#shibusa

“Mingei” an art form developed in Japan in the early 1920s by Yanagi Soetsu, Hamada Shoji and Kawai Kanjiro. Yanagi-san was a philosopher and Hamada-san and Kawai-san were potters.

The “ideology” of “mingei” as put forward by Yanagi-san that art was not only that what was created  by artisans but ordinary daily objects made by ordinary nameless person have their own beauty.

Prior to “mingei”Japan was an isolated country (Edo period ~ 300 years ) and during this time it had developed its unique aesthetics like “shibusa” (simple, subtle, imperfection) and “iki”  (aesthetic ideal, urban, stylish, simple, sophisticated). Given it’s isolation, theses aesthetics   later developed into “mingei”. This was in opposition to the Western influence that had started to infringe into Japan after the Meiji restoration.

In the first book book on “mingei”, 1928, he put forward that daily objects made by the common people were "beyond beauty and ugliness”.  [Yanagi Sōetsu, Kōgei no Michi (The Way of Crafts). Selected Works, Volume 1. Tōkyō: Nihon Mingeikan, 1955.]

For an object to be considered “mingei”, the object had to meet a certain set of criteria, cumulating to beauty;

1) Made by unknown craftsmen

2) Made of natural material and hand made

3) Using traditional methods and design

4) Simple in design

5) Form and design but functional

6) Inexpensive

7) Easily re produced

In this regard, art can be created by all not just by artists or artisans. It can be created and appreciated by non artisans.  

The connection between the work of art and the individual is our sensory. That sensation  is what makes the work appreciated. All of us have this sensory capability in one form or other. Without this common ground of connection, there will be no art.

Art in a true form is basic and pure. The energy of the maker is what makes it work.

7 ELEMENTS of SHIBUI:

Simplicity

Implicity

Modesty

Naturalness

Everydayness

Imperfection

Silence

Usage of color is meditative, not spectacle:

Understated, not innocent

Subdued colors, muddied with gray tones create a silvery effect → Shibuichi 

Brown

Black

Soft white 

Quiet monochromes 

Sparse subdued design provide a somber serenity with a hint of sparkle

Shibusa is an enriched, subdued appearance or experience of intrinsically fine quality with economy of form, line, and effort, producing a timeless tranquility. Shibusa includes the following essential qualities:

Shibui objects appear to be simple overall but they include subtle details, such as textures, that balance simplicity with complexity.

This balance of simplicity and complexity ensures that one does not tire of a shibui object but constantly finds new meanings and enriched beauty that cause its aesthetic value to grow over the years.

Shibusa walks a fine line between contrasting aesthetic concepts such as elegant and rough or spontaneous and restrained.

The seven elements of shibusa are simplicity, implicity, modesty, naturalness, everydayness, imperfection, and silence.