The Beauty of Korean Crafts

April 2nd (Sat) - June 12th (Sun), 2016

Soetsu Yanagi and Korea
When Yanagi and his followers visited various places of
the Korean Peninsula in 1936 and 1937, they actively
collected crafts of the time. The results were published in
the book ‘Ima mo Tsuzuku Chosen no Kogei [Joseon crafts
inherited today]’ issued in 1947. In this room various
Joseon crafts in those days are on display together withrelated materials.

Various Crafts of Joseon Dynasty

Second Floor

Ceramics of Joseon Dynasty

Stone works which have unique figures like ink stone,brazier, and pot. Wood works which show us familiarity
like box, table, and table-wares. Metal works which havevarious forms like key, lighting device, and spouting vessel.
These various types of works made in Joseon Dynasty
present us free and unintentional minds of craftspeople.
Please enjoy healthy beauty of crafts, which Japanese haverespected and admired.

Paintings of Joseon Dynasty

Fascinated with ceramics of Joseon Dynasty, Yanagi
traveled the Korean Peninsula twenty-one times in total.
He collected many Korean crafts there, which led tothe Mingei Movement later. This room introduces theattractiveness of ceramics of Joseon Dynasty represented
by white porcelains.

Folk paintings which were drawn by unknown paintersin a free and informal composition and technique usually
have unique styles of their own. In this room, paintings
Yanagi admired besides folk paintings such as court
paintings and calligraphy are exhibited.

Special Exhibition

Special Exhibition

Beauty of Korean Crafts
On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the foundation, a research project by Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation was conducted, andsome wood works were conserved by Korean specialists as part of the project. In this room, selected works of various Korean crafts in Joseon Dynasty
from the museum collection are on display. The beauty of Korean crafts which have been nurtured with deep spirits and unique senses of the people.

Various Crafts of JapanThe museum houses about 2,500 pieces of Japanese
wood/urushi works, metal works, baskets, and otherworks. Made from familiar materials with traditional
technique, these works had been used in the life basedon natural environment. We hope that you enjoy variouscrafts which have been nurtured with blessed four
seasons of Japan and local traditions.

First Floor
Museum Shop

Introduction to Korean Crafts
During Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the craft culture
unique to the peoples had flourished. Here, ceramics,
porcelains, wood/metal/stone works, and folk paintings
are selected and exhibited as an entrance to the world ofKorean crafts.

Special Exhibition

Thematic Exhibition

Old Ceramics of Early Modern Japan and Otsu-e

Ceramics without paintings were popular in Medieval
Japan. In Early Modern Japan, on the other hand, atechnique of tetsu-e, motifs painted in iron pigments,
was established, and more various decorative expressions
had become possible. In this room are exhibited oldceramics of early modern Japan decorated with various
decorative techniques. In addition, Otsu-e paintings
which were drawn in approximately same period in
Otsu, Shiga prefecture are introduced.

Dyeing and Weaving of Japan
Katsugi, hood garment, which was used by women in
Shonai area of Tohoku, tie-dyed summer kimono of
Arimatu-Narumi, bedding with arabesque pattern, ikat
kimono of hemp, paper textile –these dyeing and weavingof Japan are on display in this room. Most of them wereused by ordinary people during Meiji period.

Thematic Exhibition

Thematic Exhibition

As the first memorial exhibition of our 80th anniversary, we hold anexhibition of crafts of the Joseon Dynasty and about 400 pieces of works fromthe museum collection including historical documents are on display. Soetsu
Yanagi (1889-1961), founder of the museum, found out that most abundantnational characteristics of Korean people were appeared in daily utensils of Joseon
Dynasty. Please enjoy the ethnic beauty of crafts such as ceramics, wood works,stone works, metal works, and paintings which have colored people's daily life.
Soetsu Yanagi and Korean Crafts
The collection of Joseon Dynasty crafts in our museum, which is best inquality and quantity in Japan, were mostly collected by Yanagi through his eyes
in Korean Peninsula from 1910’s to 1930’s. It was Noritaka (1884-1964) andTakumi (1890-1931) Asakawa brothers who supported Yanagi’s movement.
Noritaka, an elder brother, connected Yanagi with Korean ceramics andporcelains. Takumi, a younger brother, tried hard to strengthen the relationshipbetween Yanagi and Korean people. Yanagi looked back in his late years andsaid, ‘I encountered with Korean ceramics and porcelain, and had come to likethem very much, which let me decide which way to go in my life. It was deeply
moving.’ (Yonjūnen no Kaiso [Recollections of my forty years], 1959.) As hiswords indicate, Yanagi found remarkable beauty in people’s daily wares after he
met Asakawa brothers. Then, Yanagi developed his philosophy on aesthetics ofmingei later on.
It was not only products that Yanagi paid attention to. In Korea, the rightto people’s self-determination was forfeited at that time, and moreover theassimilation policy was forced by Japanese government. Yanagi, going against
the times, highly estimated the culture of Korean people, and appealed forpreservation and protection of it. It was very natural for Yanagi to admire people
who have produced splendid products he loved.
It is just one hundred years since Yanagi first visited Korea, and it is very
meaningful that conservation treatment has been undergone in association witha research project by the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation on theKorean collection of the museum in this memorial year. We earnestly hope that
this opportunity leads to deepen a mutual understanding between Korean andJapanese people through joy for the beauty, which was Yanagi’s long desire.
Korean Crafts of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum
The collection centers on ceramics and porcelains. Bowls and bottles ofBuncheong wares, tea-bowls like ido, jars and ritual utensils of white porcelains,
jars, bottles, and plates decorated with sometsuke (cobalt blue), shinsha (copperred), and tessha (underglaze iron), iron-glazed jars and bowls, and various
shaped water droppers are housed. As for paintings, folk paintings drawn in thelate Joseon Dynasty are the majority. In the Korean Peninsula paintings havebeen very popular in a daily life such as letter paintings which were design ofConfusian principles usually hung on children’s rooms, paintings of bookshelvesin men’s rooms, and paintings with birds-and-flowers motif in women’s rooms.
These paintings with traditional themes were drawn by unknown painters. In
addition to folk paintings, traditional court paintings such as visual records ofevents drawn in the middle of Joseon Dynasty are also included in our collection.
In the field of wood works, furniture like chests and tables mostly made in
the late Joseon Dynasty as well as small works like pen stands, letter cases, andcups, boxes with horn-finished or mother-of-pearl inlay design are housed. Theirpeculiar beauty are outstanding. As for stone works, Buddha statues, braziers,incense burners, pans, ink stones, etc. are splendid. Not only their dynamicforms which made most of raw materials, but fine and delicate stone curving
are remarkable. Metal works include large iron jars, containers made of brass,keys, and cigarette cases and pen stands with inlayed silver or lead on the ironground. It should be noted that Yanagi, a potter Kanjiro Kawai, and a potter
Shoji Hamada enthusiastically traveled various areas of Korea, and that they alsocollected woven works like baskets and brooms as well as paper works like fans.

- from the museum collection commemorating
the 80th anniversary of the foundation