During the two days of presentations related to Mingei, handicraft groups and dyeing techniques, art education of women in Japan, and Yunoki Samiro’s work and teaching ethos, a myriad of thought-provoking discussions arose. In the first day’s morning session, we experienced Yoko Kataoka‘s expertise in Bingata through a well-rounded explanation of the technique and a practical step-by-step demonstration that took place at Norwich University of the Arts.
In the afternoon, our first panel, ‘Transnational Mingei: Exchange and Influences from Other Localities’, held discussions about the uncritical, stationary vision of Mingei promoted in Japan. The proposed “pure” Japaneseness that has been widely questioned in Yanagi’s vision of folk crafts was underlined. In this context, the perception of 20th-century Japanese crafts as a pure aesthetic came to the surface. Despite this general perception, the country was undergoing the introduction of Western art as part of the modern agenda and thus had been influenced by other regions’ cultural values.
In her presentation, “‘Decolonial’ and ‘Trans-’ Approaches to the Mingei Movement” Dr. Yuko Kikuchi highlighted how the idea of an intact, purely Japanese Mingei notion continues to be replicated in recent exhibitions that showcase folk crafts in Japan. To debunk this hegemonic, Japan-centric view of Mingei, she introduces the work of Sardar Gurcharan Singh (1898 – 1995) and Theaster Gates (1973 -), as an attempt to engage with the contemporary decolonial strategy and underscore Mingei’s hybrid quality, widely discussed in her book Japanese Modernisation and Mingei Theory: Cultural Nationalism and Oriental Orientalism (2004).
Dr. Kikuchi explained how Singh was known as ‘the father of studio pottery,’ and the founder of the Blue Pottery in Delhi, having a crucial role in spreading the Mingei ideal in India. Followed by this, her insight into the life of Chicago-based scholar and artist, Theaster Gates, who coined the term ‘Afro-Mingei,’ to refer to his community-led activism that proposes a decolonial and antiracist movement.
In her paper, Dr. Kikuchi mentions the unwavering presence of Mingei in the US, through examples of potters such as Warren and Alix MacKenzie, who had been learning under Bernard Leach in St. Ives for two and a half years. They met Shoji Hamada at the International Conference in Dartington Hall, and invited him and Yanagi to visit Minnesota in their 1952 Mingei tour through the US. Dr. Kikuchi also recognises underrepresented craftspeople from the Global South who have not been acknowledged by Japan’s Mingei supporters. An example of recent hybrid proposals can be observed in this year’s large exhibition “Theaster Gates: Afro Mingei,” held in the Mori Museum, Tokyo.
Dr. Liliana Morais introduced us to a well-grounded paper that discusses Japanese craftspeople in Cunha, Brazil. During the postwar era, a significant number of Japanese immigrants travelled to South America, among them several Japan-trained craftspeople established pottery studios outside São Paulo. In this context, the small rural town of Cunha is noteworthy for being one of the largest concentrations of Japanese wood firing kilns in the region. In her paper, Dr. Morais delineates the principles followed by the craftspeople who were influenced by Mingei’s ideals. In their approach, distinctive hybrid developments underline how they followed certain ideals from Yanagi’s theory and dismayed others, thus following a creative spirit that incorporates the notion of artesanato, practised by Indigenous people in South America. Curiously, most of these potters based in Cunha considered themselves artists rather than craftspeople.
William Morris Gallery curator Roisin Inglesby revised her recently curated exhibition Art Without Heroes: Mingei. She gave special attention to William Morris’s philosophy connected to Yanagi’s Folk Craft ideal. At the beginning of her presentation, she posed the question “What is Mingei today?” and explained how she embraced this notion as a constantly evolving and transforming concept. Thus, throughout the exhibition display, a consciously balanced selection of objects decentres the notion of Mingei from a non-transforming concept to an idea permeated by an open discussion. Selected objects from the Ainu community were contextualised and narrated through the voice of Ainu community members, as a way to reinstate histories that have been hindered by previous Mingei exhibitions in Japan. Boro textiles, which had been outside the Mingei categorisation, found a voice in the display, alongside ceramic pieces by Gurcharan Singh, probably shown for the first time in the UK.
In her paper, Dr. Ana Trujillo discusses Mingei members’ colonial gaze towards Okinawa, particularly present in Serizawa’s views and depictions of the Ryukyu islands. She bases her argument on how daily life was documented during multiple research visits to the islands. A compelling resemblance between photographic evidence and Serizawa’s sketches shows a nostalgic gaze pertaining to a past that in Serizawa’s, and other Mingei member’s viewpoints was still palpable in Okinawa. Dr. Trujillo makes a comprehensive presentation that delves into selected works, depicting daily scenes in the market, craftspeople dyeing bingata and pottery workshops. Serizawa acknowledged the influence bingata had on his work, and conveyed his ideas on this ancient dyeing method by analysing the changes in the process between prewar and postwar developments on the islands. However, his ideas did not necessarily follow those projected by the Ryukyu people.
