<Articles>Crossroads in the History of Modern Japanese “Kogei”: Takamura Toyochika, Kon Wajiro and Yanagi Muneyoshi

TSCHIDA M.

doi:10.14989/281921

The 1920s was the most active period in the history of modern Japanese kogei(craft or applied art in English)when the various movements towards the different goals arose simultaneously and their promotors expressed their own ideas on kogei. For example, the kogei artists like Takamura Toyochika wished to produce kogei works as fine art like paintings and sculptures. For him most important for kogei works is not utility but beauty. On the other hand, Kon Wajiro, who started his career in the field of kogei design, after he took part in the research of vernacular houses all over Japan, became a scholar and expressed very unique idea of kogei. According to him, the word kogei should include not only the works by kogei artists but also all the products made by every person as needed. At the same time in Kyoto, Yanagi Muneyoshi, who created the new word mingei, that means kogei for common people made by common people, tried to construct a new theory on kogei and started new craft movement by uniting artists, craftsmen and users with the new standard of beauty which he found in mingei. Kyoto was the most favourable city for such a movement at that time. These variety of thinkings and movements of kogei as well as the starting of industrial design by other groups indicated the new stage of modern Japanese kogei.

<Articles>Crossroads in the History of Modern Japanese “Kogei”: Takamura Toyochika, Kon Wajiro and Yanagi Muneyoshi

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