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The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight into Beauty
This book challenges the conventional ideas of art and beauty. What is the value of things made by an anonymous craftsman working in a set tradition for a lifetime? What is the value of handwork? Why should even the roughly lacquered rice bowl of a Japanese farmer be thought beautiful? The late Soetsu Yanagi was the first to fully explore the traditional Japanese appreciation for "objects born, not made."
Mr. Yanagi sees folk art as a manifestation of the essential world from which art, philosophy, and religion arise and in which the barriers between them disappear. The implications of the author's ideas are both far-reaching and practical.
Soetsu Yanagi is often mentioned in books on Japanese art, but this is the first translation in any Western language of a selection of his major writings. The late Bernard Leach, renowned British potter and friend of Mr. Yanagi for fifty years, has clearly transmitted the insights of one of Japan's most important thinkers. The seventy-six plates illustrate objects that underscore the universality of his concepts. The author's profound view of the creative process and his plea for a new artistic freedom within tradition are especially timely now when the importance of craft and the handmade object is being rediscovered.
Mr. Yanagi sees folk art as a manifestation of the essential world from which art, philosophy, and religion arise and in which the barriers between them disappear. The implications of the author's ideas are both far-reaching and practical.
Soetsu Yanagi is often mentioned in books on Japanese art, but this is the first translation in any Western language of a selection of his major writings. The late Bernard Leach, renowned British potter and friend of Mr. Yanagi for fifty years, has clearly transmitted the insights of one of Japan's most important thinkers. The seventy-six plates illustrate objects that underscore the universality of his concepts. The author's profound view of the creative process and his plea for a new artistic freedom within tradition are especially timely now when the importance of craft and the handmade object is being rediscovered.
232 pages, Paperback
Published January 15, 1990
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About the author
Soetsu Yanagi
49 books63 followersYanagi Sōetsu (柳 宗悦, March 21, 1889 - May 3, 1961), also known as Yanagi Muneyoshi, was a Japanese philosopher and founder of the mingei (folk craft) movement in Japan in the late 1920s and 1930s.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
August 24, 2015
“Why do we long for beauty? The Buddhists would reply that the world of beauty is our home and that we are born with a love for home. To long for beauty, therefore, is the same as to long for home. But home, as we know, is the world of Non-dual Entirety: everything that has been divided yearns to be reunited; everything has, so to speak, been divided in order to long to be one again. Regarding a beautiful object, then, is the same as looking at one’s own native home; put another way, it is the same as looking at the original condition of man himself. He who buys a beautiful object is in reality buying himself, and he who looks at a beautiful object is seeing in it his primordial self. In an ardent lover of Sung pottery, the pottery recognizes its own home; conversely, the lover recovers his home in the pottery. Here the viewer and the viewed are not two entities.”
A perfectly expressed treatise on the theology of craft, specifically the characteristics of Japanese and Korean folk art. I’ve been wanting to read this for more than a year now, and it did not disappoint. Yanagi elevates the artistic and spiritual merit of wabi sabi work, especially pottery, and draws on Zen Buddhism (with dashes of Christian mysticism to appeal to Western readers) to form his philosophy of art. It’s clear, cogent, and elegantly simple. All I could think when finishing was, When I go back to Japan, I’m taking a whole suitcase just for ceramics.
August 3, 2013
I'd never read this classic, which informs a lot of writing on the wabi-sabi aesthetic, and huh, there's a few unexpected things in here.
Unexpected sweeping generalisations about Korean people: "Korean work is but an uneventful, natural outcome of the people's state of mind" because they "live in a world of 'thusness'" and "are quite free from the conflict between the beautiful and the ugly:" "they just make what they make." (pp. 122-123). Koreans, it seems, are "blissfully innocent," "humble," and "naive" (pp. 172-173). O_o
Unexpected espousing of the 'genius' theory of creativity (it's OK for the rest of us though, we can take the "easy way" and "surrender [our]selves, reflecting on [our] own smallness" (p. 133) which is genuinely a great comfort to me: I reflect on my unimportance daily.
Expected disparagement of the regular, the machine-made, the modern.
Still great reading on the aesthetic of the everyday and the irregular.
