Beloved Objects Born and Living in the Climate of Okinawa. Lacquerware by Mokushikkou Tokeshi
Yanagi Muneyoshi (柳宗悦) praised the beauty of handcrafts—such as dyeing and weaving, lacquerware, and pottery—born from the collaborative work of the ordinary people of Okinawa as ‘the cultural wealth of Ryukyu, the region's ancient kingdom’, and this beauty is still being passed down by various hands today. Therefore, in search of the encounter between ‘cutting-edge craftsmanship’ and ‘beautiful things preserved by people across generations’, I travelled around the main island of Okinawa. The journey begins at the workshop of the popular artisan duo Mokushikkou Tokeshi (木漆工とけし), who are enlivening the Mingei Folk art world. We will explore the reasons why this duo, who create lacquerware and woodwork deeply rooted in the natural heritage of Okinawa, is so widely embraced.
