Yanagi Soetsu
Encyclopedia
, also known as Yanagi Muneyoshi, was a Japanese philosopher and founder of the mingei
(folk craft) movement in Japan
in the late 1920s and 1930s.
out of curiosity about Korean crafts
. The trip led to the establishment of the Korean Folk Crafts Museum in 1924 and the coining of the term mingei by Yanagi, potters Hamada Shōji (1894-1978) and Kawai Kanjirō
(1890-1966).
In 1926, the Folk Art
Movement was formally declared by Yanagi Sōetsu. Yanagi rescued lowly pots used by commoners in the Edo
and Meiji period
s that were disappearing in rapidly urbanizing Japan. In 1936, the Japanese Folk Crafts Museum
(Nihon Mingeikan) was established.
Yanagi's book The Unknown Craftsman has become an influential work since its first release in English in 1972. Yanagi's book examines the Japanese way of viewing and appreciating art and beauty in everyday crafts that include pottery
, lacquer
, textiles, and woodwork.
Mingei
', the Japanese folk art movement, was developed in the late 1920s and 1930s in Japan. Its founding father was Yanagi Sōetsu .-Origins:In 1916, Yanagi made his first trip to Korea out of a curiosity for Korean crafts...
(folk craft) movement in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in the late 1920s and 1930s.
Life
In 1916, Yanagi made his first trip to KoreaKorea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
out of curiosity about Korean crafts
Korean art
Korean art is art originating or practiced in Korea or by Korean artists, from ancient times to today. Korea is noted for its artistic traditions in pottery, music, calligraphy, and other genres, often marked by the use of bold color, natural forms, and surface decoration.-Introduction:The earliest...
. The trip led to the establishment of the Korean Folk Crafts Museum in 1924 and the coining of the term mingei by Yanagi, potters Hamada Shōji (1894-1978) and Kawai Kanjirō
Kawai Kanjiro
was a Japanese potter and a key figure in mingei and studio pottery movements, which included his friends Bernard Leach, Shōji Hamada and Kenkichi Tomimoto....
(1890-1966).
In 1926, the Folk Art
Folk art
Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople. In contrast to fine art, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic....
Movement was formally declared by Yanagi Sōetsu. Yanagi rescued lowly pots used by commoners in the Edo
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
and Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
s that were disappearing in rapidly urbanizing Japan. In 1936, the Japanese Folk Crafts Museum
Japanese Folk Crafts Museum
The Japanese Folk Crafts Museum is a museum in Tokyo, dedicated to the hand-crafted art of ordinary people .It was established in 1936 by Yanagi Sōetsu, the founder of the mingei movement....
(Nihon Mingeikan) was established.
The mingei theory
The philosophical pillar of mingei is . Yanagi Sōetsu discovered beauty in everyday ordinary and utilitarian objects created by nameless and unknown craftsmen. According to Yanagi, utilitarian objects made by the common people are “beyond beauty and ugliness”. Below are a few criteria of mingei art and crafts:- made by anonymous crafts people
- produced by hand in quantity
- inexpensive
- used by the masses
- functional in daily life
- representative of the region in which it was produced.
Yanagi's book The Unknown Craftsman has become an influential work since its first release in English in 1972. Yanagi's book examines the Japanese way of viewing and appreciating art and beauty in everyday crafts that include pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
, lacquer
Lacquer
In a general sense, lacquer is a somewhat imprecise term for a clear or coloured varnish that dries by solvent evaporation and often a curing process as well that produces a hard, durable finish, in any sheen level from ultra matte to high gloss and that can be further polished as required...
, textiles, and woodwork.