Unexpected sweeping generalisations about Korean people: "Korean work is but an uneventful, natural outcome of the people's state of mind" because they "live in a world of 'thusness'" and "are quite free from the conflict between the beautiful and the ugly:" "they just make what they make." (pp. 122-123). Koreans, it seems, are "blissfully innocent," "humble," and "naive" (pp. 172-173). O_o
Unexpected espousing of the 'genius' theory of creativity (it's OK for the rest of us though, we can take the "easy way" and "surrender [our]selves, reflecting on [our] own smallness" (p. 133) which is genuinely a great comfort to me: I reflect on my unimportance daily.
Expected disparagement of the regular, the machine-made, the modern.
Still great reading on the aesthetic of the everyday and the irregular.
May 5, 2008
This is an important book if for no other reason than for its historical context. In ceramics there is a faction of western ceramics that scoffs at anything related to utilitarian aesthetics. To me such a view is an assumed arrogance. Utility and art do not have to be diametrically opposed.
November 18, 2007
This book supplied my driving aesthetic for years. A beautiful, sublime treatise on a valuable approach to Beauty.
March 5, 2017
This series of Yanagi's essays was a lovely exploration of beauty and craft, especially the essays entitled "Irregularity": "Why should one reject the perfect in favor of the imperfect? The precise and perfect carries no overtones, admits of no freedom; the perfect is static and regulated, cold and hard. We in our own human imperfections are repelled by the perfect, since everything is apparent from the start and there is no suggestion of the infinite" ( 120). I think that my favorite essay is "The Buddhist Idea of Beauty," which includes: "Passing time cannot affect an object that is truly beautiful" (131) and "...anyone who admires Sung pottery or Coptic textiles is admiring without knowing it, the Buddha's signature. Anyone who is moved by the beauty of folkcraft is in reality being moved by the invisible power that lies beneath the surface" (136).
Later, in a section entitled “Shibusa” (a word that suggests quiet, pure austerity), Yanagi writes, “All works of art, it may be said are more beautiful when they suggest something beyond themselves than when they end up being merely what the are” (150). In this same vein, he later asserts: “Beauty dislikes being captive to perfection” (151), my favorite sentence in the book.
Later, in a section entitled “Shibusa” (a word that suggests quiet, pure austerity), Yanagi writes, “All works of art, it may be said are more beautiful when they suggest something beyond themselves than when they end up being merely what the are” (150). In this same vein, he later asserts: “Beauty dislikes being captive to perfection” (151), my favorite sentence in the book.
December 31, 2018
In the last hours of 2018, I completed this astonishing book. The book, written by potters opened new frontiers in my mind about aesthetics. While the authors are the kings of ceramics, the book is about creating art which is useful, simple, functional but not perfect, as life is. First of all, I realized that this book is not for one time read. It should be in the bookshelf, in a place that is easy to reach. As I am not an art producer, why does this book matter for me? Well, we all are, more or less, content creators, in a way as a writer of a scientific paper, personal office or home designer, service provider and etc. We create something for others. Then we need to comprehend the sense of beauty. The authors elegantly combine the worldview of Chang Buddhism (or in Japanese way Zen Buddhism), wabi-sabi idea, up till tea ceremonies. What I personally loved in this book is the interminable admiration to handmade craftsmanship, story behind the pieces. Living in the industrial world, it is fascinating to read and feel the inner beauty, balance and peace in the art. I have never imagined the “beauty” as a common good. The very same “beauty” that Yanagi himself created throughout his life and discussed in this book is not a personal output. It is a collective comprehension of the “beauty” or simply it is a common good. Think about, if this idea is implemented by an app developer, restaurant or a bank to serve a customer…
May 7, 2019
Favorite Quote:
"Many words were invented to describe the beauty that was to be the final criterion, and of them all perhaps the most suggestive is the adjective shibui (with the noun shibusa), for which there is no exact English counterpart. Nearest to it, perhaps, are such adjectives as "Austere", "subdued", and "restrained", but to the Japanese the word is more complex, suggesting quietness, depth, simplicity, and purity. The beauty it describes is introversive, the beauty of inner radiance."
