The Mingei movement discovered the beauty and value of utility which has functioned in people’s everyday lives. Izumo Folk Crafts Museum here in Shimane Prefecture was opened in 1974. The Museum is based in a building donated by the Yamamoto family, one of the most wealthy farming families in the Izumo area, who were struck by the concept of Mingei. The main objects on display attracting the attention of visitors are in the collection donated at the occasion of the Museum opening by the members of Izumo Folk Crafts Association and supporters from inside and outside the Prefecture.

In the gallery spaces, partially renovated from a house of the Yamamoto family, many items are displayed, mainly from the end of the Edo period up to the beginning of the Showa period. They were collected from Shimane Prefecture and other parts of Japan, including ceramics such as Fujina ware and Iwami ware, dyed textiles such as indigo dye and cotton Kasuri fabric, and tools made by woodwork. The Museum aims not only to display objects for aesthetic purposes, but also to introduce widely the beauty and philosophy of everyday living in Mingei crafts, and the utility of these items which have been ingrained in people’s ordinary lives.

There is also a shop area in the building. There is a variety of carefully selected objects such as ceramics, woodworks, and Washi papers, mainly from the San’in region but also other areas of Japan. They also stock books relating to Mingei so that people can get even closer to the idea of Mingei by using items based on historical knowledge.

Photos by Nik van der Giesen