Soetsu Yanagi (1889–1961)

THE BEAUTY OF EVERYDAY THINGS by Soetsu Yanagi is a book my daughter gifted to me. She saw it while browsing in a bookstore while at school in Scotland and thought it sounded interesting. She and I have had many conversations about the importance of buying quality versus buying cheaply, and she thought this collection of essays would reinforce her arguments for quality over affordability.

I didn't know what to expect when I first cracked open THE BEAUTY OF EVERYDAY THINGS. I had to adjust to the essay format, especially because there is little connecting one essay to another. The first several essays all focus on the beauty of handmade crafts and the decline of beauty in everyday essentials. The next few shift to discussing specific examples of handicrafts, Japanese specific and almost obsolete at the time of the essay writing, which was at least sixty years ago. The last few essays focus on Eastern vs. Western beauty, the superiority of Eastern beauty, and a lament on what Japan did to Korea almost 100 years ago.

All that to say, I feel the target audience for these essays gets more specific as you continue reading. The first few are generic enough to apply to any reader. Once Mr. Yanagi starts focusing on Japanese-specific handcrafted items, his arguments become more challenging because you don't know the craft or pattern he discusses. By the time you reach the last few essays, you are reading the opinions of someone who was middle-aged during World War II and who reinforces the Japanese sense of superiority that defined that era.

The main argument running through all of the essays did strike a chord with me, regardless of how confusing some of his essays were. It is difficult to fault his theme because it is true. Much of the items we use in our everyday lives, from kitchen utensils to the clothes we wear, are cheap and lack that sense of beauty that comes with something made well or made by hand.

In many ways, Mr. Yanagi's argument aligns with increasing dissatisfaction with fast fashion and the throw-away mentality encompassing modern society today you see in headlines. We revere handmade items for many reasons. Not only do we expect such items to be of better quality, but we also expect them to be more beautiful because they've been made by someone who loves what they do. Items made by a machine might be flawless, but they lose something in their consistency and perfection.

I found those essays touching on the beauty of handicrafts to be highly relatable. Not only that, but I've been much more careful about my purchases, opting for higher quality items and handcrafted ones if possible. Mr. Yanagi's early essays align with what my daughter and I have been discussing. I find myself looking at simple household items through a different lens.

In the last few essays, however, I struggled with the bias in Mr. Yanagi's words. One essay even argued that if the Western world took one look at Japanese art and handicrafts, they would agree that Japanese art is superior to Western art. He leaves no room for compromise in his arguments, wording his essays in such a way that seems to make his the only correct opinion. The tone of these essays, with that overwhelming sense of Eastern superiority, deviated so much from the earlier ones that I skimmed them instead of studying them in detail.

Despite my distaste for the tone and messaging of the last few essays, THE BEAUTY OF EVERYDAY THINGS is a collection I would recommend to others. What Mr. Yanagi says counters late-stage capitalism and the constant bombardment to buy, buy, buy. Much like Marie Kondo asked us if our items spark joy in us, Mr. Yanagi wants us to fill our lives and homes with truly beautiful items. We shouldn't buy something for the sake of buying or because it is cheap. It's an ideology we should all adopt and share with others to counter the billionaires who seem to run our lives these days.… (lisätietoja)

Al despertar, lo primero que percibimos es el tacto de nuestras sábanas, la luz con la que nos envuelve la lámpara que encendemos, la forma y color de la vajilla del desayuno... Desde ese momento y hasta terminar el día, cuando cerramos de nuevo los ojos sobre el textil de la almohada, nuestro cuerpo se habrá topado y desenvuelto con una infinidad de objetos diversos. Se trata de cosas modestas, comunes y ordinarias, que usamos constantemente sin prestarles apenas atención. Pero los objetos son también unos compañeros constantes en nuestra vida y, como tales, afirma Soetsu Yanagi, deben hacerse con cuidado y fabricarse para que duren. Deben ser tratados con respeto e incluso afecto. Y deben aunar perfectamente belleza y utilidad.

Soetsu Yanagi es un pensador imprescindible hasta ahora inédito en castellano, y una de las voces clave del siglo XX en llamar la atención sobre el valor de los objetos cotidianos y la artesanía anónima. Este libro, que recopila los ensayos breves del crítico japonés, nos enseñará a mirar con nuevos ojos a nuestro alrededor y a admirar el increíble valor material e intangible de las creaciones anónimas, siempre bellas y honestas, que forman parte de nuestra vida cotidiana.… (lisätietoja)

This series of Yanagi's essays was a lovely exploration of beauty and craft, especially the essays entitled "Irregularity": "Why should one reject the perfect in favor of the imperfect? The precise and perfect carries no overtones, admits of no freedom; the perfect is static and regulated, cold and hard. We in our own human imperfections are repelled by the perfect, since everything is apparent from the start and there is no suggestion of the infinite" ( 120). I think that my favorite essay is "The Buddhist Idea of Beauty," which includes: "Passing time cannot affect an object that is truly beautiful" (131) and "...anyone who admires Sung pottery or Coptic textiles is admiring without knowing it, the Buddha's signature. Anyone who is moved by the beauty of folkcraft is in reality being moved by the invisible power that lies beneath the surface" (136).
Later, in a section entitled “Shibusa” (a word that suggests quiet, pure austerity), Yanagi writes, “All works of art, it may be said are more beautiful when they suggest something beyond themselves than when they end up being merely what the are” (150). In this same vein, he later asserts: “Beauty dislikes being captive to perfection” (151), my favorite sentence in the book.


… (lisätietoja)

This series of Yanagi's essays was a lovely exploration of beauty and craft, especially the essays entitled "Irregularity": "Why should one reject the perfect in favor of the imperfect? The precise and perfect carries no overtones, admits of no freedom; the perfect is static and regulated, cold and hard. We in our own human imperfections are repelled by the perfect, since everything is apparent from the start and there is no suggestion of the infinite" ( 120). I think that my favorite essay is "The Buddhist Idea of Beauty," which includes: "Passing time cannot affect an object that is truly beautiful" (131) and "...anyone who admires Sung pottery or Coptic textiles is admiring without knowing it, the Buddha's signature. Anyone who is moved by the beauty of folkcraft is in reality being moved by the invisible power that lies beneath the surface" (136).
Later, in a section entitled “Shibusa” (a word that suggests quiet, pure austerity), Yanagi writes, “All works of art, it may be said are more beautiful when they suggest something beyond themselves than when they end up being merely what the are” (150). In this same vein, he later asserts: “Beauty dislikes being captive to perfection” (151), my favorite sentence in the book.


… (lisätietoja)