Runner up:
"The deepest beauty is suggestive of infinite potentiality rather than being merely explanatory. When taste becomes mature, it prefers plain monochromes and tranquil objects. Some may say that this is the taste of old age, and in a sense it is, for, preferring a profounder beauty, it is not easily understood by the young."
"Many words were invented to describe the beauty that was to be the final criterion, and of them all perhaps the most suggestive is the adjective shibui (with the noun shibusa), for which there is no exact English counterpart. Nearest to it, perhaps, are such adjectives as "Austere", "subdued", and "restrained", but to the Japanese the word is more complex, suggesting quietness, depth, simplicity, and purity. The beauty it describes is introversive, the beauty of inner radiance."
Runner up:
"The deepest beauty is suggestive of infinite potentiality rather than being merely explanatory. When taste becomes mature, it prefers plain monochromes and tranquil objects. Some may say that this is the taste of old age, and in a sense it is, for, preferring a profounder beauty, it is not easily understood by the young."
February 28, 2008
Soetsu Yanagi is considered the father of the Japanese craft movement (I didn't know there was one!) In the early part of the last century, Yanagi was concerned about the impact of the Industrial Revolution and westernization in Japanese society, particularly their effects on the vitality of hand-made goods. He began collecting ceramics, published a craft magazine and eventually opened the Japan Folkcraft Museum in Tokyo. This book is a collection of his essays on such topics as the individual craftsman vs. folk craftsman; handmade vs. machine made work; seeing vs. knowing; the Buddist idea of beauty; the way of tea; and other philosophical insights and questions that are as relevant today as they were almost a century ago.
October 29, 2010
I have the 1978 edition -hardcover, cream coloured leather. I especially loved the sections on Raku pottery.
November 7, 2022
The Unknown Craftsman is one of the finest series of essays I've had the pleasure to read. I kept contacting my friend in order to inflict passages on her. An insightful exploration of beauty. The humility and utilitarianism of folk arts have always appealed to me, and my appreciation for them has reached a new profundity through this book.
August 29, 2020
An exceptional book that on the surface is an examination of the making of pottery but serves as a profound look at art, creativity and, as promised, beauty. Yanagi's exploration of the aesthetics of pottery and the distinctions among, art, craft and the manufactured provides a deep, nuanced and illuminating discussion that extends far beyond the humble topic he begins with.
In his opening chapter, Soetsu says that "Truth is both old and new," and talks about the pursuit of and the openness required to recognize the beauty that exists in the commonplace. Soetsu talks about the need to be open in a way that we acknowledge things freshly no matter how often we have seen things or encountered concepts in our lives.
The freshness, conceivably, comes from a Buddhist perspective that strives to see things as they are and as they essentially impact us rather than letting ourselves succumb to the influence of a signature on a piece of art, the veneer of modernism, or other elements that may enchant a less-focused perceiver might fall for.
It is a rich, profound book, and I suspect it is one that would provide a different experience upon re-reading.
In his opening chapter, Soetsu says that "Truth is both old and new," and talks about the pursuit of and the openness required to recognize the beauty that exists in the commonplace. Soetsu talks about the need to be open in a way that we acknowledge things freshly no matter how often we have seen things or encountered concepts in our lives.
The freshness, conceivably, comes from a Buddhist perspective that strives to see things as they are and as they essentially impact us rather than letting ourselves succumb to the influence of a signature on a piece of art, the veneer of modernism, or other elements that may enchant a less-focused perceiver might fall for.
It is a rich, profound book, and I suspect it is one that would provide a different experience upon re-reading.
October 11, 2013
This was one of the most pleasurable books I've read.
It concerns the pottery and folkcraft movement in Korea, China, and Japan, and how common rice bowls made in 16th century Korea became exquisite though still plain tea bowls for the Japanese tea masters. Yanagi decries mass production (and the attendant industrialism, commercialism, consumerism, etc.) because of its effect on handmade objects and their inherent beauty because of the selflessness of the makers. While the original Korean potters did indeed make their bowls in mass quantities, they did so by hand, in guilds, for common use by common people. The tea masters merely saw this inherent beauty and adopted the items for use.
