Japanese Mingei Folk Crafts

"In an age when so much of our time is spent staring at screens, it is easy to understand why the warmth, intimacy and idiosyncrasies of hand craftsmanship should seem alluring¿the term Mingei describes useful, unobtrusive, beautifully crafted objects" ¿Alice Rawsthorn, The New York TimesThe Mingei Folk Crafts movement, founded by philosopher and art historian Soetsu Yanagi and potters Hamada Shoji and Kawai Kanjiro in the early 20th century, celebrates the utilitarian designs in functional objects hand-crafted by village artisans throughout Japan. This book offers an illustrated guide to Japan's rich folk craft traditions and shows why the Mingei philosophy is even more relevant today than it was a century ago. Folk crafts have become associated with the Slow Life movement and the Wabi Sabi philosophy which values simple and imperfect items above the bright and shiny mass-produced objects of our modern culture. This book introduces 34 fascinating Japanese folk craft traditions¿ranging