A legend in the welfare world explains "Why I can fully accept people" - An interview with the director of Yamanami Kobo [Part 1]
June 21, 2024
INTERVIEW
A welfare facility for the disabled is a place where people with disabilities go every day. At first glance, it may not seem glamorous, but it is a welfare facility that has produced many internationally acclaimed artists.
Yamanami Studio, an art center and welfare facility in Koka City, Shiga Prefecture, is a typical welfare facility attended by people with no prior artistic experience. However, as a result, approximately 90% of the people who attend the facility have gone on to create original works as contemporary artists, earning them worldwide acclaim. This is an amazing achievement.
The works of Studio Yamanami are used in many of HERALBONY's products. Why are so many unique works being produced by artists from this welfare facility?
In this episode of "HERALBONY & PEOPLE," we spoke with Yamashita Masato, director of Atelier Yamanami, to get closer to the secret.
--You have already worked with ATELIER YAMANAMI on various projects, and currently 97 people attend the facility, most of whom create artworks every day. However, you always say that you "didn't start this with the intention of making art."
Yamashita Masakazu (hereinafter Yamashita) : Yes. The staff at Yamanami Studio have always been thinking about what we can do to help each and every person who comes here spend each day feeling calm. What can we do to achieve that? Is their current state of mind what makes them happy? The things that were born in the process of asking ourselves these questions, the attempts that we made, are what people around us call works of art, and they have also become opportunities for various forms of communication with the people around us.
--So you thought you were "doing something for someone," but then you realized that it was actually "being given to you."
Yamashita : That's right. So I'm the director of ATELIER YAMANAMI, but it's not like I have any established philosophy or anything. I just want to embody their existence as it is, that's all. Or maybe I want to give back to them for the love and care they have given me.
When I started thinking like that, I realized that rather than setting routines and goals based on the premise of "adapting to society," I wanted to ensure their smiles on a daily basis. What should I do to achieve that? That's how I ended up with my current style.
It's not about business theory or mid-term goals or anything like that, but how can I get the people in front of me more excited? That's probably all I'm thinking about (laughs).
> Click here for Hiroko Kawabe's art posters
--I've always wondered where you developed your "warm, 100% tolerant heart toward everyone." Listening to you talk, it sounds like it was created through your encounters with the people here.
Yamashita : That's exactly right. I think it's no exaggeration to say that I was shaped by my encounters with them.
When I spend my days with people like them, who don't say anything bad about others even when they hear prejudiced comments from those around them, I start to feel really uncool when I get irritated, take out my frustrations on others, or put on a false front. I don't want to become that kind of person, and I feel like I'm rooted in the idea that I don't want to be disliked or disappointed by those people.
This work is often seen as supporting their development, but I often think that in fact it is we who are being encouraged to continue growing by being here.
--I really love the people who come here.
Yamashita : It's true that they may have difficulty getting dressed by themselves or eating without spilling anything. They may also not be good at going to a store to buy something and handing over money.
But if they need art supplies, we can find them and leave them there. It's up to them whether they use them or not, but as you know, they are here every day producing a wide variety of works with incredible vitality.
I envy and think it's cool that people can keep doing what they love with 100% of their energy without worrying about what other people think. I love music, and sometimes I feel that they have something in common with rock stars who keep singing their songs regardless of whether they sell or not.
Yamashita : That may be because they kept affirming me over and over again. As you can see, I don't look like the director of a welfare facility (laughs), but they accept me regardless of my career or experience. So I think I naturally began to want to be that kind of person.
They are always unwavering. I learned from their way of life what is most important in life.
Accepting others as they are. It seems simple but is difficult, but Yamashita says she learned this important lesson from people with disabilities. Our reporting team also had the opportunity to tour the facility, and found everyone there to be really friendly and charming. Some were excited to have people look at their paintings. Others were excited to meet new people and looked at us with curious eyes. Even though it was the first time we'd met, everyone accepted us without a doubt, and we could really feel the atmosphere that made us feel like, "It's okay for me to be here."
In the second part, we will continue to ask Yamashita about his values and way of thinking, as well as the relationship between Yamanami Kobo and HERALBONY.
The HERALBONY online store is currently selling artworks by artists belonging to Yamanami Studio. Please check them out.
> See all artworks
Continued in Part 2>> "They have no desire to catch up with able-bodied people" Interview with Yamanami Kobo Facility Director, Kazukazu Yamashita [Part 2]
Masato Yamashita Profile
Born in 1967. Lives in Iga, Mie Prefecture. Director of Yamanami Kobo, a social welfare corporation run by Yamanami Association. After graduating from high school, he was a total bum and tried various jobs before starting work as a support worker at Yamanami Cooperative Workshop, an unlicensed workshop for people with disabilities, in May 1989. He then launched Atelier Korobokkuru in 1990, where he values mutual trust and engages in a variety of expressive activities with the goal of helping people live freely, uniquely and in their own way, according to their own thoughts and pace. In May 2008, he was appointed director of Yamanami Kobo, a position he still holds today. Click here for the Yamanami Kobo official website.
Yamanami Studio, an art center and welfare facility in Koka City, Shiga Prefecture, is a typical welfare facility attended by people with no prior artistic experience. However, as a result, approximately 90% of the people who attend the facility have gone on to create original works as contemporary artists, earning them worldwide acclaim. This is an amazing achievement.
