Japanese Modernisation and Mingei Theory

Japanese Modernisation and Mingei Theory

Author: Yuko Kikuchi

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2004-07-31

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 113442955X

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Conceptualised in 1920s Japan by Yanagi Sôetsu, the Mingei movement has spread world wide since the 1950s, creating phenomena as diverse as Mingei museums, Mingei connoisseurs and collectors, Mingei shops and Mingei restaurants. The theory, at its core and its adaptation by Bernard Leach, has long been an influential 'Oriental' aesthetic for studio craft artists in the West. But why did Mingei become so particularly influential to a western audience? And could the 'Orientalness' perceived in Mingei theory be nothing more than a myth? This richly illustrated work offers controversial new evidence through its cross-cultural examination of a wide range of materials in Japanese, English, Korean and Chinese, bringing about startling new conclusions concerning Japanese modernization and cultural authenticity. This new interpretation of the Mingei movement will appeal to scholars of Japanese art history as well as those with interests in cultural identity in non-Western cultures.


Japan and Britain After 1859

Japan and Britain After 1859

Author: Olive Checkland

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2003-08-29

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 1135786194

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This book examines the two-way bridge-building cultural exchange which took place between Japan and Britain in the years after 1859 and into the early years of the twentieth century.