Did you know that Kurashiki has deep ties to folkcraft?
We visited the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft, the second folkcraft museum to be established in Japan.
You can not only see folkcraft items from around the world, but also buy them in the gift shop.
The view from the window is also so lovely that a poet praised it highly.
Here, we introduce the history and appeal of folkcraft, along with the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft.
Photography is normally prohibited inside the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft. We were granted special permission to take photographs for this article.
The exhibits shown are from our first visit in May 2019.
The information provided was current when this article was published in January 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft
The Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft was the second folkcraft museum to open in Japan.
It opened in 1948, using a rice storehouse built in the late Edo period.
It displays many sturdy and beautiful folkcraft items used in everyday life.
Admission to the gift shop is free, and even visitors who do not enter the exhibition rooms are welcome to browse and make purchases.
What is folkcraft?
What exactly are folkcraft items?
You may think of folkcraft items as souvenirs, but that is not the case.
Folkcraft means “crafts of the people.”
Rather than fine crafts made for appreciation and presented to lords, folkcraft refers to sturdy and beautiful items used in everyday life, such as yunomi teacups, bowls, colanders, brooms, furoshiki wrapping cloths, and chairs made by craftspeople.
In the late Taisho period, philosopher Yanagi Muneyoshi coined the term “folkcraft.” He believed that objects used in everyday life possess a beauty directly connected to their purpose, which he called “the beauty of use.”
The folkcraft movement was an effort to spread the value of folkcraft and the idea of “the beauty of use.” It was advocated by Yanagi Muneyoshi, Tomimoto Kenkichi, Kawai Kanjiro, Hamada Shoji, and others.
You can also see works by five of the people who promoted the folkcraft movement in the craft gallery at the Ohara Museum of Art.
Kurashiki and folkcraft
Kurashiki-born businessman Ohara Magosaburo, also known as the founder of the Ohara Museum of Art, worked to share the merits of local crafts with as many people as possible. Through his activities, he met Yanagi Muneyoshi, agreed with the folkcraft movement, and supported it.
Magosaburo donated much of the construction costs for the Japan Folk Crafts Museum in Komaba, Tokyo, the first folkcraft museum in Japan. The Ohara family played an important role in the development of the folkcraft movement.
Magosaburo’s son Soichiro also carried on his father’s wishes and supported the folkcraft movement.
In the years immediately after the war, Soichiro established the Okayama Folk Crafts Association to “rebuild the foundations of life in a peaceful Japan that is upright, strong, and beautiful.” He also wanted to build a folkcraft museum in Kurashiki, and invited Kichinosuke Tonomura to serve as its director.
You can learn more about the Ohara family’s activities and achievements at Ohara House Katalyzer.
The first director, Tonomura, not only devoted himself to promoting folkcraft, but also contributed to preserving the scenery of the Bikan Historical Area.
We have the first director, Tonomura, to thank in part for being able to admire the old streetscape in the Bikan Historical Area today.
Here are some highlights of the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft, which has supported and nurtured folkcraft in Kurashiki.
Enjoy the folkcraft building
The Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft is housed in a rice storehouse built in the late Edo period. It was the first old building in the Bikan Historical Area to be restored and opened to the public.
The Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft was established before the area around the Kurashiki River was designated a Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.
A rice storehouse can be considered a major folkcraft work, built by many craftspeople, including carpenters, to protect its contents from fire, wind and rain, theft, and dampness.
At a time when the idea of “preserving the townscape” was not yet widespread, the first director, Tonomura, saw the beauty of use in the rice storehouse.
Enjoy the beautiful exterior of this building, with its typical Kurashiki white-plastered storehouse walls and tiled roof, from both outside and in.
See the view praised by a poet
In 1950, British poet Edmund Blunden visited the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft, praised the view of the courtyard from the window, and immortalized it in a poem.
When you actually look out, it’s so beautiful that you can understand why he wanted to write a poem about it!
