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Japanese Folk Crafts

The folk crafts of Japan are a living, growing tradition representing a continuum of change over thousands of years. They are the distillation of a culture reflecting all the rich variations of Japan. Wood, bamboo, paper, straw, shell, lacquers, clay, metal, stone and other materials are imaginatively transformed into delightfully charming objects of daily use. One of the notable features of the folk crafts of Japan has been the emphasis upon the significance of anonymity. Folk art by its very nature has always inevitably been anonymous; it shows us the beauty of a world in which there is no need for the individual to make his name known.

The Art Gallery has one of the finest collections of Japanese folk crafts in North America. Included in the exhibition are folk ceramics, textiles, stencils, woodwork, lacquerware, crude paintings, toys, etc. Of outstanding note are the 19th century fireman’s coat and resist-stencil dyed costumes.