Friday, February 28, 2025 | 1:00 - 5:30PM
Seaborg Room, The Faculty Club, UC Berkeley
This symposium will host interdisciplinary discussions on the traditions and innovations of Japanese material culture, with a focus on mingu (traditional everyday tools), porcelain, and lacquerware. In recent years, studies of material culture in North American anthropology and archaeology have actively explored the technological and aesthetic traditions of material culture, as well as the processes of change and innovation in relation to the discussion of traditional ecological knowledge and historical/cultural landscapes. Meanwhile, folklore studies in Japan have accumulated detailed analyses of the functions and forms of mingu as a key method for understanding the characteristics of regional cultures. These two approaches are complementary and offer opportunities for mutual enrichment. Furthermore, research on Japanese porcelain and lacquerware, which has traditionally focused on aesthetics and art history, is increasingly incorporating approaches from archaeology and history.
This symposium seeks to evaluate the strengths of these interdisciplinary approaches and explore future directions for the study of Japanese material culture. Additionally, it will examine the significance of the collection of Japanese mingu, porcelain, and lacquerware at the Hearst Museum of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley.
このシンポジウムでは、日本の近世から近代の民具や磁器、漆器を中心とする物質文化の伝統と革新について、学際的な議論を行う。北米人類学と考古学における近年の物質文化研究では、物質文化の技術的・美的な伝統を理解し、その変化・革新の過程を在来知や歴史的・文化的景観との関連で検討する動きが盛んである。一方、日本の民俗学では、地域文化の特徴を理解する重要な手法として、民具の機能や形態の詳細な分析が積み重ねられてきた。これら二つの研究動向は相互補完的であり、お互いに得るところが多い。さらに、従来は美学美術史における研究が中心だった日本の磁器や漆器について、近年では考古学や歴史学との学際的な研究が盛んであることも注目される。
今回のシンポジウムでは、これらの学際的な議論を通じて、日本の物質文化研究の長所と今後の展望について考えると共に、カリフォルニア大学バークレー校ハースト人類学博物館における、日本の民具・磁器・漆器コレクションの重要性についても検討する。
SCHEDULE
Session 1. Approaches from Anthropology and Japanese Folklore
Session 2. Approaches from Art History and Archaeology (tentative title)
ABSTRACTS
Session 1
Research on Japan’s Min-gu, Traditional Everyday Tools and Folkcraft Objects: Focusing on Straw Figures and Fish Traps (Uke) | 日本の「MIN-GU」、すなわち「伝統的な生活用具、あるいは伝承的な民俗造形物」研究の紹介～「わら人形」と「UKE（魚の罠）」の研究を例に～ (presentation in Japanese, interpreted by Beth Cary)
Yoshiharu Kamino, Professor Emeritus, Musashino Art University
The term “min-gu” (folk tools) is an academic concept proposed approximately 90 years ago. It is described as “the ordinary tools that our people have technically created out of necessity for use in daily life.” As modernization progressed, the collection and study of “min-gu,” which were gradually disappearing, were advanced. The wisdom and skills of people who have lived in, and sometimes confronted, nature are concentrated in these “folk tools.” Their shared forms, functions, and regional characteristics were passed down and preserved across generations. During the period of rapid economic growth, however, almost all of these tools were replaced by mass-produced items, particularly petrochemical products. The “folk tools” preserved through research have been legally recognized as “folk cultural properties” at the national level, leading to the formation of vast collections across the country and the continuation of dedicated research efforts. From this accumulated knowledge, we can trace the history of “people and objects” and gain valuable insights into future ways of living. Having pursued my research on “folk tools” during this period, using specific examples I would like to present the appeal and discuss the future prospects of this field.
「ミング（民具）」という語は、およそ90年前に提唱された学術概念である。「私たちの国民が、暮らしの必要から技術的に生み出してきた身の周りのありふれた道具類」と説明され、近代化のなかで失われつつあった「民具」の蒐集と研究が推進された。「民具」には、自然に対峙して暮らしてきた人々の知恵と技が凝縮されており、共通する形態と機能と地域性が、世代を超えて継承されて共有されてきたのが特色だった。しかし、高度経済成長の時代に、そのほとんどすべてが工業製品、とくに石油化学製品に置き換わった。「民具」研究によって残された「民具」は、国レベルで「民俗文化財」として法整備がなされ、全国に膨大な「民具」コレクションが形成され、地道な研究が行われてきた。その蓄積から、私たちは「人とモノ」の歩みをたどり、将来の生き方を探る重要なヒントを得ることが期待される。私はこの時期に「民具」研究をすすめてきたが、その具体例を通して「民具」研究の魅力と展望を紹介したい。
Gathering and Transportation in the Japanese Archipelago: Linking Baskets and Ethnography | 日本列島における採集と運搬－バスケットと民族誌をつなぐ―
Kazunobu Ikeya, Professor Emeritus, National Museum of Ethnologyy)
In the Japanese archipelago, baskets are known as “woven containers” made from various materials and in various shapes. In this report, I focus on gathering and transportation in the Japanese archipelago, and consider how baskets changed or remained the same in the process of human beings' transition from gathering to farming by grasping the relationship between gathering activities and baskets. Specifically, after presenting a theoretical framework based on the ethnography of contemporary hunter-gatherer and environmental managers, we will look at the regional characteristics of the shapes and materials of baskets in the Japanese archipelago, including the Ainu people of Hokkaido and the people of Okinawa. Then, by understanding the relationship between baskets and human activity in the ethnography that focuses on gathering and farming in mountain villages, I will consider the social significance of maintaining and changing basket traditions.
