The work of Iranian artist Mansour Kordbacheh, who is also an owner of an izakaya pub in Japan, has been selected in two categories -- western style painting and sculpture -- at Nitten, Japan's largest art exhibition, whose entry is open to the public. Nitten is currently being held at the National Art Center in Tokyo until Nov. 22.
With the novel coronavirus pandemic placing his izakaya in a difficult situation, Kordbacheh has turned to his creativity in Itabashi Ward, Tokyo.
The 56-year-old artist from Tehran began painting with oils at the age of 14 and drew sketches of tanks and soldiers during his two years of service in the Iran-Iraq War.
Kordbacheh came to Japan in 1988 as a language student because he wanted to work for a Japanese company that was located near his birthplace. However, the Japanese company withdrew from Tehran, and therefore he did not return to his hometown after graduating from the language school. Instead, he started a trading company to export daily necessities and other goods to Iran.
There was a time when he wondered whether he should continue his trade business after facing difficulties such as losing millions of yen because the whereabouts of exported goods became unknown. Around that time in 1992, he took over his favorite small restaurant in Itabashi Ward and opened his izakaya.
After serving home-cooked Japanese and Iranian meals in heaping portions at 400 yen each, which was featured on TV and became a hot topic, the izakaya prospered. "I just wanted customers to be happy," Kordbacheh recalled. About six months before opening the izakaya, he married Kiyomi, 58, who he met at a part-time job when he was a student.
In 1995, three years after he opened the izakaya and despite his busy schedule, he started painting again. He was inspired by praise he received when he showed his paintings to a professional painter, who is also a regular customer at the izakaya. "The praise from a professional gave me confidence," Kordbacheh said.
On his days off he spent all day working on his canvases, and in 2007 his work was selected for the Nitten exhibition for the first time. He has also started sculpting with the help of a neighboring sculptor. In 2018, he was again selected for Nitten in the two categories of western style painting and sculpture.
However, this year, when he temporarily closed the izakaya due to the outbreak of the pandemic, the number of customers dwindled. Although he has made efforts such as selling lunchboxes during the day, it has been a struggle and sales dropped to about a quarter of the year before.
The situation worsened and he could barely afford the rent. On the other hand, he was able to devote his time to art because the izakaya's business hours were greatly reduced.
His work titled "Rumi," which was selected in this year's western style painting category, was modeled on his 24-year-old daughter Rumi. It was an ambitious piece that took six months to complete. She is dressed in the Iranian traditional costume chador, and directs her gaze straight at the viewer.
Originally, the chador was a costume that covered the wearer from head to foot, but green pants and a blue shirt peeking out of the gaps in the chador express the youthfulness in Japan.
"I think the strong eyes and use of dark colors express my own thoughts, which is to live with the anxieties and troubles of life," Kordbacheh said. "It's a piece that can only be created during the coronavirus pandemic."
For the sculpture "Furoagari (Just out of the bath)," he asked one of his regular izakaya customers to pose as the model so he could realistically portray the female form.
The izakaya has not seen a return to its former success, but Kordbacheh intends to start a new oil painting, saying "As long as there are people waiting for my art, I want to continue creating."
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