Though Yanagi never said so, my main take-away as a Christian is this: unless and until we realize that we ourselves are mere clay pots, made by a Master who is selfless, each of us unique but made by the thousands (billions...), we will never live ordinary yet extraordinarily beautiful lives.
It concerns the pottery and folkcraft movement in Korea, China, and Japan, and how common rice bowls made in 16th century Korea became exquisite though still plain tea bowls for the Japanese tea masters. Yanagi decries mass production (and the attendant industrialism, commercialism, consumerism, etc.) because of its effect on handmade objects and their inherent beauty because of the selflessness of the makers. While the original Korean potters did indeed make their bowls in mass quantities, they did so by hand, in guilds, for common use by common people. The tea masters merely saw this inherent beauty and adopted the items for use.
Though Yanagi never said so, my main take-away as a Christian is this: unless and until we realize that we ourselves are mere clay pots, made by a Master who is selfless, each of us unique but made by the thousands (billions...), we will never live ordinary yet extraordinarily beautiful lives.
October 14, 2018
An art friend recommended this to me as I wanted to branch out from my technical background. I found Yanagi's writing to be very peaceful and focused, and what he says about capitalist industrialism vs. handcrafting is very true. It was a thoughtful, eye-opening read and makes me wonder how we could bring back handcrafting in a way that is compatible with our highly technical industrialized society and the current social climate. How can we counteract capitalism and show people that there is meaning in handmade, personal crafts? How can we make personal art more accessible to a rapidly growing population?
December 30, 2009
Even as an artifact, a bit drab. Mostly because it's so repetitive, and has no explanations of the pitchers (i.e. images). But, significant. Good at outlining the philosophy of Yanagi, friend number one of pan-Asian crafts, "saving" many of them from their native makers in the 20s and 30s. Interesting mix of stone Orientalist thinking and systematic critique of industrial labor relations. Interesting--for reasons of gender, public "good" context-- to place in the context of contemporary thinking about craft & feminism--etsy.com et al.
October 7, 2018
In what I read, there were about five pages of the most beautiful aphorisms about craft and aesthetics fighting their way out of the wreckage of the most tired and well-worn hand-wringing I have ever read about the loss of taste for beauty among the youth and intellectuals of today. I congratulate the readers for whom these aphorisms rose to the surface, triumphant, but in my reading they died in the attempt.
January 12, 2019
Excellent book that really has made me reconsider/understand aspects of my own work as well as others from a philosophical standpoint. I also learned a lot about the Way of Tea and the history and importance of Japanese and Korean folk art, particularly with regard to ceramics. Wabi, sabi, and shabusa are terms I've heard before, but I didn't have a full understanding until reading this book. I definitely recommend.
January 12, 2008
This is a fascinating book about Japanese art, beauty, and balance.
Translated from Japanese by Bernard Leach a very close friend of the author and a renowned Potter. Lots of History of the craftman's art.
Japanese art is a balance of beauty and peace. You will feel both as you read this book.
Translated from Japanese by Bernard Leach a very close friend of the author and a renowned Potter. Lots of History of the craftman's art.
Japanese art is a balance of beauty and peace. You will feel both as you read this book.
November 10, 2016
This book is a good start to Zen and Japanese folk-crafts. With the similar emptiness, it exactly expresses how does Japanese beauty look like.
Don't stop reading when you get confused! The next several paragraphs or chapters will somewhat explain to you.
Don't stop reading when you get confused! The next several paragraphs or chapters will somewhat explain to you.
June 3, 2019
It took me forever to read this book because it’s so interesting and intense, full of inspiration, that I had to chew it slowly. Definitely inspiring. I used to love making ceramic pieces and I lived in Japan for quite some time so this book makes perfect sense to me.
November 8, 2011
Profound on many levels. Basically providing a framework for thinking about my own craft - How necessary is it for personal recognition of your work?
August 24, 2012
One of my personal favs
October 30, 2012
a must for every potter.
March 24, 2022
I feel very ambivalent about this book. On the one hand I enjoyed reading the authors perspective on art particularly some of his insights into the connection between Japanese art and Buddhism. On the other hand, it felt like he has a strong tendency for making ad hominem generalizations, jumping to conclusions, relying on his intuition to the point where he’d produce absurdity. And he is *so* opinionated.
