Maggs Bros. Ltd.

A no-expenses-spared, finely printed book made during the War, advocating for a mingei way of life. Only one hundred copies were produced and the present copy belonged to a noted collector of mingei books, Kitazawa Shikasaburo (dates unknown).

The author, Shikiba Ryusaburo (1898–1965) was born in the northern prefecture of Niigata and studied medicine at the prefectural university. He became a doctor of psychology and was awarded the prestigious Ranju-hosho (Blue Ribbon Medal) for his research and contribution to the medical community. In his private time he was an avid reader of literary magazines and came to learn about the Mingei Movement and its ideas. Soon he befriended the likes of Yanagi Soetsu and began to expand his research into the links between psychology and creativity. Perhaps his most famous mingei-collaboration was his analysis of Van Gogh, which was privately printed with a cloth binding dyed by Serizawa. He also took an interest in the mingei figures themselves and wrote a book on Bernard Leach, also produced with a Serizawa binding.

The present book is Shikiba's study of Mingei ideology and how we must view it as a way of life. Divided into four sections, each contains essays on folk craft, craft history and materials. A wonderful collaboration with Serizawa, the box is bound with a hand-cut stencil and each chapter is illustrated with Serizawa plates, which have all been hand-coloured in his well-known style.

This particular copy belonged to Kitazawa Shikasaburo, whose name can be found attached to many important mingei books. He very carefully kept the original postcard announcing the book, as well as a beautifully printed pamphlet essay by Shikiba explaining the production and inception of the book. The postcard explains that they faced many difficulties in the making of this book – mainly the short supply of materials and helping hands. It continues by noting that Shikiba and Serizawa collaborated well and devoted themselves to the production of the book over a staggering 11 month period. This inevitably increased the cost of the book and so the postcard asks collectors to send payment to secure their copy.