Dr. Eriko Tomizawa Kay picks up from her previous research on the Ryukyu islands, compiled in the book edited by herself alongside Dr. Toshio Watanabe, East Asian Art History in a Transnational Context and most recent Okinawan Art in its Regional Context: Historical Overview and Contemporary Practice: Sainsbury Institute Occasional Paper 2. She made a sound presentation of how Okinawan artists have projected a self-image through bingata. Particularly during the postwar period, there was a collective effort to restore the image of bingata dyeing as a sign of resilience to the occupation. Dr. Tomizawa presented selected nihonga paintings that enhanced this image through tropes employed in their works. From Nadoyama Aijun (1906-1970) to contemporary examples, such as Yuken Teruya’s textiles, conveying patterns that depict the US occupation and military bases, revealing an evolution of history and identity. Dr. Tomizawa provided the wonderful bingata piece, Ultraman, created by Yuken Teruya, for display during the workshop.
On the second day, our panel ‘Textiles in Japan: Handicraft Groups and Diffusion of Dyeing Techniques,’ opened with Dr. Toshio Watanabe’s paper on his mother, Ilse Watanabe, who was a German knitwear designer active from the postwar period in Japan. Her publication Saishin Keito Amimono Zenshū (Complete works of the latest yarn knitwear) from Ondorisha, Tokyo, showcased the latest samples of attire to wear by family members, featured by attractive European models and having a huge impact on the knitwear boom (late 1940s – early 1950s). In Dr. Watanabe’s presentation, he makes a comprehensive introduction to this period, relying on the books Kindai Nihon no “Shugei” to Jendā by Yamazaki Akiko and Teshigoto no Teikoku Nihon by Ikeda Shinobu. After the war, the textile industry was on the ground, and handmade clothes became the only alternative for Japanese families, opening a new wave of handicraft magazines that not only featured the latest trends in design but also how to create these garments. Although these magazines were directed at women who were not creating clothes as a hobby but as a necessity, a sense of modern style was imbued in the examples they displayed, particularly in Ilse Watanabe’s designs. Her sense of style emerged from a transnational vision outsourced from designs she picked on Swiss publications, that she later introduced into the Japanese context. According to Itō Hiroko, who was Ilse Watanabe’s assistant, her knitwear design books offered something new, fresh and exciting, which was in stark contrast to the colonial clothing proposed to Japanese women at the time. Ilse also taught new apprentices at handicraft groups that were proliferating at the time, greatly contributing to women’s education which was still limited in Japanese society. To conclude his paper, Dr. Watanabe introduced selected knitwear works created by Itō Hiroko which she donated to the V&A, London. Complementing this fascinating presentation, Dr. Watanabe provided two videos about Ilse Watanabe, that were produced by TV Asahi for the TV programme The Document of a Husband and Wife (夫と妻の記録) dating to c.1961, on display during the workshop.
Tomo Yoshizawa introduced her paper on her grandfather, Munehiro Rikizo, who was designated Living National Treasure for his pongee silk (tsumugi) weaving pattern technique in 1982. Munehiro was connected to the Mingei movement through Kawai Kanjiro (1890 – 1966), who encouraged him to initiate a lifetime in pongee silk. As a response to the struggling local community in Gujo Hachiman, Gifu, affected by WWII, and returnees from Manchuria, Munehiro delved into tsumugi starting from zero, cultivating local materials and methods that embraced their natural environment. Yoshizawa explained how her grandfather’s technique evolved from a complex, detailed design to a simpler and clearer interpretation of patterns. In her words, Munehiro’s evolution surpassed the traditional ikat technique by transforming it into a more artistic realm, achieved in his ‘random ikat.’ However, his philosophy was grounded in a holistic approach that sought to elevate oneself through crafts creation.
Rikizo Munehiro’s weaving studio transformed into a learning space for new apprentices, especially women. He believed that weaving was a “journey of life” that started from self-cultivation, therefore this practice had to be followed in a systematic manner that outgrew daily habits. Some of his apprentices would live in the studio to follow these manners. Munehiro preferred women apprentices because he believed they could manage the weaving loom, which didn’t require great strength, and “blossom” by utilising the weaving experience as self-cultivation. Yoshizawa believes that another reason that may have encouraged him to choose women apprentices was to remedy the existing gender gap at the time, by giving them paid job opportunities to assist his growing orders that he couldn’t manage by himself. To conclude her presentation, Yoshizawa expressed Munehiro’s philosophy by citing his wise words on pursuing a weaving path.
