Image of Okinawan Culture : A Mingei's Viewpoint

ホウホウ トシテノ ゲンシ ヤナギ ムネヨシ ノ オキナワ ミンゲイ ソウショ ガ エガク シャカイ イメージ

タケナカ, ヒトシ

Takenaka, Hitoshi

オオサカ ダイガク ニンゲン カガクブ シャカイガク ニンゲンガク ジンルイガク ケンキュウシツ

英語

民芸

沖縄

多文化主義

日本

Yanagi Muneyoshi

Mingei (Japanese Folk Art)

Okinawa

multiculturalism

Japan

An encounter with Okinaka was a significant event for Yanagi Muneyoshi the leader of Mingei (Japanese Folk Art) movement started in 1930's. Although his praise for Okinawan culture has been highly estimated for its multicultural viewpoint, it is recently criticized. Critics claim that Yanagi saw the culture as a mere static object, and that he didn't respect active subjectivity of Okinawan people. I, however, think that his viewpoint is full of suggestions when we study the problem of intercultural communication. He never regarded Okinawa as a part of Yamato (ethnocentric oneness of Japan). What was the source of his critical power? I think that the power was not from his historical point of view, but from his capacity of fantasy and association. He used this capacity to understand the Okinawan cultural tradition. In his mind, Okinawa, Korea and Corsica were the same arenas of cultural differences. This vision was a starting point of his critical social theory

英語