The Designs of Yoshida ShoyaImagining the Future with the New Mingei MovementClosed

1.A Tokyo First! Discover Yoshida Shoya, the Visionary “Producer” of the Mingei Movement

In recent years, a growing number of exhibitions across Japan have turned their attention to Mingei. Yoshida Shoya has often been introduced as a key figure in the Mingei Movement among such exhibitions, but this is the first exhibition in Tokyo dedicated specifically to Yoshida Shoya to bear his name in its title. Based on the latest research, this exhibition examines Yoshida’s work in Mingei and design, and sheds light on his character in greater depth than ever before.

2.Ceramics, Lamps, Textiles, and Wooden Furniture: The Diverse Expression and Appeal of New Mingei

Yanagi Muneyoshi is often referred to as the “Father of Mingei;” the potter Kawai Kanjiro called Yoshida Shoya the “Mother of Mingei.” The reason for this moniker lies in the different roles they played: while Yanagi recognized the beauty of Mingei, developed its philosophy and theories, and promoted the movement, Yoshida put those ideas into practice. He built an integrated system for the development, design, production, and sale of New Mingei works (shinsaku mingei). Yoshida’s designs elevated regional crafts to a universal expression of beauty. Unbound by any particular style, his designs brought together practicality and simplicity in ways best suited to modern life. This exhibition showcases the finest range of his New Mingei works, including ceramics, woodwork, and textiles.

3.Yoshida Shoya’s Vision of “Mingei Architecture”

Once remarking, “In another life, I would have been an architect,” Yoshida Shoya pursued architectural and spatial design with great passion. This exhibition explores how Yoshida gave physical form to his philosophy through architecture alongside individual works of New Mingei. Visitors are invited to experience unique exhibition design based on the concept of “Mingei Architecture,” video installations in the lobby, and full-scale re-creations of selected spaces from the Former Yoshida Clinic and Former Yoshida Shoya House, where New Mingei was practiced.

To achieve concrete expression of the “Standard of Beauty” advocated by Yanagi Muneyoshi, Yoshida Shoya collected Mingei works from different periods and regions, and founded the Tottori Folk Crafts Museum as a venue for displaying them to the wider public. This section begins with works from Yoshida’s collection, which serve as an introduction to the origins of the New Mingei Movement.

While studying at Niigata Medical College, Yoshida Shoya spent time in conversation with like-minded friends who shared his love of the magazine Shirakaba (a name which literally translates to “Japanese white birch”) as he sought a life guided by art and ideals. Through these pursuits, he eventually encountered his lifelong mentor, Yanagi Muneyoshi. This section explores the formative beginnings of Yoshida’s New Mingei Movement.

Yoshida’s New Mingei practices in Tottori began with collecting local crafts and studying traditional materials and techniques. Working closely with the local craftspeople, he pursued a new approach to Mingei design, crafting beauty from utility in forms suited to modern life, and bringing these works to the wider public through the Takumi Folk Crafts Shop.

In 1938, Yoshida Shoya was dispatched to serve as a military doctor in northern China. After leaving military service, he settled in Beijing and, in cooperation with local craftspeople, continued to promote the New Mingei Movement in China until 1945. This section explores Yoshida’s years in a foreign land—a period of wandering in which he discovered other expressions of Mingei beauty, and one in which his ideals intersected with reality.

Yoshida Shoya used museums, craft shops, and high-end restaurants as hubs for bringing the beauty of Mingei into everyday life. The many designs on display here reflect his ideals for a culturally rich lifestyle in postwar Japan.

Mentors and friends including Yanagi Muneyoshi, those of the Shirakaba circle, and prominent figures in Mingei such as Kawai Kanjiro, Hamada Shoji, and Bernard Leach, as well as Shikiba Ryuzaburo (who would become a lifelong friend) were sources of both creative inspiration and personal support for Yoshida Shoya. This section traces the relationships he formed through Mingei.

This final chapter examines the expanding scope of Yoshida Shoya’s Mingei Movement. His ideals evolved from the realm of everyday life into broader efforts to preserve nature and culture, including the Tottori Sand Dunes, the Tottori Castle Ruins, and the Jinpukaku manor, engaging deeply with society and how it should be shaped.

Beginning in 1932, whenever there was renovation or new construction to his clinic, Yoshida Shoya personally took part in designing a “Mingei-style clinic.” His designs explored a synthesis of different styles, juxtaposing Eastern-style fittings with Western ones. The designs extended beyond architecture, encompassing everything from examination chairs and medicine bottle organizers to furniture and waste baskets. This exhibition presents full-scale re-creations of selected spaces from the Former Yoshida Clinic and Former Yoshida Shoya House, with the latter demonstrating practical applications for Mingei in everyday life.