日本列島において様々な素材や形の「編まれた入れ物」としてのバスケットが知られている。本報告では、日本列島における採集と運搬に焦点を当てて、採集活動とバスケットとのかかわり方を把握することをとおして、人類の採集から農耕への過程でバスケットがどのように変わったのか変わらないのかを考察する。具体的には、現代に生きる狩猟採集民や環境管理民の民族誌から理論的枠組みを提示したあとに、北海道に暮らすアイヌから沖縄の人々を含む日本列島におけるバスケットの形や素材の地域性を展望する。そして、山村での採集や農耕に焦点を当てた民族誌のなかでバスケットと人間活動とのかかわりについて把握することをとおして、バスケットの伝統の維持と変革の社会的意義について考察する。
Session 2
Material Culture Studies in Dialogue: Mingu Collections and Archaeological Research on Japanese Basketry
Kazuyo Nishihara, Adjunct Lecturer, Kyoto University
In this presentation, I explore how traditional knowledge of basket-making, which has been passed down through generations in various regions of Japan, can provide new perspectives for archaeological studies of excavated baskets.
While archaeological excavations rarely yield well-preserved basketry, research on traditional Mingu baskets in museum collections and interviews with contemporary basket makers provide valuable insights into essential aspects of basket-making: material selection, weaving techniques, and their relationship with the local environment.
By incorporating this living technical knowledge into archaeological research, we have gained new understanding of basket-making from the Jomon period. Additionally, this research has contributed to the reevaluation of regional traditional techniques and increased interest in local history.
本発表では、昔から各地で使われてきたかごづくりの知恵が、考古学における出土かごの研究にどのように新しい視点をもたらすのかを紹介する。
考古学的発掘によりかごが発掘されることは稀少だが、博物館に保管されている民具としてのかごの研究と、現代の製作者への聞き取り調査から、かごづくりに欠かせない素材の選び方や編み方、さらには地域の自然環境との関わりについて、貴重な情報を得ることができる。
このように、現在も地域に息づく製作技術の知恵を考古学研究に取り入れることで、数千年前、縄文時代のかごづくりについて新たな理解が進んでいる。さらに、その研究成果が地域の伝統技術の再評価や地域の歴史への関心を高めることにもつながっている点についても紹介したい。
Japanese Baskets: Transformation From Utilitarian Objects to Fine Arts | 籠―実用品から芸術作品への変貌―
Yuki Morishima, Associate Curator, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Morishima will explore how utilitarian baskets, historically viewed as a craft, have evolved into being recognized as fine art in the late 20th to the early 21st century. Interestingly, one of the key drivers of this change has been the unwavering support of American collectors of Japanese bamboo art. This shift in perception, which began outside of Japan, is gradually influencing how the Japanese view their utilitarian objects as artworks. From a global perspective, this presentation will connect traditional basket-making to the contemporary life and art of Japan.
20世紀後半から今世紀にかけて、実用品とみなされていた籠は芸術作品として再評価されるようになった。次第に「美術品」と変貌していった一つの要因は、アメリカ人蒐集家の日本竹芸に対する揺るぎない支持であった。国外から始まったこの認識変化は徐々に日本に影響をおよぼし、日本人の籠に対する見方に大きな変化をもたらした。伝統的な籠作りをグローバルな視点から現代日本の美術や生活と結びつけて紹介する。
The Well-known Craftsman
Louise Cort, Curator Emerita, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
I am happy to see that this conference introduces the Japanese term mingu, which might be translated as “tools for everyday life.” Japanese folklorists, ethnographers, and anthropologists know the term well. Most Americans, however, are familiar only with a competing term with more sentimental overtones—mingei, meaning "folk craft", "folk art" or "popular art." The word mingei was coined in 1925 by philosopher Yanagi Sōetsu (1889–1961) and popularized by the 1972 English language book of Yanagi’s essays titled The Unknown Craftsman. This patronizing image of a nameless, faceless maker of utensils could not be further from the truth. By presenting the basketmaking work of Hiroshima Kazuo (1915–2013), who served farming communities around Hinokage, Miyazaki prefecture, I hope to demonstrate that the well-known name and reputation of this skilled craftsmaker contributed deeply to his important role for his customers and their livelihoods.