Dr. Ko Shingen, who is a student of Masayoshi Ohashi, a second-generation practitioner of the Serizawa Studio and has extensively investigated Keisuke Serizawa’s textile work, presented her findings in a series of experiments where she compared katanori and katazome in China and Japan. Her paper started with a comprehensive historical overview of the developments of both techniques. This was followed by an explanation of her experiments, along with findings and useful information for practitioners. One of the highlights of Dr. Shingen’s presentation was the comparison of the developments of these techniques in China and Japan. Besides her experimental results, tracing back the technique’s origins in China, LAN YIN HUA BU, she summarised her presentation by comparing lasercut-made katagami and hand-made stencils.
Dr. Maria Santamaria Hergueta, who has been an amateur practitioner of katazome since 1985, and also belonged to Dote Takehiko atelier, assistant to Serizawa Keisuke for more than 30 years, presented a paper focused on the sustainability of katazome practice in Japan. In her argument, Dr. Hergueta situated the kōbō (workshop) as the centre of katazome continuity. Followed by a thorough fieldwork study in different regions across Japan, she analysed her data based on the consumption of stencil-dyed textiles and government-led efforts to sustain the practice. By comparing amateur practice, in tourist experiences of the kōbō with professional practice, Dr Hergueta concluded that “without the kōbō there’s no continuity of katazome.”
In our panel ‘Yunoki Samiro’s Journey in Arts and Crafts,’ we held discussions related to the artist’s developments, milestones, collaborations, major exhibitions and teaching ethos at Joshibi University of Art and Design, where he lectured and acted as president until 1991. Professor Minako Watanabe, former student and professor at Joshibi University, introduced us to Yunoki’s creative and educational spirit cultivated during his time at this women’s art school.
One of the highlights of this paper was the thorough explanation of the stencil dyeing methods taught by Yunoki to Japanese students. By employing the “new chūsen” technique, a term coined by Prof. Watanabe, Yunoki innovated the pour dyeing method (chūsen) commonly used to produce tenugui and yukata. Along with Yoshitaka Yanagi, who was Soetsu Yanagi’s nephew, Yunoki built a collaborative relationship that allowed them to establish the pioneering Department of Textiles at Joshibi University of Art and Design, soon after the end of WWII. In Prof. Watanabe’s words, the school adopted an entrance exam that wasn’t focused on the European notion of assessing Fine Art skills but rather allowed young women to create things, followed by an evaluation of their process. For example, in Yunoki’s class, students were encouraged to pursue an experimental spirit wherein they kept a record in a notebook of their successful and failed experiments. When Yunoki revolutionised the chūsen method by working on 90 cm width fabrics, as opposed to the 45 cm width fabrics used until then, he was fostering a spirit of “discovery” in the dyeing process. Symmetry is one of the characteristics of patterns created in the “new chūsen” method, accidental overlapping was one of the features of this process, therefore it wasn’t suitable for overtly detailed patterns. Hiroko Iwatate, founder of the Iwatate Folk Textile Museum and former student in Yunoki’s class, reflected on her experience in the kōbō as a place where you had to be fully dedicated and open to failed attempts. It sometimes meant wasting long strips of fabric but acknowledging chance as part of the dyeing process. By incorporating this approach Yunoki attempted to build confidence in his students through creative freedom. Prof. Watanabe also provided the film 100 Years of Samiro Yunoki – The Source of Imagination and Education in the Crafts Department of Joshibi University of Art and Design, created by the University in 2022.
In my presentation, I underscored Yunoki Samiro’s shift into the arts by highlighting milestones in his journey as a textile artist. Firstly, describing his trip to various villages in India with his former student Hiroko Iwatate in the 1980s, where he experienced handicrafts and everyday life. From this encounter with Indian textiles that made a huge impression on him, he transferred the saree dress into the Japanese context, proposing boundless possibilities for garment production and styling. India’s bright colours permeated Yunoki’s textiles, giving them a new character that marked his textile production from this period.
Secondly, I addressed the importance of Yunoki’s exploration in other mediums different to dyeing and heralding his later large, abstract, monochrome pieces. Particularly, printmaking, a medium explored by Yunoki at atelier MMG, Tokyo, for 24 years, creating works in various techniques. I explained how this medium had a major influence on his abstract work, by turning his motifs from repetitive patterns to singular motifs that covered the entirety of the fabric.
