Art Without Heroes: Soetsu Yanagi and the Japanese folk Art Movement
What
is Mingei?
Mingei is the Japanese word for “folk art”. literally means art of the common people. The word was invented in 1925 by Yanagi Soetsu, (1889 – 1961) a philosopher and art crtitic, who established the folk art movement in Japan with friends Hamada Shoji and Kawai Kanjiro, potters in the 1920”s.
How
did the Mingei movement begin?
Western industrialization in the 1920’s forced traditional handmade crafts to become almost extinct. Yanagi rescued Japanese folkcrafts by calling attention to the beauty of craftwork.
How
is Mingei different from the fine arts?
Folk
articles are everyday, functional objects whose principle aim is
to
fulfill the needs of ordinary people. They are not special or
Characteristics
of Mingei Items:
honest
to utility and ‘healthy’ in form
particular
about quality
produced without being forced, articficial or self-imposing
conscientious
of the user