Box inscribed by Shoji HAMADA
D 42 cm L 135 cm
“Dokotote mite no manaka naru”
One of Yanagi Sōetsu’s kokorouta (spiritual verses). It expresses a state of absolute reassurance: wherever one may be, one is held within the watchful compassion of the Buddha.
No matter where one is placed, that place itself is the very center — the palm of the Buddha — and therefore never a lonely corner or a marginal space. The verse teaches the importance of living and working honestly, without resisting the natural order of things.
When one feels uncertain about one’s circumstances, these words gently recall a sense of gratitude and inner peace, reminding us that we are always protected, wherever we may stand.
Muneyoshi YANAGI
1889-1961
Advocate of the Mingei (folk art) movement. Also known as the father of folk art. Born in Tokyo. While a student at Tokyo Imperial University, he joined the Shirakaba-ha coterie magazine group. Together with Kenkichi Tomimoto, Shoji Hamada, and Kanjiro Kawai, he focused on folk crafts for daily life, advocating "beauty of use" and founding the Mingei movement. In 1936, he established the Japan Folk Art Museum in Meguro-ku, Tokyo. Before the war, he devoted himself to introducing crafts from Hokkaido, Tohoku, Okinawa, Taiwan, and other regions. In 1957, he was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit.
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