The weather was wonderful on the day of our visit. The vivid fresh greenery and refreshing breeze felt so lovely that I wanted to gaze at the view forever.
See a variety of folkcraft items
The Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft houses around 15,000 items from around the world, dating from the medieval period to the present day, including ceramics, glassware, lacquerware, textiles, woodwork, and paper crafts. Around 600 of these are on display.
One-third of the museum is devoted to permanent exhibitions and two-thirds to special exhibitions. Since the displays are changed two or three times a year, you may discover new folkcraft items even on a return visit.
The best-known item in the collection is “Folk Painting: Tiger with Four Eyes and Magpie.” Folk paintings were made by unknown artists to decorate the homes of ordinary people. “Tiger with Four Eyes and Magpie” depicts a tiger with four eyes.
With a few exceptions, you can actually sit on the chairs and benches. Try them out and experience their appeal as “everyday household items.”
Here are some of the exhibits.
The English table in the “Irori Room” is called a gateleg table. The tabletop can be folded down for storage, depending on the space available.
A water dropper is used to add water to an inkstone one drop at a time.
Okinawan furoshiki and kimono. The blue is so refreshing.
This brazier was used by fishermen aboard squid-fishing boats in the Oki Islands to warm their hands.
The fish painted on this Iranian vessel are so charmingly simple!
Compare a wide variety of baskets
One of the museum’s features is that an entire permanent exhibition room is devoted to baskets.
Tonomura also devoted considerable effort to collecting baskets.
There are birdcages, fruit baskets, tofu baskets, baskets hung from shoulder poles, and more, from a variety of countries and for a variety of uses. You can see how their shapes and weaving differ depending on what they were made to hold and how they were carried.
Tonomura often used the mekago (open-weave basket) for draining dishes after washing to explain “beauty in utility.”
The loosely woven bottom lets water drain, while the raised base keeps water from collecting.
A structure designed for convenience becomes a beautiful form.
See Kurashiki Glass
“Kurashiki Glass” refers to blown-glass pieces made by Shinzo Kodani and his son Eiji.
Shinzo originally blew glass balls for Christmas trees.
When he began making cups, he received guidance from the museum’s first director, Tonomura, and made tableware based on the shapes of items in the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft collection.
At the time, blown glass was made through the collaborative work of several artisans.
Shinzo established a method in Kurashiki of refining his tools and processes and completing every step himself in his own workshop.
He was a pioneer in the development of studio glass in Japan.
The glass has a style that somehow feels warm, and conveys the beauty of “tools for everyday life.”
Eiji’s works are sold in the shop, so be sure to take a look.
Take home folkcraft items
The shop sells folkcraft items from all over Japan.
It also carries folkcraft from Kurashiki and Okayama, making it a great place to find souvenirs.
Local items include:
- Kurashiki Glass cups
- Bitchu washi postcards
- Original accessories made with Kurashiki temari balls
- Mugs from Kurashiki Tsutsumi Kiln
- Cups and saucers from Kurashiki Yuraku Kiln
- Plates from Sakazu Enoki Kiln
- Table runners made with Kurashiki honzome handwoven fabric
- Mats made with Kurashiki handwoven dantsu rugs
- Kurashiki Hariko
Personally, I found that many items are quite affordable.
Next, we spoke with a curator at the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft.
Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft Information
| Name | Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-4-11 Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-422-1637 |
| Parking | None |
| Opening hours | 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (admission until 4:30 p.m.) |
| Closed | Mondays If Monday is a public holiday, closed the following day Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29–January 1) |
| Admission (tax included) | Adults: ¥1,200 High school and university students: ¥500 Elementary and junior high school students: ¥300 *Group rates available for groups of 20 or more |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Available Reservations accepted for groups only |
| Smoking | Entire facility is non-smoking |
| Restrooms | Western-style toilets |
| Childcare | Discount available upon presentation of a Momokko Card |
| Website | Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft Official Website |
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