In 1943, Japan Mingei Association sent a mingei research group including Shikiba Ryuzaburoand Hamada Shoji to Manchukou in order to collect and investigate native Manchurian folk arts, demonstrate a ceramic production, and hold exhibitions and lectures. By examining discourse and practice of the research group, this paper explores how mingei movement contributed to the establishment of Japan"s identity by appropriating the Other, Manchukuo.
Through the practice of collecting and investigating, the mingei research group highly appreciated native crafts of Manchuria, showing antipathy toward Han culture. A confrontation between "aristocratic craft" and "plebeian craft," which had been used to reify the notion of "mingei," was redefined into the confrontation between "Han craft" and "native Manchurian craft." In the demonstration of ceramic making, the research group especially focused on the making of nazunade pattern ceramic produced in Manchukuo since it paralleled with the idea of mingei movement in the way that it could manufacture authentically traditional but inexpensive goods by speedy production of skilled craftsmen. By encouraging the application of nazunade technique to renovating Japanese tableware, the research group expressed its goal to accomplish healthy life along with Japanese immigrants who were considered as leaders of Manchurian life.
Manchu was a space where the difference between mingei movement and ethnography became distinctive. Although both were interested in local plebian culture, mingei movement concentrated on a judgement between healthy and unhealthy or beauty and ugliness, distinguishing itself from ethnography, which had no interest in a judgement of aesthetic value. Based on the judgement, mingei movement identified itself as "normality," which was a crucial value for Manchukuo, which claimed to advocate the establishment of a healthy new nation. For example, Fujiyama Kazuo, a vice director of Manchu National Museum, extended his sympathy to mingei movement, planning a construction of exhibition halls which would display the lifestyle of minority group and endeavoring to find "beauty of life" from there. In addition, he suggested lifestyle of native community to Japanese immigrants as a model to follow and promoted harmony between ethnic groups. All these efforts reflected goal of mingei movement, which invigorated local mingei in the Manchu region and elevated the standard of living of Japanese immigrants.
Although Manchukuo was nominally committed to trans-nationalism adopting harmony between ethnic groups as its slogan, it showed nothing more than the other side of ultranationalism, which sought an Tenno-centered unification. Mingei movement, which respected native mingei of various ethnic groups in the Manchu region, but, at the same time, placed Japan in the center of this movement both as leaders (mingei activists) and as followers ( Japanese immigrants), was the most representative example to show how Japan oscillated between two nationalisms trying to reconcile them.