2025 Spring Exhibition “The Mingei movement in Osaka prefecture – Nihon-Kohgeikan (The Japan Folk Art Museum) and Osaka Nihon Mingei Kan (The Japan Folk Crafts Museum, Osaka)”

March 6(Thu) – July 15 (Tue)   

Full scale Mingei movement in Osaka prefecture started after Chuichi Miyake (1900-1980), founder of the Nihon Mingei Kyodan group, established The Nihon-Kohgeikan (The Japan Folk Art Museum).

Soetsu Yanagi’s book “Kogei No Michi” ( The Way of Crafts) inspired Miyake to join the Mingei movement. Miyake went on to establish the Nihon-Kohgeikanin Dojima, in Kita ward, Osaka city, and to dedicate himself to collecting and producing Mingei folk crafts in Kyushu and other localities. (The Nihon-Kohgeikan later moved to Namba, Osaka city and is now closed.)

However, Miyake became suspicious about the Mingei movement revolving around well known craftsmen. In 1959 Miyake withdrew from the Nihon Mingei Kyokai (The Japan Folk Crafts Association) founded by Soetsu Yanagi, and established the Nihon Mingei Kyodan group.

He then developed his own folk crafts movement based out of the Nihon-Mingeikan.

In 1970 the Japan Folk Crafts Museum and the business community of western Japan exhibited the Nihon Mingeikan as a pavilion of the Japan World Exposition, Osaka 1970 (Expo 70).

The pavilion displayed not only traditional local handicrafts but also new works by well-known craftsmen who belonged to the Japan Folk Crafts Association.

The pavilion was succeeded by the Japan Folk Crafts Museum, Osaka, which was established in 1972, and the museum continues to collect and exhibit folk crafts at home and abroad, including new works by well-known craftsmen.

Since then in Osaka, two bases of the Mingei movement, the Nihon Kogeikun and the Japan Folk Crafts Museum, Osaka have been developing their own movements. This exhibition showcases the trajectories of the Mingei movement in Osaka through the activities of these two museums.