Objects in this museum’s collection expanded the concept of “art” to include items that are useful as well as beautiful. The Mingeikan—a museum dedicated to the Japanese Mingei Movement of the 1920s—literally means “Museum of the Peoples’ Art.” Their collection celebrates objects used in everyday life which have been honed to perfection (and beauty) by generations of anonymous craftsmen. It’s an especially great place to visit on a hot or rainy day.
What makes Mingei so different from what is traditionally anointed as “art” is that every piece is useful—not merely decorative—and many are made by ordinary people, not famous artists blessed with genius. (If you’d like to learn a little more, here’s a Japanagram piece about the Mingei Movement, which was written after the Setagaya Museum of Art staged a show featuring many seldom-seen pieces from the Mingeikan’s collection.)
The Mingei artists traveled to every prefecture in Japan collecting all kinds of objects that inspired them, and expanded the idea of “art” far beyond the usual painting and sculpture enshrined in museums. The items on display can range from pottery…
to samurai underwear…
to lacquerware…
to folk painting and weaving…
and even things as prosaic as brooms.
The collection also includes works by the artists who became famous for producing pieces according to Mingei principles, like the ceramics artist Hamada Shōji…
who was so annoyed that his fame was driving up prices and people began using his wares only on special occasions, that he began making his teacups in sets of six instead of five, so if one broke the owners would still have a complete set.
Mingeikan Japan Folk Art Museum
Open: Every day, except closed Mon and during exhibition preparation periods
Please check this website page before going
Hours: 10:00 – 17:00
Admission: Adults, ¥1200
Check the current and upcoming exhibitions on the Mingeikan website.
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And here are the other places I take my friends when they come to town
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 