In this episode of "HERALBONY & PEOPLE," we spoke with Yamashita Masato, director of Atelier Yamanami, to get closer to the secret.
The most respectable people I've ever met in my life
--You have already worked with ATELIER YAMANAMI on various projects, and currently 97 people attend the facility, most of whom create artworks every day. However, you always say that you "didn't start this with the intention of making art."Yamashita Masakazu (hereinafter Yamashita) : Yes. The staff at Yamanami Studio have always been thinking about what we can do to help each and every person who comes here spend each day feeling calm. What can we do to achieve that? Is their current state of mind what makes them happy? The things that were born in the process of asking ourselves these questions, the attempts that we made, are what people around us call works of art, and they have also become opportunities for various forms of communication with the people around us.
--Traditionally, welfare workshops have supported people's social adaptation by having them do subcontracted work from home, but what made you decide to prioritize what they want to do and what they like, as you do now?
Yamashita : I started working at Yamanami Kobo 35 years ago, and as you say, we were doing nothing but subcontract work. When I first started working there, I think I had the mindset that the people in front of me were people who couldn't do it and were unfortunate, and that we should teach them and help them do what we do, even if only a little. You could even say that we looked down on them.
But as I spent more time with them, I began to have a completely different impression of them. They always welcomed me warmly and with a smile. They were considerate of others and never spoke ill of others. No matter how many times I failed, they treated me the same and continued to give me chances to try again.
I realized that they were the most respectable people I had ever met in my life. I think that's when my way of thinking started to change.
Who is helping you grow?
--So you thought you were "doing something for someone," but then you realized that it was actually "being given to you."Yamashita : That's right. So I'm the director of ATELIER YAMANAMI, but it's not like I have any established philosophy or anything. I just want to embody their existence as it is, that's all. Or maybe I want to give back to them for the love and care they have given me.
When I started thinking like that, I realized that rather than setting routines and goals based on the premise of "adapting to society," I wanted to ensure their smiles on a daily basis. What should I do to achieve that? That's how I ended up with my current style.
It's not about business theory or mid-term goals or anything like that, but how can I get the people in front of me more excited? That's probably all I'm thinking about (laughs).
--I've always wondered where you developed your "warm, 100% tolerant heart toward everyone." Listening to you talk, it sounds like it was created through your encounters with the people here.
Yamashita : That's exactly right. I think it's no exaggeration to say that I was shaped by my encounters with them.
When I spend my days with people like them, who don't say anything bad about others even when they hear prejudiced comments from those around them, I start to feel really uncool when I get irritated, take out my frustrations on others, or put on a false front. I don't want to become that kind of person, and I feel like I'm rooted in the idea that I don't want to be disliked or disappointed by those people.
This work is often seen as supporting their development, but I often think that in fact it is we who are being encouraged to continue growing by being here.
The attitude of continuing to do what you love is similar to that of a rock star
--I really love the people who come here.Yamashita : It's true that they may have difficulty getting dressed by themselves or eating without spilling anything. They may also not be good at going to a store to buy something and handing over money.
But if they need art supplies, we can find them and leave them there. It's up to them whether they use them or not, but as you know, they are here every day producing a wide variety of works with incredible vitality.
I envy and think it's cool that people can keep doing what they love with 100% of their energy without worrying about what other people think. I love music, and sometimes I feel that they have something in common with rock stars who keep singing their songs regardless of whether they sell or not.
The reason I can affirm others is because they have continued to affirm me
--After hearing your story, I feel like I understand a little bit more about why ATELIER YAMANAMI is such a great place, accepting them as they are. But when I think back, when I ask myself if we are able to treat our colleagues or children like that at work or at home, I can't help but think that it might not be so easy... It's easier said than done, so why do you think you're able to do that? Yamashita : That may be because they kept affirming me over and over again. As you can see, I don't look like the director of a welfare facility (laughs), but they accept me regardless of my career or experience. So I think I naturally began to want to be that kind of person.They are always unwavering. I learned from their way of life what is most important in life.
Accepting others as they are. It seems simple but is difficult, but Yamashita says she learned this important lesson from people with disabilities. Our reporting team also had the opportunity to tour the facility, and found everyone there to be really friendly and charming. Some were excited to have people look at their paintings. Others were excited to meet new people and looked at us with curious eyes. Even though it was the first time we'd met, everyone accepted us without a doubt, and we could really feel the atmosphere that made us feel like, "It's okay for me to be here."In the second part, we will continue to ask Yamashita about his values and way of thinking, as well as the relationship between Yamanami Kobo and HERALBONY.
The HERALBONY online store is currently selling artworks by artists belonging to Yamanami Studio. Please check them out.
> See all artworks
Continued in Part 2>> "They have no desire to catch up with able-bodied people" Interview with Yamanami Kobo Facility Director, Kazukazu Yamashita [Part 2]
Masato Yamashita Profile
Born in 1967. Lives in Iga, Mie Prefecture. Director of Yamanami Kobo, a social welfare corporation run by Yamanami Association. After graduating from high school, he was a total bum and tried various jobs before starting work as a support worker at Yamanami Cooperative Workshop, an unlicensed workshop for people with disabilities, in May 1989. He then launched Atelier Korobokkuru in 1990, where he values mutual trust and engages in a variety of expressive activities with the goal of helping people live freely, uniquely and in their own way, according to their own thoughts and pace. In May 2008, he was appointed director of Yamanami Kobo, a position he still holds today. Click here for the Yamanami Kobo official website.
