Many nations and cultures were forced to grapple with defining self and nation in the 19th and 20th centuries, reacting to Western dominance in a variety of ways. Japan’s victory over Russia was celebrated in many parts of the world that similarly endeavored to throw off the yolk of the imperial empire, only to be followed by Japan’s crafting of its own empire(seeking to emulate the Western model extant at the time, as befits nations who would regard themselves as “great”). Objects that fill our everyday lives are constant companions. They should be made with care and built to last, treated with respect and even affection. They should be things of beauty.” Our lives are filled with objects. Everyday things used in everyday settings, they are our constant companions. As such, writes Soetsu Yanagi, they should be made with care and built to last, treated with respect and even affection. They should be natural and simple, sturdy and safe—an aesthetic fulfillment of our practical needs. They should, in short, be things of beauty. James A Reilly, A Small Town in Syria: Ottoman Hama in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries [ ⮐] To put it in somewhat contradictory terms, true tea existed only before the advent of the tea ceremony. After the coming of tea, when deformation came to be consciously sought, common everyday beauty disappeared and unnatural manipulation began. This meant the demise of the beauty of tea.

the litmus test of a country’s cultural level should be the lives led by ordinary people. this level is most apparent in the utilitarian objects used on a daily basis.” I liked Soetsu Yanagi's voice. I can imagine him wandering all over the Japanese and Korean countryside in his quest to find beauty. A beautiful insight into Japanese philosophy as well as the Soetsu Yanagi's take on political events between Japan and Korea. At times he is repetitive, but I sort of like that about him. It shows obsession, and I think that is one of his most inspirational aspects, his obsession with raw beauty and Zen philosophy. Soetsu Yanagi’s unerring eye has influenced generations of makers. His notion of Zen and the art of design continues to inspire all those involved in shaping our everyday world.” —Jasper Morrison, British designer

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Yanagi sets a framework to explore and appreciate the beauty of folk craft through his essays on: Ukioy-e, Otsu-e, Kasuri, Kogin, Bashofu, Washi ... and through which he advocates for a revival of Japanese crafts; The Japanese philosopher and aesthete's definitive, hugely influential exposition of his philosophy of folkcrafts, setting out the hallmarks of Japanese design as we know it today: anonymity, quality, simplicity and honesty—and, of course, wabi-sabi, the beauty of imperfection Yanagi conceived of M ingeias a collective endeavor channeling nature and natural processes, free from ego and individualism, and characterized by the virtues of humility and simplicity. In practice, the arts would make best use of natural materials from their immediate environment, “seek, in addition to having aesthetic value, to be functional and useful objects to fulfill genuine needs,” and be robust enough to survive repeated use over many years. Objects created might also grow beloved to their owner through repeated use.

There was once a man, poor and uneducated, who was a person of deep faith. Although he found it difficult to explain what he believed in or why, in his simple words there was something luminous, something surprisingly brilliant arising from his experience. He had no personal belongings worth mentioning, but he possessed a deep understanding of what it meant to believe. Without knowing it, he knew God. As a result, he possessed unwavering strength. His letter to the suffering Korean people (in the time period when Japan occupied Korea) was very moving and made me think of some political corners of this world today…. It's included no doubt because of his expression of admiration for Korean folk craft is included. Our lives are filled with objects. Everyday things used in everyday settings, they are our constant companions. As such, writes Soetsu Yanagi, they should be made with care and built to last, treated with respect and even affection. They should be natural and simple, sturdy and safe - an aesthetic fulfilment of our practical needs. They should, in short, be things of beauty. Mention must also be made of the Japanese concept of the “Void,” which can be understood as existing as a pluripotent hypostasis from whence all creation issues. Yanagi defines this using Buddhist terminology, with the Void ( Mu) containing limitless existence ( Yu) and all things being empty of any intrinsic existence of their own ( Ku). The latter itself is strikingly similar to Ibn Arabi’s concept of Wahdat Al-Wujud (Oneness of Existence), where the only reality that really exists is God. There is much here that overlaps with Islamic spirituality and Sufism, and as a result, is easily understood. There exists a view of intellection, incorporating direct intuitive perception of higher truths, linking beauty to objective reality and moral discrimination. Yanagi even makes mention of the mind as a mirror, seeking to reflect the true essence of what is perceived, similar to Islamic conceptions of a pure and untainted Heart as being a mirror reflecting higher truths within all aspects of the human self, thus purifying and enlightening a person’s entire being.We live in a world of things. Beautiful, ugly, expensive and cheap things. And common things used in commonplace settings. According to philosopher and Japanese folk-craft pioneer Soetsu Yanagi, who formed the Mingei (“folk-craft”) movement in the late 1920s and 1930s in Japan, everyday objects should be viewed and treated as things of beauty. The movement aimed to rewire people’s perception of beauty to include the utility of an object, not just the outward appearance. Disreputable and heinous acts are often carried out in the name of the nation. Nations do not always abide by the truth; instead truth is manipulated and distorted.” These days, personal taste has suffered a decline. Colours have become garish, forms flimsy, and designs hideous. It is only natural that surrounded by such objects, our sense of beauty should be dulled.” Over several days of collaboration, the musicians also recorded ten more songs for the album. Like ‘The Beauty of Everyday Things,’ these songs were written by Bloom at his County Clare home over the past two years.

While there may be many intrinsic contradictions, I still think that there is probably no country like Japan whose people live in surroundings composed of specially chosen objects. Behind it all is undoubtedly some sort of educated taste or standard of beauty. Today, the perception of beauty often relies on an object being made by someone famous or having a high price tag. But an object should not be beautiful because it embodies perfection or is particularly artful. It should be designed for its purpose rather than to look really good. It should be natural and simple. Sturdy and safe – it should stand the test of reality. Just as Western art and architecture owe much to the sponsorship of the House of Medici during the Reformation, tea and Noh owe much to the protection of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa ( 1436-1490 ).

FOR YOUR BALANCED LIFE

I don’t enjoy being a hater, esp. to someone who is clearly an expert in his field, but he’s dead so I’m not hurtin’ any feelings. Asian art represents a latent treasure trove of immense and wide-reaching value for the future and that is precisely because it presents a sharp contrast to Western art. Yanagi also provides some concrete examples of what he means by Mingei, from Okinawan Bashofu cloth and Washi paper to traditional indigo Katsuri patterns. He draws out certain unifying principles to determine which art forms should and should not be considered Mingei. Many well written pieces but the most resounding quote to me comes from “A Letter To My Korean Friends” (1920)

It would not be entirely amiss to describe Yanagi's position in Japan as comparable to that of Ruskin and Morris in England ... He left as a legacy an aesthetic and religious creed of vital importance to men and women all over the world (Bernard Leach) It may be cheap, but it should also be sturdy. What must be avoided at all costs is dishonest, distorted and ornate work. What must be sought is the natural, direct, simple, sturdy and safe.Users and the used have exchanged a vow: the more an object is used the more beautiful it will become and the more the user uses an object, the more the object will be used.