It"s All Japanese to Me

Today’s word is “kintsugi,” joining with gold. I look at what a Japanese dictionary says about it: the pieces are held together with urushi lacquer, the gold is on the surface, and the seams are called “keshiki,” a landscape. I also share how I see kintsugi myself, as something that shows a piece is one of a kind.Sources:* Kotobank, “Kintsugi” (Digital Daijisen, Japanese)* Merriam-Webster, “kintsugi” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to

Today’s word is “mitate,” seeing one thing as another. I talk about how the Omotesenke school of tea explains the word, two well-known stories about Sen no Rikyū, stone water basins in gardens made from stones that once had a different job, and how mitate happens at flea markets and antique markets.Sources:* Omotesenke Fushin’an, “Mitate” (Japanese)* Omotesenke Fushin’an, glossary: “Nijiriguchi” (Japanese)* JAANUS, “mitatemono chouzubachi”* Kotobank, “Mitate” (Japanese) This is a public episode. If

Today’s word is “yō no bi,” the beauty of use. I talk about Yanagi Sōetsu and the mingei movement, the difference between “yō no bi” and functional beauty, and how I sense it in old things at home and at flea markets and antique markets.Sources:* Kotobank, “Yanagi Sōetsu” (Japanese)* Mie Prefectural Art Museum, “Mingei” (Japanese)* KOGEI STANDARD, “Japanese Aesthetic Sense: Yo-no-bi”* The Japan Folk Crafts Museum This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or

In this first episode, I introduce myself and No-to-Katachi (Field & Form), a small research and design unit in Japan, and share why I’m starting this podcast.Each episode, I pick one Japanese word, often about craft or design, and explain what it means. The format is inspired by Lobsterr FM, a Japanese podcast that picks one keyword each episode. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rikutomurakami.substack.com