Johannis Tsoumas Mingei Objects As an Antidote to the Mass Production
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Yuko Kikuchi Hybridity and the Oriental Orientalism of Mingei Theory Downloaded From
Yuko Kikuchi Hybridity and the Oriental Orientalism of Mingei Theory Downloaded from Orientalism is not a rigid one-way phenomenon projected on to the Orient from the Occident. It is an infectious phenomenon, open to appropriation by 'others', at least in the case of modern Japan. This article presents a case study o/Mingei (folk crafts) theory created by Yanagi Soetsu and evaluated in the Occident as an 'Oriental' theory for what is deemed to be its greatest merit—'traditional authenticity'. The intention of this article is firstly to demystify the essential 'Orientalness' o/Mingei http://jdh.oxfordjournals.org/ theory by showing its 'hybrid' nature and the process of hybridization involved in the course of its formation; and secondly to show the strategic significance of 'hybridity' in the context of Japanese cultural nationalism in the dichotomic framework of Orient and Occident. This article presents a case study of Japanese Japanese art in the nineteenth century, following objects in the modern period as related to on from interest in the art of China, India and the 1 Yanagi Soetsu (1889-1961) [1] and his Mingei Middle East. 'Orientalism' is an integral part of at UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON on October 6, 2014 (folk crafts) theory, Japan's first modern craft/ the discipline for studying Japanese art, and has design theory created in the 1920s. The main focus been particularly evident in the way the Occident of discussion is on the creation of a Japanese defined Japan as medieval and primitive, and as a national identity, the invention of Japanese 'tradi- country of 'decorative art' without 'fine art'. -
Folk Crafts) and DENTD-TEKI KDGEI-HIN (Traditional Crafts) As a Base of Reappraisal
比治山大学現代文化学部紀要,第15号,2008 Bul. Hijiyama Univ. No.15, 2008 39 An Economic Essay on Traditional Handicraft Industries by Taking MINGEI (Folk Crafts) and DENTD-TEKI KDGEI-HIN (Traditional Crafts) as a Base of Reappraisal 佐 中 忠 司 Tadashi SANAKA Japan has been well known as a nation of handicraft. Hand made items used to be conventionally divided into some such categories as traditional crafts, fine arts, mingei (folk-crafts), household utensils and so on. Is it possible to make a sharp distinction between those and, if possible, then what kind of criterion could be conceivable for the purpose? Even today, the definition of craft is not necessarily definite and easy to identify. We have some items which could, in many ways, time be classified into different categories. Ceramics of the highest quality, for example, can at the same time be fine art, practical craft and mingei as well. So-called traditional crafts include a wide range of objects which can be handmade in whole or in part, by industrial process or by studio artists as well. They can be functional or non- functional, and can hold a high or popular art status. The popular understanding of Japanese crafts outlined here is based on the convention borrowed from Europe in the late 19th century. Nevertheless, the definition of handicraft is not as clear-cut as one might expect, due to the fact that art, visual culture and daily necessities developed in a different manner. Some conventional ways of definition do not necessarily fit fairly enough with Japanese art culture and as a result the current definition of Japanese crafts is somewhat more complicated than its European counterpart. -
A Socioeconomic Essay on Mingei Movement with Some Reference to the Arts and Crafts Movement in UK
.lti6LlJ**ffl:ft>C11:*ruI*2.~, ~17~, 2010 Bu!. Hijiyama Univ. No.17, 2010 63 A Socioeconomic Essay on Mingei Movement with Some Reference to the Arts and Crafts Movement in UK 1t 9=I ,~, P] Tadashi SAN AKA Abstract According to the proposition brought about by Yanagi at its early stage, Mingei (Folk Crafts) are, originally, objects of household, by unknown craftsmen and for everyday use of ordinary people. Thanks to these properties, handicrafts become appreciative of beauty. In the theory of Mingei, the act of creation alone is not sufficient to give things beauty. All crafts have to have 'after-life' and beauty to a large extent arises from the way in which things are used in this after-life. That is why, the more objects are used, the more beautiful they become. As a matter of fact, however, a number of Mingei used to turn out different things. Preface The purpose of this paper is to explore the methodology of Mingei theory adopted by Muneyoshi Yanagi and also to discuss the points of problem proposed by some critics. One of the core elements of Mingei theory was taken from religious or Buddhist idea i.e. Tariki (the power of Other), which, in Yanagi's theory, gives rise to the esoteric secret of creation of beauty of handicrafts. Yanagi' s claim for the originality of his own Mingei theory was one of the main targets of criticism raised by some critics. In this connection, I shall consider the difference between and the importance of the stages of so-called industrialization versus handicraft industry between UK and Japan of those days. -
Mingei Film Compendium, June 15Th. Update
! A Documentary Film Compendium on the Mingei (Japanese Folk Craft) Movement Bernard Leach & Shoji Hamada 1934 Shoji Hamada at wheel, 1934 Masu Minagawa painting tea-pot Climbing Kiln, Mashiko, 1934 Bernard Leach in Onda, 1954 Sakuma Workshop, 1937 Bernard Leach, 1971 Hamada at wheel, 1971 Soetsu Yanagi & Bernard Leach MARTY GROSS FILM PRODUCTIONS INC. 637 Davenport Road, Toronto, Canada M5R 1L3 (416) 536 3355, FAX: (416) 535 0583 New York: 212 664 9682, Tokyo: + 81 50 8883 4579, FAX: + 813 3582 3175 [email protected] ! ! ! ! www.martygrossfilms.com ! ! Proposal for a Documentary Film Compendium on the Mingei (Japanese Folk Craft) Movement Over the past 35 years, as a professional filmmaker, I have collected films and unedited film footage documenting the life of British artist-craftsman Bernard Leach and the origins of the Mingei (Folk Craft) Movement in Japan, which remains of enduring influence to this day. These films present the Mingei Movement from its beginnings and follow the careers of Leach and such seminal Japanese figures as philosopher Soetsu Yanagi and potter Shoji Hamada. The collection includes some early independent films and very significant unseen footage. I am working to restore and enhance these films and to create a comprehensive DVD Boxed Set covering more than half a century in the development of this exceptional artistic and cultural movement. The films show what Leach, Yanagi and Hamada were actually seeing and writing about, from early in the last century, as they developed ideas that changed the direction of hand craftsmanship. The complete work will be the definitive audio-visual media resource on the history of Japanese traditional pottery-making.