Nikakai - Nikakai

An art group. In 1914 (Taisho 3), Western-style painters who had recently returned to Japan requested the Bunten Western Painting Division to establish a new and old category system for judging, but the Ministry of Education did not accept their request. Dissatisfied with this, new-tendency artists such as Ishii Hakutei, Arishima Ikuma, and Umehara Ryuzaburo left Bunten to form the group, which held its first exhibition in October of the same year. Since then, the group has actively introduced overseas trends while also working to discover and nurture new artists. In 1914, it also established a sculpture department, and grew into a powerful independent group that rivaled Bunten. However, there has been frequent change in members since its founding, and in 1930 (Showa 5), ​​the Independent Art Association was formed, and in 1936, the Issui-kai was formed. In 1944, the group was temporarily dissolved due to the war, but was reorganized after the war in 1945 (Showa 20) led by Togo Seiji and others, and held its 31st exhibition in September 1946. Around this time, the group split with the formation of the Kodo Bijutsu Kyokai and Niki-kai, and in 1955, the Ichiyo-kai was born. After the war, the group expanded as an organization, and in 1945, it established a crafts department and a theory department, in 1951 a manga department and a commercial art department, and in 1953 a photography department, and in 1979 it became an incorporated association. In addition to holding an exhibition open to the public every September, the group actively responds to internationalization by introducing foreign art and traveling exhibitions overseas at the same time. However, many years have passed since the group's founding in 1914, and some say that its original innovative character has gradually faded.

[Eriko Saeki]

"Nika Retrospective Exhibition" (1985), edited and published by the Sankei Shimbun Osaka Headquarters

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

美術団体。1914年（大正3）新帰朝の洋画家が中心となって、文展洋画部に審査における新旧二科制の設置を要望したが、文部省はこの願いを受け入れなかった。そこで、これを不満とした新傾向作家の石井柏亭(はくてい)、有島生馬(ありしまいくま)、梅原龍三郎(りゅうざぶろう)らが文展を離れて結成したもので、同年10月第1回展を開催。以後積極的に海外の動向を紹介する一方、新進作家の発掘育成に努め、また19年には彫刻部を新設、文展と対抗する有力な在野団体へと成長していった。だが、創立当初より会員の移動も頻繁で、30年（昭和5）に独立美術協会が、36年に一水(いっすい)会が、分派独立している。そして44年、戦争のため一時解散、戦後の45年（昭和20）東郷青児(せいじ)らを中心に再組織され、46年9月第31回展を開催した。この前後にも行動美術協会、二紀会の結成による分裂があり、55年には一陽会の派生をみた。なお、戦後は団体としての組織拡大が計られ、45年に工芸部、理論部を、51年に漫画部、商業美術部を、さらに53年には写真部を設け、79年には社団法人組織となった。毎年9月に公募展を開催するほか、海外美術の紹介と同時に海外巡回展を行うなど、国際化への積極的対応を示している。だが一方、1914年の創立から長い年月が経過し、しだいに当初の革新的性格が薄れてきたとの声も聞かれる。

［佐伯英里子］

『サンケイ新聞大阪本社編・刊『二科回顧展』（1985）』

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