Japan Folk Crafts Museum

Yanagi Soetsu, an art critic and the founder of the Mingei movement, established the museum to honor the craftsmanship of anonymous artisans. His appreciation for Korean white porcelain and subsequent advocacy for Korean arts, despite Japan’s colonial policies, was a significant cultural stance. The museum, which opened on October 24, 1936, in Meguro, Tokyo, was a direct result of Yanagi’s dedication to these crafts after his offer to donate his collection to the Imperial Museums was rejected.

The museum’s architecture, designed by Yoshirō Taniguchi, embodies the Mingei ethos, blending traditional and modern elements and featuring a stone-roofed gate-cum-residence from Tochigi Prefecture. The tranquil garden enhances the contemplative experience within.

Highlighting the daily lives and skills of Japanese people throughout history, the museum’s collection includes ceramics, textiles, lacquerware, woodwork, and metalwork. It features notable Korean ceramics, Ōtsu-e paintings, and works by Mingei movement artists like Hamada Shoji, Kanjiro Kawai, Bernard Leach, Serizawa Keisuke, and Munakata Shiko.

As a center for research and education, the museum organizes special exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and cultural events. The museum shop offers publications and contemporary folk craft items. Visitors are encouraged to view the artifacts in the exhibition galleries with minimal explanatory text, in accordance with Yanagi’s philosophy.

The museum is a vital part of the Komaba community and continues to uphold Yanagi Soetsu’s legacy.