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Yanagi Muneyoshi and aesthetic theory of Getemono

  • 日本硏究
  • 2014, (36), pp.347-361
  • Publisher : The Center for Japanese Studies
  • Research Area : Humanities > Japanese Language and Literature
  • Published : February 20, 2014

大竹眞由美 1

1서울대학교

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ABSTRACT

This paper conducts study on Yanagi Muneyoshi’s aesthetic theory of crafts. Yanagi is a scholar who introduced arts during the period of Chosun dynastyto Japan. He also criticized Japan’s atrocities vociferously. Even though there arepeople who think Yanagi is humanist, the predominant view is that his view onChosun’s arts and crafts remained orientalism reflecting those days. Orientalismis the colonial conception of history that rulers judge and conduct research onsubjects one-sidedly. I also think that Yanagi cannot disengage from such suspicionscompletely according to his works on Chosun’s arts. But It is also excessive thatonly one book studying Chosun’s arts in the middle of complete works set (22books) can formulate his all thoughts. Thus, this paper focuses on the society’strend at that time and his stream of studying on crafts. Not crafts as a purposeof appreciation but that of application. That is Yanagi’s serious pursuit of thereal crafts. In my opinion, his deep affections on Chosun’s art originated fromhis ardor for crafts. My study reaches one point that he just didn’t prefer goodsdisregarding unknown makers. He had the utmost respect for common people’shandwork started as use and their lives using the goods preciously. By these clues,we can infer that he faced Chosun’s art in the same spirit. If so, it is a key openinga new land for the studies on Yanagi that we better focus on his attitude towardcrafts rather than interrogate on his character.

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