“Kogei sensho” was an anthology of essays issued in 1942 and 1943 devised by Yanagi to introduce selected masterpieces of various folk craft genres. Miyosawa was commissioned with the binding for three of the essays: “Shokoku no dobin (earthenware tea pots of various places in Japan)”, “Hita no sarayama (pottery of Hita, Kyushu, Japan)” and “Tsugaru no kogin (kogin embroidery patterns of Tsugaru, northern Japan)”. In addition, the anthology included three other essays: “Aie no choko (choko cups with indigo painting)”, “Yukiguni no mino (farmer’s rain capes of the snow countries)” and “Mokujiki shonin no chokoku (sculptures by Saint Mokujiki)”. The anthology is considered seminal since “Hita no sarayama”, for example, introduced Onta ware which went on to become the quintessential Mingei pottery. Furthermore, Miyosawa’s bindings for these early important writings paved the way for the subsequent direction of the Mingei movement.

The tide was the first work after his overseas travels. He visited Taiwan, where the aboriginal people aroused his interest, the previous year of this production. What inspired him to produce the screen. Concrete motifs aren’t obvious. Here he changed his former style of repeating abstract patterns. He didn’t repeat patterns. He used four stencils to dye the four panels and combined them into one work. The designs were abstract. His handwriting gave power to the vertical lines. The balance of lines and colors unify the four panels successfully. Contrary to the other screens whose backs were panel resist dyed, the back of this Ushio screen was stencil dyed. The method of using the shape cut out and the remaining part in turn to dye four panels gives the work the distinctive taste of stencil dyeing. This attempt triggered him to produce works using large stencils.

Glagolitic lettering, which had been used to spread Christianity, appears on the central panels; the saints on the side panels are thought to be the 9th century brothers Cyril and Methodius who are credited with devising the Glagolitic script. Resist paste made of lime remains on the surface and lines were scratched off. The rough solid texture and grey color of the paste combine to imbue this panel with the mystique of ancient paintings on caves or stone walls.

The Kogei magazine was the first bulletin of the Mingei movement. 120 issues were published between 1931 and 1951. The circulation of the Kogei magazine gradually increased from an initial 500~600, to 1,000 by the end of 1935, and finally to 2,000 by 1951. The magazine was supervised by Soetsu Yanagi who designed it to be a craftwork in itself—planning, editing and choosing the cover design, illustrations, and paper quality according to his own exquisite taste. Motoju Miyosawa was entrusted with the binding for volumes 110, 112, 113, 114, 115 and 119.

Samiro Yunoki was born in Tokyo in 1922. He was inspired to become a dyer by Sōetsu Yanagi’s essay “Kogei no michi (The Way of Craft)” and a stencil-dyed calendar by Keisuke Serizawa.
This kimono was produced in 1974, 2 years after the Japan Folk Crafts Museum, Osaka was established. Yunoki used basho-fu (banana fiber cloth) which has long been woven in Okinawa prefecture and the Amami islands, Kagoshima prefecture. He dyed the basho-fu using the chusen pour-dyeing technique, in which a vacuum compressor pulls the dye evenly into the cloth. With distinctive lively designs and vivid colors, Yunoki, fires the viewer’s imagination in both subtle and humorous ways. The natural fiber, bold color and lively, rhythmic design join forces perfectly to fire the viewer’s imagination.

Usually known as ‘Tamba momen’ (Tamba cotton), such cloth was woven mainly in Saji town (of Tamba area in present day Hyogo prefecture) and sold in Kyoto and Osaka, usually for bedclothes or tanzen (large padded kimono). Spun and woven by hand, and dyed mostly with indigo blue and alder tree brown, it is a warm cotton of soft texture and deep aesthetic quality. It is distinctive in using an undyed, untwisted weft at regular intervals and forming stripes. Tamba cloth thrived in the late Edo period (mid C19th) and declined in the mid Meiji (late C19th). Due to its rough texture, this cloth does not wear well but is all the more warm and aesthetically pleasing for it.
(“The Complete Works of Soetsu Yanagi — Pictorial records — Soetsu Yanagi’s collection — Encyclopedia of Mingei vol. 3”, The Japan Folk Crafts Museum (ed.), published 30th November 1981.)

Used to trim the wick of offertory candles for the family Buddhist altar, this closely resembles the old European snuffers. Such tools are disappearing from daily life but we must appreciate the heartful handiwork and beauty in form of present day articles. Made in Kyoto.
(“The Complete Works of Soetsu Yanagi — Pictorial records — Soetsu Yanagi’s collection — Encyclopedia of Mingei vol. 4”, The Japan Folk Crafts Museum (ed.), published 10th September 1983.)

This design must be popular because several similar designs of lotus flower and bird are known. The flower is deep purple and the leaves are green and yellow, but red is used only for the bird’s head. The design is simple and well organized. I would say this masterpiece of old Kutani ware was created during its heyday.
(“The Complete Works of Soetsu Yanagi — Pictorial records — Soetsu Yanagi’s collection — Encyclopedia of Mingei vol. 1”, The Japan Folk Crafts Museum (ed.), published 15th July 1981.)

分野・ジャンル: 漆器
地域：福島県
解説：会津は漆器の原料である木材や漆が豊富に生産される土地です。漆器の始まりは遠い昔のことですが、産業として生産される様になったのは安土桃山時代に保護奨励を受けた時からでした。碗や重箱、皿といった食器を中心に生産され、現在でも伝統を受け継ぎながら、時代に即した物作りを続けています。

（ショップカード参考）

Products: Lacquerware
Region: Fukushima prefecture
Characteristics: Aizu is rich in wood and lacquer and, as a result, has long produced lacquer ware. Since Azuchi Momoyama period (16th century) when the feudal lord of the Aizu domain aided industrialization, Aizu has been producing tableware such as bowls, boxes and plates, to meet the needs of the times using traditional techniques.

[Adapted from the Urushiya Kogei introduction.]

Products: Tamba cloth table cloth, lunchon mat, tie
Region: Hyogo prefecture
Established: 2010