[Sori Yanagi]

Sori Yanagi was the eldest son of Soetsu Yanagi, the father of the Mingei (Folk Crafts) movement, and a leading Japanese industrial designer. He dedicated himself to creating high-quality designs based on functional elements and materials, rather than being swayed by commercialism or fleeting trends.

From a young age, Yanagi loved drawing. At a time when information from abroad was scarce in Japan, he discovered "avant-garde art" through the influence of Shuzo Takiguchi, who introduced new European artistic movements to the country. Yanagi became fascinated by its novelty, including global movements such as Futurism, Dadaism, Surrealism, and Cubism, founded by Picasso, as well as the Abstractionism of Kandinsky. Revolting against his father’s work, which he considered old-fashioned, Yanagi pursued an art career and enrolled in the Department of Western Painting at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (now Tokyo University of the Arts).

During his studies, Yanagi was inspired by the Bauhaus philosophy after attending a lecture by Takehiko Mizutani, who had just returned from studying at the Bauhaus in Germany. His interest shifted dramatically toward design and architecture, as he felt that "while painters stay in their studios doing what they like, designers must go out and serve society." He developed a strong admiration for Le Corbusier's modern artistic ideas and wide-ranging activities, which later led him to work at the Junzo Sakakura Architectural Institute, founded by one of Le Corbusier's disciples.

After graduating, Yanagi began working as a designer for the Japan Export Craft Federation, an affiliate of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. When the ministry invited French designer Charlotte Perriand to promote and guide export crafts, Yanagi accompanied her on her inspection tour of Japan, encountering traditional crafts from various regions. During World War II, while still affiliated with the Sakakura Institute, he traveled to the Philippines as a member of the Army Press Section's propaganda unit.

Shortly after the war, he began designing products despite severe material shortages. He completed the plain "Koshitsu Toki Series," but it was not easily understood by the domestic market at the time, where patterned ceramics were common. Yanagi believed that many patterned products used colors and designs to hide poor quality; he asserted that a designer's job was to create high-quality products with a beauty suitable for daily life, a stance he expressed through his plain ceramics.

In 1950, he established the Yanagi Industrial Design Institute. He began winning numerous awards in competitions, and using the prize money, he reorganized the institute into the Sori Yanagi Design Institute in 1953. Although he had once distanced himself from the Mingei movement in rebellion against his father, his connection to it grew stronger from the late 1950s. He produced black teapots at Kanjiro Kawai's kiln and became involved in selecting works for exhibitions hosted by the Japan Folk Crafts Association. In 1977, he was appointed director of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum.

In addition to his design work, Yanagi was an educator, teaching at universities and vocational schools both in Japan and abroad to inspire future generations of designers. In 1957, he was invited to exhibit at the 11th Milan Triennale, where his "Butterfly Stool" and "White Porcelain Teapot" won gold medals. Following this international success, he worked on designs for the Tokyo Summer Olympics and Sapporo Winter Olympics and undertook many public design projects. Yanagi viewed public structures as tools for human use, aiming to improve the quality of urban spaces by creating objects that combined beauty with functionality.

In the 1980s, Yanagi visited various countries, particularly in Northern Europe and South Asia, collecting folk crafts from around the world and introducing them in "Mingei" magazine. He published his first collection of works, "Sori Yanagi: Works and Thoughts," where he detailed his design philosophy. Since the 1990s, he has introduced numerous kitchenware items that remain popular today. By prioritizing the user's perspective and listening to the technicians responsible for production, Sori Yanagi's designs achieved a practical and timeless form that continues to be loved as a "universal novelty."

Nikko's Sori Yanagi Bone China (Reproduction of the Koshitsu Toki Series)
https://www.shokunin.com/en/nikko/
Sori Yanagi's Stainless Steel Bowl
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yanagisori/bowl.html
Hirota Glass's Sori Yanagi Wine Glass
https://www.shokunin.com/en/hirota/wine.html
Ceramic Japan's Black & White Bowl
https://www.shokunin.com/en/ceramicjapan/shirokuro.html
Yoshita Design Studio's Cutlery (Studied under Sori Yanagi for many years)
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yoshita/cutlery.html
Yanagi Sori Design Memorial
https://www.kanazawa-bidai.ac.jp/yanagi/