Finally, I mentioned the collage works created for Yoru no E, a publication containing poems by Ado Murayama. These seminal collage pieces mark a transition between Yunoki’s humorous style and his abstract motif textiles. They present an unprecedented side of Yunoki’s not seen until then.
Tadatomo Oshima, director of the interior design brand IDÉE, Tokyo, presented a paper on various collaboration projects with Yunoki Samiro. One of these projects was katazome for Everyday Life undertaken in collaboration with the prestigious lithography studio Idem Paris. The aim was to produce original lithographic works and develop products to enhance daily life. This collaboration took place in 2016, 2019 and 2022, and Yunoki’s lithographic work was displayed with IDÉE furniture.
Lifecycling Interview in 2012 was Oshima’s first encounter with Yunoki Samiro. Later in 2014, IDÉE Shop – Nihonbashi Tokyo became the first collaboration project with Yunoki, and in 2017 an exhibition of Yunoki’s pieces took place in Umeda, Osaka. Yunoki’s bold and playful designs were used in multiple products commercialised by IDÉE, such as towels, socks, tote bags, masking tape, etc. His designs were seen beyond the museum space or private collections and took over everyday life, reinstating the possibility of employing art in daily products. This collaboration with IDÉE also took place at Joshibi Art Museum in September 2022, when the major retrospective exhibition 100 Years of Samiro Yunoki: Trajectory of Creation was held. A compilation of their activities and vision of art and design is contained in the book Tomorrow, published in 2022. In this book, Tadatomo Oshima and Samiro Yunoki were interviewed for insights on their discoveries and aims for the future. A duo they refer to as ‘grassroots movements’ that consider the purpose of ‘Enriching life through Art.’
Our last presentation was delivered by Professor Miles Dodd, who Yunoki visited on various occasions in the UK. Apart from their long friendship, which started in Tokyo while he was teaching English to Yunoki, their encounters in the UK enabled them to connect to specific landmarks and artistic venues. In this paper, Prof. Dodd highlighted Yunoki’s warm spirit, his lighthearted approach to life and creation, and his connection to Mingei towards the end of his life. Their visit to Alfred Wallis’s grave in St. Ives showed Yunoki’s deep interest and admiration for his life and work. Yunoki probably encountered Wallis’s work for the first time in 2013 at Kettle’s Yard while he was visiting and preparing the exhibition “Humour in Art” that took place in Michaelhouse, Cambridge in 2014. His first visit to the UK was in 2001, to open the exhibition at Blackwell while he was president of the Kokugakai. Prof. Dodd’s and Yunokis’ encounters also took place in Paris, where Yunoki held exhibitions at the Galerie de l’Europe and Musée Guimet. Their many discussions were filled with notable people in Mingei, for example, Yanagi, Hamada and Leach, and from the UK, Ethel Mairet, William Morris and the Czech artist Zbynēk Sekal. In Prof. Dodd’s words, Yunoki was deeply impressed by the British countryside and how it fostered craft creation. We had the pleasure to see original artworks and books on Yunoki, kindly provided by Professor Dodd for display during our workshop.
In our final discussion, Yunoki’s long experience as a dyeing artist, his multiple collaborations, and his contribution to women’s art education from the postwar period was addressed. After WWII, handicrafts (shugei) was the category assigned to women creating textiles and this was delineated and compared to kōgei, the term assigned to men creating crafts. This double standard, which is highly emphasised in the staggering larger proportion of men who have received the title of Living National Treasure compared to female artisans, reflects one of the multiple narratives still understudied in Mingei, women’s histories. Another important topic discussed during the final discussion was Mingei members’ fascination for bingata textiles, which in their mindset is an unquestionable example of folk crafts. However, for Okinawan people, bingata, which for centuries was an emblem of Imperial court garments, is the opposite of folk craft. Yunoki’s unbiased conception of Mingei was compared to Kenkichi Tomimoto’s view on self-expression through the creation process, a comparison that could be addressed in future research studies.
Overall, this workshop offered a one-of-a-kind opportunity to discuss current studies on Mingei, including transnational histories of hybrid developments from different localities; women’s independence through crafts that had a huge impact on Japanese society from the postwar period; and Yunoki Samiro, who greatly contributed to fostering women’s independence by teaching them katazome and chūsen for over 40 years. Finally, it is important to mention that this was probably the first time Yunoki Samiro’s achievements and work were discussed in the UK, despite his recent passing in January, his creative spirit continues to reach places beyond Japan.
I deeply appreciate all the scholars, artists, curators, online and in-person attendees and the Sainsbury Institute colleagues who took part in this fruitful workshop.
Dr. Rosanna Rios Perez
Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellow