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Tokyo Weekender

How Mogi Folk Art Sparked Tokyo's Mingei Renaissance

In the heart of Tokyo's bohemian neighborhood of Koenji, Mogi Folk Art has carved out a space where tradition and contemporary design collide. Opened in 2022 by Keiko Kitamura and Terry Ellis, the store is described as an homage to mingei , Japan's folk craft movement that champions the beauty found in everyday handmade objects of use. Since opening, Mogi Folk Art has gained an international following for its unique selection of furniture, homewares and clothing, which are brought together under the discerning eye of its owners. Ellis is a renowned figure in the Japanese design and craft scene, and Kitamura is a seasoned buyer with a honed eye for the overlooked. Together, the couple offers a philosophy that craft should be alive, not archival. The store embodies the pair's decades-long work in this world; to look back at their joint career is essentially to plot the resurgence of mingei, so paramount have they been to its current revitalization. It was a path littered with obstacles at the start. The pair began working as buyers for the lifestyle giant Beams in the 90s, where they first began to introduce Japanese craft pieces into the rotation during the early 2000s. However, as Ellis recalls, the objects at this time were seen as so old-fashioned that the press 'wouldn't even look at them.' List of Contents: From Okinawa to Tokyo: The Mingei Revivalists The International Language of Mingei The Future: Crafting Continuity Related Posts Examples of Okinawan pottery From Okinawa to Tokyo: The Mingei Revivalists Mingei, which translates as 'folk craft' in English, was a movement born in the late 1920s as a response to the rise of mass production. Led by art critic and philosopher Soetsu Yanagi and potters Shoji Hamada and Kanjiro Kawai, the movement sought to elevate the handmade crafts of ordinary people — ceramics, textiles, woodwork — as objects of beauty and cultural value. Though it became a defining aesthetic in mid-century Japan, the movement eventually receded from public attention as consumer tastes shifted. It was Soetsu Yanagi's son — the legendary industrial designer Sori Yanagi — who first taught Ellis and Kitamura the joy of folk crafts. Nearly three decades ago, he suggested they take a trip to Okinawa to pursue this interest. 'At the time, no one was going,' Kitamura recalls. 'It was cheaper to fly to Hawaii.' The couple's first trip in 1997 was a revelation. Okinawan ceramics — known for their earthy palettes, robust nature and bold abstract patterns — were unlike anything they'd seen in Japan, and really spoke to the pair. But when they began introducing pieces at Beams, they received little attention. 'Craft wasn't trendy,' Ellis says, laughing. Okinawa itself still carried postwar baggage: Newspapers mostly reported on American military antics, not artisanship. Yet slowly, through repeat trips (now over 100 and counting) and Beams' cult influence, Okinawan pottery would shed its provincial image. Kitamura and Ellis began by introducing simple plates with no decoration, before carefully moving into bolder colorful pieces, gradually bridging Okinawa's craft traditions with Tokyo's design-conscious audience. By the 2010s, what was once dismissed as 'old-fashioned' had become coveted, and Japanese craft had found a permanent place within Beams through the 2003 launch of its in-house brand Fennica, presided over by Ellis and Kitamura. The International Language of Mingei The history of mingei follows a similar path of bridging cultures. 'The founders of mingei looked westwards,' Ellis notes, 'first from China and Korea, then to Europe and America. Mingei was always internationally minded.' Today, Mogi Folk Art's shelves reflect this: African masks sit beside Mashiko stoneware; Tottori plates share space with indigo-dyed fabrics, altogether creating a space that feels eclectic yet coherent. The commonality? The mark of the hand — a quality Ellis values over mere beauty. Despite this, Ellis notes the early mingei movement was Eurocentric in its influence, beginning to seek inspiration from Africa and South America only in the 1960s. Mogi offers a selection of African art pieces, which Ellis sees as having an affinity with Japanese craft. 'There's a common belief that mingei shares its sensibilities with Scandinavian design, but I'm skeptical of that. Sure, there's a shared emphasis on functionality, but I see more kinship between Japanese and African art.' The parallels, he argues, lie not only in aesthetics but a spiritual utility — objects acting as vessels for ritual, not just decoration. Japan's masks, costumes and religious icons echo West African sculpture and textiles in their embodiment of spirits and unseen forces. 'It's not art for art's sake.' The Future: Crafting Continuity Ellis has always known his role lies in selection rather than creation. 'I tried my hand at ceramics in Okinawa,' he admits, 'but realized I didn't have the talent for it. I know I'm good at selecting — that's where my strength lies.' This clarity of purpose defines Mogi Folk Art and pushes it forward — Ellis' curatorial instinct pairs with Kitamura's nuanced approach to maker relationships. 'My mission is finding the middle ground between our commissions and the specialisms of local makers,' she explains. Their philosophy extends to Mogi's clothing line, which the pair designs entirely in-house. Rejecting the dilution that plagues many small or avant-garde brands (Ellis: 'Designers often start with something great, then have to water it down due to time and cost'), they choose to focus on simple, elemental pieces: smocks, T-shirts, sneakers, and soon, jackets. The palettes — indigo, khaki, beige — mirror the earthy tones of their objects, as if translating folk art's materiality into wearable form. Each garment is produced through longtime Beams connections, using fabrics chosen for their quality and longevity over trend, and the result is clothing that exudes a quiet confidence. Last year, Ellis and Kitamura expanded their vision further with a new dedicated gallery space a few doors down. Open on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Mogi & Mogi Gallery Shop serves as a showcase for one-off, standout pieces, and often spotlights overlooked voices: women artists sidelined by Japan's male-dominated craft history, and older makers with overlooked archives. Despite collecting for so many years, Ellis fondly recalls the first masterwork he obtained — a bowl by the renowned mingei potter Shoji Hamada. 'I had encountered mingei objects before, but this was something else. It was the first time I thought, 'If I don't buy this, I won't be able to sleep!'' At its core, Ellis and Kitamura remain driven by their mission to create spaces where others might feel this same spark, proving through the quiet power of selection that when an object speaks for itself, it needs no explanation. More Info Mogi Folk Art is open each week from Thursday to Monday. Mogi & Mogi Gallery Shop is open on Saturday, Sunday and Monday or by appointment. For more information, visit their website or find them on Instagram at @ mogi_folk_art and @ mogi_and_mogi . Related Posts Ontayaki no Sato: Digital Detox in a Folk Pottery Commune in Kyushu Revisiting Traditional Japanese Crafts with Noritaka Tatehana 'Mingei: The Beauty of Everyday Things' Exhibition