とはかけ腫れた姿の人間も、紙の上の世界では確かに実在している。そこには自由があった。
ある時、母親から幼稚園へ行くよう言われ、激しく拒絶した。絵が描けなくなるから嫌だ、と抵抗する息子に母親は業を煮やした。
「幼稚園へ行かないなら、蔵に入れるわよ」
当時、加藤家の庭には古い土蔵があった。薄暗い場所に一人放り込まれれば、子どもならかなりの恐怖を覚えるだろう。
しかし、彼は違った。紙と鉛筆を持つと、自ら蔵へ入っていった。そして、日が暮れるまで出てこなかった。紙と鉛筆、そして邪魔をするものがいない蔵は彼にとっては理想郷そのものだったのだろう。
母親は根負けし、彼は自由に絵を描く時間を手に入れた。
そんな彼が絵描きになる夢を持つのは、当然の流れだった。
――世界の巨匠になりたい
絵描きになると決めた時から、彼は東京の美術大学へ行くことを目指したが、そこで問題にぶち当たった。
学科が決まらないのだ。
絵を描くという目的はある。だから彫刻科は違う。デザイン科は自分のやりたいことではない。絵を描くということにおいては油絵が一番だが、どうも技法が自分に合わない。
当時、彼が知っている絵の技法は油絵だけだった。
そして大学受験を三か月前に控えたある日、彼は仙台のデパートで「日本画」に出会った。
それを見た時、彼は泣いた。人目も憚らずに泣いた。それだけ衝撃的で、探し求めていたものに出会えた喜びがあった。十七歳になった彼はようやく自分の世界を表現するための最適な技法を見つけたのだ。
その日の感動を彼は生涯忘れなかった。
進むべき学科が決まり、いよいよだと意気込みながら、上京した彼は受験日に早速出鼻をくじかれることになる。
他の受験生との情報や技術の差を思い知らされたのだ。何せ実技試験の際、持ちこんだ道具からして差があった。美しく削られたデッサン鉛筆や練りゴムを用いて課題を描いていく受験生。その一方、加藤弘光が持っていたのは、筆記用の鉛筆と消しゴムだった。周囲が立派なケースから、濃淡が異なる鉛筆をいくつも出す姿に、ただ呆気にとられた。デッサンを描くも自分の足元に消しカスが散らばっているのに対し、他は消しカスを掃う様子もないことが不思議だった。
一年目は涙を呑む結果となり、彼は美術予備校へ通うことになった。美術大学の日本画学科の定員はわずか20名。狭き門を通りぬけるため、ひたすら技術を磨く毎日が始まった。三浪した後、彼は多摩美術大学に入学した。
日本画家となる最初の一歩を踏み出した彼は大学及び大学院に通い、日本画の技法を徹底的に学んだ。
日本画は特殊な技法である。墨で線を描き、貝や貴石を砕いたものを、動物のコラーゲンで和紙に貼り付け、色を付ける。時には金箔や銀箔を使うこともある。
高価な画材だから、1枚の絵を描くのも結構な費用がかかる。娯楽に使えるお金はなく、食事代を削って、画材の購入に充てた。大学院を卒業した年、180センチの身長に対し、体重は僅か55キロ。骨と筋だけのガリガリの身体で、目が忙しなく動く一見して怪しげな風貌だった。
そんな姿でも見てくれている人はいるらしい。大学院を卒業する年、彼は結婚した。
家庭を持った後も彼は絵を描き続ける。妻となった女性は「画家」の加藤弘光と結婚した。夫が絵を描き続けるのは彼女の望みでもあった。この頃から、彼の中に迷いが出始める。
大学院卒業後、彼は日本の著名な展覧会に出品し、賞を取るようになった。その評価は高く、初めは満足していた。しかし、その評価はあくまで日本国内だけでのことだった。
彼の目標は「世界の巨匠」になること。しかし、今のままでは世界の画壇に進出できるイメージが全く湧かなかった。日本の、特に日本画の分野は国内の市場が主で、海外ではほとんど評価されていないのが現状だった。
――世界の舞台で認められたい
ニューヨークにあるガゴシアン・ギャラリー。世界で最も権威と影響力があるこのギャラリーに認められるのが彼の「世界の巨匠」という目標を叶えるものだった。
その思いは年々強まっていく。しかし、伝手も資金もない自分がどうすれば世界で評価されるだろうか。
悩みながらも、夢を捨てきれなかった彼は世界の舞台で勝負をするべく、日本の画壇を離れ、手探りで道を開いていくにした。
彼に出来ることは絵を描き続けること、そして常に周囲に世界へ出たい、と言い続けることだった。
続けることこそが夢に繋がると信じて
やがて彼の元にぽつぽつと海外への出展の誘いが来るようになった。
2009年、スペインで開催された企画展に合わせ、彼はスペインの大地を踏んだ。それまでも何度も海外の企画展に出展していたが、現地に足を運んだのは初めてだった。
そこで彼は一人の評論家と出会う。評論家は地元のメディアの前で、ヒロミツ・カトウを絶賛し、一つアドバイスをくれた。
「君が世界へ出たいなら、大きい作品をたくさん描く必要がある。ホール並の広さがあるガゴシアンのギャラリーを埋め尽くすぐらいの量がね」
そして最後にこう告げた。
「大作を描いた君が再びスペインの地を訪れる、その日を待っているよ」
2011年、彼は新たな絵の境地に立った。それまでの線描を主としていた彼の絵とは全く違うもの、無数の花びらが描かれた桜の絵だった。
この絵は周囲を驚かせたが、加藤弘光が新しい「段階」へ進んだことを示していた。
スペインの出来事は、彼の転機だった。
あの時受けたアドバイス通り、彼は絵の点数を増やすため、製作のスピードを速めた。予定よりも数が描けないと分かれば、年に1回だった個展を2回に増やして、自分を追いこみ、作品を生み出し続けた。
生命力を燃やすがごとく、激しい情熱をもって、夢へと邁進していった。
そして2019年、彼は再びスペインの地に降り立った。約束通り、何枚もの大作を持って。
「10年かかりましたが、ようやく約束を果たすことができました」
地元メディアに取材を受けた彼は、そう言って微笑んだ。
サラマンカ大学の日西センターで開催された個展は盛況に終わった。また一歩、「世界の巨匠」への夢に近づいた。
春が訪れた。東京ではすでに桜が満開を迎えているものの、埼玉の山の中にある彼のアトリエの近くは満開には及んでいない。
少しの休暇を経て、彼は再び絵筆を握る。来年の3月には横浜の美術館での個展の開催が決まっている。彼は会場を全て新作でうめるつもりだった。
その夜、彼は妻に言った。
「もうそろったよ」
ガゴシアンの壁をうめられる数の作品が出来上がったのだと、人生の半分以上を共に過ごした、彼の最大の理解者に伝えた。それは彼の夢をずっと応援し続けていた妻にとってまぎれもなく朗報だった。
その2日後、加藤弘光が亡くなった。享年62。奇しくもその日は妻の誕生日だった。
誰もが早すぎる、これからだったのに、と嘆く。けれども彼は必要なものはすべて伝え、残してくれた。
「もうそろった」という言葉と、残された作品。
バトンは次へと渡された。
あの日、日本画を前にして大泣きした少年の夢は、残された人々の掌の上に留まっている。