Haiku & Reflections from Japan: Mingei: Kyoto’s Legacy of Everyday Life

Longtime UNS Member, Sharon Meyers, is currently living in Japan for several months. This is a glimpse into her world and journey.

Vessels, used each day
now esteemed, moving forward,
living history

The Imperial capital for more than 1,000 years, Kyoto developed singularly elegant traditions of supreme artistry: tea ceremony, kimono and lacquerware among many others. Yet there is another artistic legacy here: of everyday life. Mingei, “crafts of the people”, was founded 100 years ago by a group of Kyoto philosophers,
painters and potters. Their interest in mingei became a movement; it fostered a newfound discovery of the beauty of everyday tools made by unknown craftsmen, finding a new value in them.

I was fortunate this week to experience an exhibition honoring the 100th Anniversary of Kyoto mingei: hand woven basketry, carved wooden trays, crafted ceramic bowls and cups, plant dyed textiles and forged metal cooking pots and teapots, reflecting techniques of history and centuries of everyday use. This carefully curated collection provided so much insight into the cultural depth of this ancient capital and the potential of its extraordinary artistic legacy of common objects.

A resurgent interest in these folk crafts keeps this living history vibrant. Young and elder artisans alike are using both time honored techniques and innovative resourcefulness to make everyday objects beautiful. Their approach helped me consider the myriad tools we use daily. What if we appreciated these tools as useful objects of beauty – our favorite cup, the kettle we use to heat our morning cuppa, the sweater we wrap ourselves in on a chilly morning – as our own living history of everyday life?

Arigato,
Sharon

P.S. See the attachment below to download Sharon's recipe from Garden Chat this week. All are welcome to join Sharon's weekly Garden Chat on Zoom (see the Events page for details).