Interview with Yamamoto Takanori
We interviewed Yamamoto Takanori, owner of Toworu Mingei, about what the shop has continued to value.
Drawn to the idea of “carrying on,” he became the owner of Toworu Mingei
Please tell us why you took over Toworu Mingei.
Yamamoto (honorific omitted)
I had been very grateful to Yuko, the previous owner, ever since I worked at Okayama Mingei. When I heard that Yuko was retiring, I felt very sad at the thought that “Toworu Mingei would disappear from this town.” So when Yuko asked me, “Would you take over Toworu Mingei?” I thought it over a lot, but decided to accept.
To begin with, I didn’t have a strong desire to own my own shop.
But I was drawn to the concept of carrying on.
I had heard the word “succession” before, but when I took over Toworu Mingei, I learned the word “inheritance.” “Inheritance” can also mean carrying on a conviction.
The customers who have been coming here for years, the makers we work with, and this place.
I thought I would surely regret it if Toworu Mingei disappeared because I didn’t take it on, and came to believe that I should carry on and preserve this place. That’s why the shop name remains Toworu Mingei.
What kind of person is Kobayashi to you, Mr. Yamamoto?
Yamamoto
She means a great deal to me. To Yuko, I was a junior colleague at Okayama Mingei. So whenever I visited Toworu Mingei, she always treated me kindly. Yuko would make coffee or tea in artists’ mugs and cups for me. She taught me through firsthand experience about the comfort you only discover by using something, saying things like, “It feels nice on your lips, doesn’t it?” and “I love the way this handle feels in my hand.”
When I welcome works by new makers to Toworu Mingei, I also meet them in person and look at and touch their items. I think my ability to intuitively feel, “This is right for Toworu Mingei,” is influenced by my experiences interacting with Yuko.
How did customers and makers respond when you took over Toworu Mingei?
Yamamoto
Many people said, “Thank you,” even though I hadn’t done anything yet.
The shop’s name came from Yuko’s name, and she told me, “You can change it,” so I thought about it a lot myself. But I wanted to carry on the view of the “Mingei Yuu” sign that first comes into sight after passing through Ebisu-dori Shopping Street, as well as Yuko’s conviction about folk craft, so I kept the name as it was.
Including that, people said “thank you,” and I realized anew that the “Mingei Yuu” sign and the scene of works displayed by the window are also things worth carrying on, preserved in everyone’s memories.
Healthy, unpretentious, sincere, and humble
What changed and what stayed the same after the handover?
Yamamoto
As I mentioned earlier, we’ve carried on the shop name and the view from the street.
On the other hand, I’ve made some changes to the layout inside the shop. This place originally housed a Hashima-yaki pottery shop. It seems that even back then, there was a shelf by the window displaying pottery, and that scene continued for a long time.
The retired third-generation owner of Hashima-yaki, Ogawara Tsunemi, approached me and offered the shelves and lighting used when the Hashima-yaki shop was here, saying, “Wouldn’t it be good to put them back where they originally were?” Some items need maintenance, so I plan to bring them into this shop one by one as they’re restored.
In this way, some things have been passed on across generations.
However, many of the makers who had been working with Toworu Mingei since it first opened are veterans. So we’ve started welcoming new makers and works and incorporating makers’ new experiments.
Is there anything you keep in mind when welcoming new artists?
Yamamoto
Healthy, unpretentious, sincere, and humble.
I try to choose things like that. These are the words of Yoshinosuke Tonomura, the first director of the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft. They describe “folk craft” in an easy-to-understand way, but they’re also words that apply to both people and things.
First, a well-balanced sense of reassurance that something won’t tip over, and durability so it won’t easily crack or break, are the healthy aspects. Not trying to look stylish by making an exaggerated shape is what I understand as sincerity. I think these words are full of folk-craft qualities, so I always keep them in mind.
What specifically do you mean by “good things”?
Yamamoto
From a folk-craft perspective, I think “good things” are first and foremost things with practicality. They’re the things at the front of the cupboard that you use often, or the things that are always in the dish rack and can be used every day.
I also think things made from simple materials and through simple processes, and made repeatedly, are among the qualities of “good things.” Rather than the deliciousness of an elaborate, complicated dish, it’s the kind of deliciousness found in home cooking like nikujaga or miso soup. I often find “goodness” in things that are simple and reassuring, and let you experience richness in everyday life.
