民芸(みんげい)

みんげい
noun
folk craft; folk art
1. folk craft; folk art; folkcraft
Traditional handicrafts made by ordinary people for everyday use, valued for their simple beauty and functionality rather than fine-art status. Also refers to the aesthetic movement that promoted such crafts.
民芸(みんげい)品(ひん)をお土産(みやげ)に買(か)った。
I bought folk crafts as souvenirs.
この地方(ちほう)には古(ふる)くからの民芸(みんげい)が残(のこ)っている。
Traditional folk crafts have been preserved in this region.
日本民芸館(にほんみんげいかん)では、全国(ぜんこく)から集(あつ)められた民芸(みんげい)品(ひん)を見(み)ることができる。
At the Japan Folk Crafts Museum, you can see folk craft items collected from all over the country.

Short for 民衆的工芸(みんしゅうてきこうげい) (popular crafts). The term was coined by 柳宗悦(やなぎむねよし) (Yanagi Muneyoshi) in the 1920s as part of the Mingei movement, which celebrated the beauty of ordinary, handmade objects used in daily life — pottery, textiles, woodwork, and lacquerware made by anonymous craftspeople.

CULTURAL CONTEXT:
The Mingei movement drew attention to the aesthetic value of simple, functional objects. 日本民芸館(にほんみんげいかん) (Japan Folk Crafts Museum) in Tokyo is the movement's flagship institution. Many regional souvenir shops sell 民芸(みんげい)品(ひん).

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 民芸(みんげい)品(ひん) — folk craft item, folkcraft product
  • 民芸(みんげい)店(てん) — folk craft shop
  • 民芸(みんげい)運動(うんどう) — the Mingei movement
  • 伝統(でんとう)民芸(みんげい) — traditional folk crafts

RELATED TERMS:

  • 工芸(こうげい) — craft, handicraft; broader term for all crafts including fine craft
  • 手工芸(しゅこうげい) — handicraft; emphasizes handmade production
general
Added 2026.3.27 8:24
19500/19768_mingei