Square jar with white ash glaze

The Mingei movement was a Western-inspired craft movement, distinguished by its appreciation of, and inspiration from, European and Japanese folk crafts. Its most representative artist is perhaps Hamada Shôji. In 1920 Hamada accompanied the British potter Bernard Leach (who had studied pottery in Japan) to England. After Hamada returned to Japan in 1924, the two potters kept in touch, visiting and holding exhibitions together. Their works were largely inspired by English slipware and other folk pottery, and were given a theoretical support by Yanagi Soetsu (1889-1961), a religious philosopher who claimed that the supreme beauty of craft was found in pieces made by anonymous craftspeople for use by ordinary people. The theory, rather ironically promoted by works of prominent artists such as Hamada and Leach (who published Yanagi's theory under the title 'The unknown craftsman'), was embraced by many craftspeople. In Japan, the style has been continued by potters such as Kawai Takeichi and Shimaoka Tatsuzô.

'The Mingei Style', The Asian Collections, AGNSW, 2003, pg.268.