Sori Yanagi
Sori Yanagi (1915-2011) was born in Tokyo. He was the son of Yanagi Soetsu, founder of the Mingei Folk Art movement. Sori Yanagi studied at the Tokyo Arts School, where he developed an interest in contemporary design. In the 1940s, he worked in the offices of Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand.
He opened a studio, the Yanagi Industrial Design Institute, in 1952, creating a vast array of modern design items for daily use, as well as furniture and other industrial products with a strong connection to natural forms. He united worlds of craft and industry and Japanese and Western cultures, creating simple yet functional, timeless designs over a career spanning more than 60 years.
In 1977, Sori Yanagi was appointed the director of the Japanese Folk Art Museum in Tokyo, founded by his father.
