Kyoto Hall of Folk Craft

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What you see here is the beauty to be found in everyday utensils

Learn the real essence of craft wares

The Mingei, or folk craft, movement took root in Japan from the 1920s under the guidance of Muneyoshi (Soetsu) Yanagi, who believed that even utensils used in daily life could be beautiful and should be acknowledged as such.
The Hall of Folk Craft resides in a 100-year-old storehouse moved to Kyoto from Hino in Shiga prefecture. With flagstones at the entrance, solid wooden floors, staircase drawers and stucco walls, the storehouse exudes the unique ambiance of an old building, making it ideal for a craft-ware collection.
Split into three levels and starring works by Shoji Hamada and Kanjiro Kawai as well as ceramics, dyed fabrics, paintings, woodworking, furniture and clothing from all over Japan and Asia, this old storehouse is home to works that live up to the craft adage “beauty of usage”. Moreover, so that visitors can enjoy the forms and designs without interference, exhibit explanations are not used.
Specially themed exhibitions are staged every May and October.