Could you give a specific example of “supporting an artist’s challenge”?
Yamamoto
The previous owner, Yuko, focused on ensuring that the items displayed in the shop were “tools for everyday life.” So I hear that sometimes she would make suggestions to makers about their items, such as, “I don’t think this decoration is necessary.” It was just as Tonomura said—a spot-on observation.
But recently, I’ve started carrying these Bicchu washi papier-mache figures.
These can’t be called essential tools for everyday life, and they may stray from what Tonomura said earlier. However, I see works like these Bicchu washi papier-mache figures as an extension of folk-craft work.
I want this to be a shop where people can enjoy ambiguity, without being bound by whether something is folk craft or not.
So while keeping in mind what the previous owner, Yuko, valued, I want to maintain a balance between “things I think are good” and “things I enjoy.”
When I think of a place where makers and distributors work together, I imagine something like a regular “exhibition.” Does Toworu Mingei hold regular solo exhibitions or similar events?
Yamamoto
Even when planning an exhibition, sales are an important measure, but I want to think about its meaning beyond that.
If you do something different just to hold an exhibition, but the items don’t sell, both the maker and the items are worse off.
I think a good exhibition is one where people can really pick up and handle works made with the user in mind. I also think it’s part of my role as a distributor to convey users’ comments to makers through exhibitions, such as, “I’d be happy if there were something like this.”
For example, I’d like to hold exhibitions as needed, gathering requests from users for works by veteran makers that people don’t often get a chance to see, and consulting with the makers about what suits their pace.
Users can rediscover items they’ve wanted, and makers can see their work reach the hands of people who will use it. I’d like to use exhibitions to provide that kind of place.
There will also be an exhibition by a glassblower in December 2024.
Find something at Toworu Mingei that you yourself think is “good”
Do you have any memorable stories from your two and a half years working at the shop?
Yamamoto
There was a time when a young customer came into the shop. By chance, a regular customer was also there that day, and seeing the young customer looking at the items sparked a conversation with the regular.
They said things like, “This is how I use this,” and “This is what I like about this piece.” At the end of their conversation, the young customer bought one of the works they liked.
I think one of the good things about folk craft is that regardless of age or social status, people can easily bring things they think are “good” into their lives. Seeing people connect with people and people connect with things through the items at Toworu Mingei made me feel anew that there is a reason for this shop to continue being here.
What kind of experience would you like customers to have at Toworu Mingei?
Yamamoto
I want them to experience looking and choosing for themselves.
Recently, I’ve met customers who say, “I want this piece I saw in a magazine,” or “I want a piece that looks good on social media.” But do they really think those things are “good” themselves?
I want to help people feel confident in choosing something they truly like, without relying on reviews or marketing.
In that sense, I think visiting Toworu Mingei after seeing the everyday tools that were actually used in the past, displayed at the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft, might lead to some new insights. I was one of the customers who used to visit Toworu Mingei after going to the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft, too.
From the Writer
“Are you confident in the things you choose because you truly like them?”
The moment I was asked that, I realized I couldn’t nod with confidence.
We live in a time when a huge amount of information comes our way every day, thanks to the spread of social media and the internet. Not only when it comes to everyday items, but also fashion and values, I can’t help wondering, “How do other people see me?”
I also use Instagram as a Community Revitalization Cooperator, so I follow the Toworu Mingei account and often browse it.
After the interview, I showed him a photo posted on Instagram
and began, “I like this photo,”
“This shop has a skylight, so natural light comes in from many directions. I especially like the shop between 3 and 4 in the afternoon. The light shining through the washi paper and the glass by the window is indescribable.”
he told me.
I felt warm when he immediately affirmed what I liked, so I think I’ll visit the shop again around 3 in the afternoon to find something “good” that I’d like to use in my everyday life.
Toworu Mingei details
| Name | Toworu Mingei |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-25-48 Achi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-424-8722 |
| Parking | None |
| Hours | 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Monday and Tuesday May close temporarily. Check social media for details. |
| Payment methods |
|
| Website | Toworu Mingei |
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
Enter a search term to find articles on this site
