Soetsu Yanagi was a philosopher, art historian, poet and aesthete. He evolved a theory of why certain everyday objects made by unknown craftspeople in Japan were so beautiful and coined the term 'Mingei' to describe exceptional examples of Japanese folk craft. He set up the Japanese Folk Crafts Museum and wrote the classic essays that became chapters of the book 'The Beauty of Everyday Things' which I have recently started to read.
In this first post about the book I will discuss the first essay from the book dated from 1933, 'What is Folk Craft?'.
- What are Mingei (民芸) ?
The word mingei is a combination of 'min' meaning 'the masses' or 'the people' and 'gei' meaning 'craft'. The term was created by the author himself, Shoji Hamada and Kanjiro Kawai.
Mingei are ordinary objects for ordinary people. Household items such as furniture, clothes, eating and cooking utensils and stationary for example.
However, for an object to be described as Mingei there are things it should adhere to. Some main and overarching themes are:
- It must be sincere. That means the products are sincerely produced for the common people.
- It must be utilitarian. The crafts need to be trustworthy, reliable and comforting.
- It may be rough or cheap but it must be sturdy and stand the test of time.
Basically folk craft is about doing its job well and having beauty because of that.
- Nameless Designers
It is important to discuss the fact that these objects were often produced in mass quantities by forgotten designers. To me this is an interesting, contrasting product design process to the present. Nowadays the designers name is always stamped on all of their products and they are recognised and acclaimed for the thought and process that has gone into the design of objects so that they are the best they can be. Often the name of the designer adds more value. They are designed for the wealthy in a lot of cases.
In contrast, Mingei are mass produced objects for the people. Made without thoughtful design processes, they are created by letting the process guide the hand as they are made to be used not revered. Yet, these objects are still sought after and in some cases are now priceless. The author is able to define why these products are so beautiful without the intention of being beautiful. It seems to me that they are not bogged down by their process.
Yinagi uses the analogy of walking to describe the process of being a folk craftsperson, walking is never something you are praised for, you cannot be a good walker yet almost all of us do it and have became good at it. This is what folk craft needs to mimic, it should be created without grand intentions but nevertheless be successful in its mission.
It is incredible how such different design intentions and processes can result in the same outcome. It seems that sincerity of design and intention is key to great design. This first essay has drawn me into the book, there will be more blog posts to follow as I read further.
Louis Smith
October 2022
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