He also fetishizes the “natural” and thoughtless in a way I found irritating and naive. What does it matter if an effect he enjoys is made thoughtfully or thoughtlessly. If anything, it contradicts his opinion held in other places that art should be evaluated and appreciated based on vision and intuition, not analysis. What is this if not that?
Not to mention what read to me as sublimated pseudo-fascist distinctions between common people who should follow a pattern and genius artists...
It was also grossly ironic reading him decry people who force everything into categories for analysis and appreciation while this is fundamentally what he does with his perspective on folk craft being the supreme art form. He only appreciates what he appreciates too...
I think an off handed reference to Theodore Lipps in it might have more value to me than reading the rest of this book.
Also, his hate for mass produced art coupled with his hate for individually produced art was a bit much. Such value on collective art while dismissing individual art as bad because luxurious? Yeesh...
I’d suggest reading wabi Sabi by Andrew Juniper, Robert Yellin’s Ode to Japanese Pottery, and anything you can find by or about Rosanjin instead.
He also fetishizes the “natural” and thoughtless in a way I found irritating and naive. What does it matter if an effect he enjoys is made thoughtfully or thoughtlessly. If anything, it contradicts his opinion held in other places that art should be evaluated and appreciated based on vision and intuition, not analysis. What is this if not that?
Not to mention what read to me as sublimated pseudo-fascist distinctions between common people who should follow a pattern and genius artists...
It was also grossly ironic reading him decry people who force everything into categories for analysis and appreciation while this is fundamentally what he does with his perspective on folk craft being the supreme art form. He only appreciates what he appreciates too...
I think an off handed reference to Theodore Lipps in it might have more value to me than reading the rest of this book.
Also, his hate for mass produced art coupled with his hate for individually produced art was a bit much. Such value on collective art while dismissing individual art as bad because luxurious? Yeesh...
I’d suggest reading wabi Sabi by Andrew Juniper, Robert Yellin’s Ode to Japanese Pottery, and anything you can find by or about Rosanjin instead.
July 6, 2021
Wow this is quite a book. This book really is the book on mingei (folk crafts).
As unassuming as it may seem this book has some really wonderful and thoughful passages on the approach to beauty and artist crafts.
For the utility and purpose of the book (in a literary aspect) it gets a perfect score due to its versatility in perspectives and the question and answer section at the end. I also find that it has an approachability and accessibility to those who find the contents relevant in their life.
I would highly recommend this book to any artist craftsmen or any philosophy junky. This book also has a section on chado (the Japanese way of tea) that I found to be the most helpful and comprehensive (especially to those just learning).
If you are thinking about picking this book up there are a few things to keep in mind. This book does mostly revolve around pottery and ceramics, it contains a large presence of theological theory (spiritualism), it has alot of theory involving beauty and art and has many Japanese terminologies (which is translated wonderfully by Bernard Leach).
I would also recommend it to crafts people and some trades people as it deals with a more "hands-on-utility" type of ideology when it comes to art (those being metal workers, wood workers, potters, textile/ clothing/accessory craftspeople, metal workers and anyone else who makes things for daily use).
As unassuming as it may seem this book has some really wonderful and thoughful passages on the approach to beauty and artist crafts.
For the utility and purpose of the book (in a literary aspect) it gets a perfect score due to its versatility in perspectives and the question and answer section at the end. I also find that it has an approachability and accessibility to those who find the contents relevant in their life.
I would highly recommend this book to any artist craftsmen or any philosophy junky. This book also has a section on chado (the Japanese way of tea) that I found to be the most helpful and comprehensive (especially to those just learning).
If you are thinking about picking this book up there are a few things to keep in mind. This book does mostly revolve around pottery and ceramics, it contains a large presence of theological theory (spiritualism), it has alot of theory involving beauty and art and has many Japanese terminologies (which is translated wonderfully by Bernard Leach).
I would also recommend it to crafts people and some trades people as it deals with a more "hands-on-utility" type of ideology when it comes to art (those being metal workers, wood workers, potters, textile/ clothing/accessory craftspeople, metal workers and anyone else who makes things for daily use).
