This is the view from the sanatorium of a volcanic crater 665 meters high in Nishi-ku, Kumamoto City.


Kinyokai （金陽会）
The Kinyokai is a painting group started by residents of Kikuchi Keifuen in 1953. At that time, one of the male nurses did oil painting, and he would teach a group of residents who were interested in painting. The only time he had available was at lunchtime on Fridays, so that is when they met and how they got the name “Kinyokai” (Friday in Japanese is Kinyobi, and kai means “group” or “meeting”). The group started with 12-13 members. At that time, their paintings featured many dark colors, so Mr. Yasuhiko Yoshiyama, a member of the group, changed the middle character “yo” to the character for sun (also pronounced yo), to encourage them to paint brighter pictures.