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MINGEIKAN HISTORY
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(L) Hamada Shoji
(M) Yanagi Soetsu
(R) Kawai Kanjiro
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 HISTORY - Japan Folk Crafts Museum
Yanagi Soetsu (1889-1961; also known as Yanagi Muneyoshi) is the founder of The Japan Folk Crafts Museum. Yanagi opened the doors of the Tokyo-based museum in October 1936, but the nationwide Mingei (Folk Crafts) Movement was launched much earlier, on January 10, 1926, to rescue the common crafts that had been brushed aside and overlooked by the industrial revolution.
The term "Mingei" was coined at that time by Yanagi along with potters Hamada Shoji (1894-1978) and Kawai Kanjiro (1890-1966). They, especially Yanagi, went around Japan and rescued the lowly pots and unappreciated crockery used by commoners during the Edo Period (1603 - 1867) and Meiji Period (1868 to 1912).
In his book The Unknown Craftsman (outside link), Yanagi writes:
"On reflection, one must conclude that in bringing cheap and useful goods to the average household, industrialism has been a service to mankind -- but at the cost of the heart, of warmth, friendliness and beauty. By contrast, articles well made by hand, though expensive, can be used in homes for generations, and thus considered, they are not expensive after all." For more writings by Yanagi, click here.
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In the wake of the great tide of industrialism in the early part of the last century, something of the human touch and spirit was lost in everyday articles of use. It was with a sense of urgency that Yanagi and his lifelong companions, the potters Bernard Leach, Hamada Shoji, Tomimoto Kenkichi (who later left the Mingei group) and Kawai Kanjiro sought to counteract the desire for cheap, mass-produced products by pointing to the works of ordinary craftsmen that spoke to the spiritual and practical needs of life. The Mingei Movement is responsible for keeping alive many traditions.
Excerpt
Robert Yellin
e-Yakimono Web Site
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PRECISE
MINGEI CRITERIA
By Mingei, Yanagi initially referred to handicrafts of pre-industrial periods. A Mingei object had to meet precise criteria defined by Yanagi. Mingei work had to be:
- 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 described the beauty of Mingei with words such as wholesome, honest, natural, innocent, free, simple, and pure. It is a quality that lies in what he called the "Eternal Now," a state in which all dual distinctions, such as old and new, are eliminated. Yanagi theorized that the arduous repetition of work brought total disengagement of self; no hesitation, anxiety, or ambition in creation. Submissive reliance on tariki (other power) or the "Greater Power" resulted in the production of warm items through the medium of man. Yanagi described tradition -- the accumulation of wisdom and experience -- as the "Given Power" that enabled the individual to "produce work of astonishing merit with the utmost ease."
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EXCERPT
Yanagi Soetsu, Simple Beauty from Unknown Craftsmen
By ROBERT YELLIN for The Japan Times, Feb. 12, 2000
www.e-yakimono.net/html/yanagi-soetsu-jt.html
Dotted throughout Japan are the potting centers of the common people, makers of wholesome, durable and utilitarian pots. In contrast with tea-ceremony utensils and porcelain which were reserved for nobility, the wealthy or export, these folk kilns made zakki or ordinary crockery that met the needs of the populace during the Edo Period and Meiji Era.
These lowly pots sat unappreciated in dusty cupboards until January 10, 1926, when the Mingei (folk art) movement was formed (and the word "mingei" coined) by Yanagi Soetsu (1889-1961) along with potters Hamada Shoji (1894-1978) and Kawai Kanjiro (1890-1966). They, especially Yanagi, went around Japan and rescued those crocks from oblivion.
Volumes have been written on Yanagi and his mission, and I highly recommend that you read his classic book The Unknown Craftsman. It certainly changed my life, as it has many another's.
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Last Update April 1, 2006
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