December 31, 2018
This is one hell of a book. I honestly had no idea what I was reading but got inspired by many potter friends that were reading it. I couldn't have made a better decision. Soetsu's blend of Zen and crafts, his appreciation for Chado, wabicha, Sabi and shibui (including his definition of the term) is refreshing. He continues with Morrison's craftmanship revolution and takes it to new heights.
The book is really a collection of essays, some easier to read than others. Due to this nature, many concepts are repeated several times, but I believe it actually helps deliver the point. In the end, you feel how Soetsu has created a whole framework around craftsmanship and the notion of true beauty.
On a personal note, I feel some parts are a little contradictory. although his FAQ at the end of the book does paint a more cohesive framework. Lastly, his chapter on the Way of Tea is esoteric, to say the least. It embeds the Chado founders with quasi-mystical attributes. I wonder what would they say if the read what he had to say about them.
Either way, it's a fantastic read that any artist, art lover and tea drinker should read.
The book is really a collection of essays, some easier to read than others. Due to this nature, many concepts are repeated several times, but I believe it actually helps deliver the point. In the end, you feel how Soetsu has created a whole framework around craftsmanship and the notion of true beauty.
On a personal note, I feel some parts are a little contradictory. although his FAQ at the end of the book does paint a more cohesive framework. Lastly, his chapter on the Way of Tea is esoteric, to say the least. It embeds the Chado founders with quasi-mystical attributes. I wonder what would they say if the read what he had to say about them.
Either way, it's a fantastic read that any artist, art lover and tea drinker should read.
February 9, 2021
I’ve been trying to get my hands on The Unknown Craftsman for a long time, it’s highly recommended by my tea teacher (tea-cher). About halfway through I thought, maybe this book isn’t for me and then I started reading the chapter on The Way of Tea, oooof — it side swiped my solar plexus and lit my lamp.
“Not only did the Tea masters enjoy beauty with the eye and contemplate it with the mind, but they also experienced it with the whole being.”
“We might say they comprehend beauty in action. Tea is not mere passive appreciation of beauty. To live beauty in our daily lives is the genuine Way of Tea.”
“Why do we long for beauty? The Buddhists would reply that the world of beauty is our home and that we are born with a love for home. To long for beauty, therefore, is the same as to long for home.”
“Not only did the Tea masters enjoy beauty with the eye and contemplate it with the mind, but they also experienced it with the whole being.”
“We might say they comprehend beauty in action. Tea is not mere passive appreciation of beauty. To live beauty in our daily lives is the genuine Way of Tea.”
“Why do we long for beauty? The Buddhists would reply that the world of beauty is our home and that we are born with a love for home. To long for beauty, therefore, is the same as to long for home.”
June 25, 2025
I think to enjoy this book you have to be a student of Zen and open your mind t0 some of the more esoteric ideas about the Japanese concept of beauty. For instance, seeing or perceiving beauty comes before intellectualizing it. There is beauty in imperfection because imperfection implies a sense of freedom. Beauty, from a Zen point of view, is the state of non-preoccupation in every aspect of freedom. The author states that our distinction between beautiful and ugly is based on human delusion and is wholly artificial. He talks about shibusa, a commonly used word in Japan, which is a subdued or austere humility. "Beauty dislikes being captive to perfection." "A sense of beauty is timeless." Toward the end, he talks about the beauty of Okinawa, pottery, and the tea ceremony.
January 7, 2022
I am of two minds on some of his points regarding Korean crafts. While I love that he celebrated Korean crafts, his explanations as to their success came across as a bit backhanded in the translated edition I read. Overall though, I enjoyed diving into what it means to make crafts, use them, and what it means to attempt to identify as an artist or craftsperson.
March 26, 2018
Loved how he emphasized that beauty is on the intuition side rather than then intellect. I felt myself slowing down in some parts because I had trouble related (e.g. Way of Tea) but overall left with a greater appreciation for folk art and am wondering what the role can be in society.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2020
I didn’t find the book to be extremely fun to read, however, the chapter about pattern taught me some deep lessons that I will use the rest of my life. I would rate that chapter 5/5. That chapter alone made reading the book worth it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews