Soetsu Yanagi : selected essays on Japanese folk crafts / Soetsu Yanagi ; with the cooperation of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum ; translated by Michael Brase

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

Object Details

author
Yanagi, Muneyoshi 1889-1961
translator
Brase, Michael
Author
Nihon Mingeikan
Subject
Yanagi, Muneyoshi 1889-1961
The essays appearing in this book were selected from Yanagi Soetsu korekushon 2: mono (Chikuma Shobo; chapters 2-7, 10-14) and Mingei yonju-nen (Iwanami Shoten; chapters 1,8,9,15,16)--verso of the title page.
Contents
Textiles -- Ceramics -- Wood and lacquer -- Metal -- Sculpture -- Pictorial art -- What is folk craft? -- The beauty of miscellaneous things -- A painted Karatsu as food for thought -- What is pattern? -- Okinawa's Bashofu -- The beauty of Kasuri -- The characteristics of Kogin -- The Japanese perspective -- The story behind the discovery of Mokujiki -- Woodblock prints -- Otsu-e -- Handicrafts and sesshu -- Washi -- Seeing and knowing -- A letter to my Korean friends -- The Japan Folk Crafts Museum
Summary
"The common utilitarian objects depicted in this book were considered aesthetically insignificant until the appearance of Soetsu Yanagi. It was Yanagi who discovered the beauty that could only be produced by simple, humble craftsmen repeatedly and unselfconsciously working on the same objects day after day. From this quotidian world emerged a distinctive beauty - wholesome, free, and devoid of self-awareness. To bring these crafts to the notice of the world, Yanagi established the Japan Folk Crafts Museum in 1936, from whose collection the objects illustrated herein have been chosen for inclusion by the publisher. In the essays, Yanagi expounds his philosophy of folk crafts and highlights particular pieces. Altogether, the book constitutes a penetrating insight into the world of Japanese handicrafts"--Publisher's website.
2017
Call number
NK1071 .Y3313 2017
Type
Books
Translations into English
Physical description
245 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
Place
Japan
Title
Selected essays on Japanese folk crafts
(Eibunban) Yanagi Sōetsu korekushon 2 mono hoka shoshu
(英文版) 『柳宗悦コレクション2 もの』他所収
Smithsonian Libraries
Topic
Folk art
Decorative arts
Record ID
siris_sil_1077166
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0