Critical Ceramics does not usually publish letters to editor as articles. More often than not, they belong in our "Hear/Say" forums area. In this case, I felt that Mr. Yasuda's letter was thoughtful and provoking enough to warrant special attention. I hope to see lively discussion prompted by this letter in "Hear/Say" and, perhaps, a response from Mr. John. Britt.

Forrest Snyder, Editor

Dear Mr. John Britt,

My name is Takeshi Yasuda. I am a British potter born in Japan where I trained at Mashiko for two years and stayed another eight years as a working potter until moving to the United Kingdom thirty years ago. I have taught in British colleges for over 25 years but never took a full time teaching position. At the moment, I am teaching at Alfred University for a semester.

An old friend of mine, Nikki, sent me an email asking me what I thought of your essay titled "The 'Unknown Craftsman' Is Dead" on the Critical Ceramics website. I must admit I was ignorant of existence of this website, and, for that matter, ignorant of the American ceramics scene altogether. I am neither an academic nor specialist in Mingei, yet I have been interested in this subject for a long time. Specifically, the passion you expressed in this essay astonished me.

You touched so many topics in such a short article, I hardly know where to begin. If you could enlighten me on two accounts then I would be quite satisfied.

First, is your observation of Leach/Yanagi and Mingei influence in US higher education today. In my educational experience in UK, my observation is quite contrary to yours. For the last twenty years or so at the college level in the UK, Mingei has been a mere foot note of the art history they learn and most unlikely to have stayed in their consciousness for long. Most of UK ceramics BA students may know the name Bernard Leach, but I doubt they know who he is, let alone who Yanagi is or what Mingei means.

As I write this on Saturday evening at 9:00 pm, I've decided to do a straw poll in the Alfred studio. I found nine sophomores (2nd year), ten juniors (3rd year) and seven seniors (4th year), altogether twenty five of them still working. I asked the following questions to each of them. "Who is Bernard Leach? What is Hamada? What is Yanagi? What is Mingei?" Eleven out of twenty five replied that they didn't recognize any of names or words although two of them said Hamada was the name of glaze. Admittedly, the majority of these eleven students were sophomores. Still, fourteen of them identified Leach and Hamada correctly and most of them said "They toured America in 1940's or 1950's and introduced oriental aesthetics to American potters." I was very impressed. Six out of those fourteen identified Yanagi as a Japanese philosopher and associated him with Leach and Hamada. Four out of those six identified Mingei as a Japanese word for folk art or folk art movement. Only one knew what was meant by "movement." This student identified "Mingei movement" as a valid and alternative life style for a contemporary potters against being a fine art artist and mentioned few word like anonymity, repetitive production, honesty to material and acquirable price.

This definition "potters alternative life style movement" is new to me. I do not recall this from any of my readings. I asked this student where his information came from. He said his father is a potter - a student of Warren McKenzie - and his father explained and gave him "A Potters Book" to read. So, this might be "Mingeisota." Even I knew that much.

I know this survey is not scientific. However, its outcome is much closer to my observation in the UK and quit contrary to the observations you wrote in the first paragraph of your essay. If you can state on what base your observation stands I will be most assured.

My second question is harder for me because I have to work from my memory and my readings on this subject are scattered about in time. Also, all my reference materials are at home in UK. My second question is this: I do not recall any of these artists claiming themselves to be a Mingei potter. Leach, Hamada, Kawai, Tomimoto. None of them. I do not recall Yanagi calling these artists Mingei potters, either. On the contrary, I vaguely remember reading a couple of articles by Yanagi specifically arguing why these potters are artists not Mingei potters. Since your argument revolves around their claim being Mingei potters leading a contradictory lifestyle, it will be great help if you could quote this key sentences I might have missed from my readings where indeed they claim themselves as Mingei potters. Please quote from primary source materials like writings from Leach, Hamada, Yanagi, or Kawai rather than from opinions of writers like Dr. Garth Clark, Dr. Oliver Watson, Professor Edmund de Waal, or Mr. Paul Rice. Although I have highest regards on these writer's integrity, their opinion could not be counted as primary source material in this case.

Even after 30 years in the United Kingdom, I have a limited command of English, as you may have noticed. Still, I hope you understand the point of my inquiry.

Yours,

Takeshi Yasuda

A note to my friend Nikki: I have a faint feel of unease that I might be making a complete fool of myself. After thirty years in England I am fairly well accustomed to the English sense of humor. But American? If this is a kind of American potters joke then, Nikki, you got me.