The Beauty of Everyday Things (Penguin Classics)

Beautiful book, came in great condition.

Incredible book, well worth the read.

This book is a set of essays about various types of Japanese folk craft, such as kasuri (a type of resist dying that results in a blurry effect), kogin (counted thread embroidery), woodblock prints, otsu-e (a type of collaborative painting with repetitive patterns), and washi (traditional Japanese paper). There is also a rather lengthy essay on how the author discovered and popularized a heretofore unknown artist named Mokujiki, and an interesting chapter on the Japanese eye for beauty. The book’s unifying theme is that craft is superior to art, and the author makes some pretty compelling arguments toward that idea that are well worth a read. There are also a couple essays at the end seemingly thrown in for good measure – an apology to the Korean people for invading their country (written in 1920) and a description of the development of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum.

The first couple of essays/chapters are esoteric and nearly made me want to leave the book on a free bookshelf. I'm so so glad I didn't. Once you get past those you find yourself learning about and engaging with beautiful prose, describing the fleeting beauty of handmade products. Many instances I had to remind myself that this text was written many years ago because the same trials are being faced today.

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 about 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. By 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 seem 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. In spite of 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 sparks joy in us, Mr. Yanagi wants us to fill our lives and homes with items that are truly beautiful. We shouldn't buy something for the sake of buying or because it is cheap. It's an ideaology we should all adopt and share with others to counter the billionaires who seem to run our lives these days.

Perfect— seller shipped very quickly, book is in great condition!

Very nice overview of beauty, as the basic and natural way of life in Japan. He could have worked for Apple design dept.

The book arrived with a slightly damaged back cover and black stains all over the front and back covers. It looks ike it was stored at a coal mine.

Parfait selon mes besoins

Did not provide any new or concrete insights. Overly wordy.

Recomiendo mucho el libro

Excelente leitura.