Hello. This is Omura from the editorial department.
It's been about three months since I moved to Tokyo at the end of last year, and I still feel like I'm traveling while living here.
What is surprising about Tokyo is not only how crowded the morning trains are, but also the overwhelming number of art exhibitions and other exhibitions. There are so many interesting posters at the stations that you can't help but stare at them.
In the midst of all this, I felt like going to see "The Work of Hanamori Yasuji: Designing Hands, Editor-in-Chief's Eyes," currently on display at the Setagaya Art Museum .
Yasuji Hanamori was the first editor-in-chief of the magazine " Kurashi no Techo ," which was launched just after the war and has a history of about 70 years. The magazine continues to this day and features articles on handicrafts, crafts, cooking recipes, and essays about the lives of famous people.
For about 30 years, from the publication's founding until his death, Hanamori was involved in almost every aspect of the magazine, from interviews and writing articles, to layout, proofreading, cutouts, cover art, and advertisements. He was a man who had a strong conviction and aesthetic sense.
Exhibitions showcasing Hanamori's work for Kurashi no Techo have been held several times in the past, but this time the exhibition will also introduce her work from before the magazine was launched and outside of it, allowing visitors to learn about her work as an individual.
As I was about to get involved in editing work, I thought there might be something I could learn, and I had heard that the museum was in a lovely location, so I decided to go and check it out.
The road to Setagaya Art Museum
It was a fine day at the end of February. After arriving at Yoga Station, the closest station to the museum, we immediately headed for the Setagaya Art Museum. As soon as we left the station, we found ourselves on a paved road. At first glance, it looked like a black stone pavement, but it turned out to be called Yoga Promenade (Ikaramichi), and was made of tiles.
Yoga Promenade (Ikaramichi)
This promenade was designed by Zo Design Group about 30 years ago. It has a playful design, with a raccoon-shaped water tap and chairs that look like the king and queen in picture books.
I heard a child say, "Mom, there's no water today," but there was something resembling a stream, which might be a playground for children in the summer.
The promenade continues through a residential area, but there are also areas with fields and plum blossoms. I spotted an interesting sign.
If you follow the instructions,
Locals were selling summer oranges, butterbur sprouts, and pickled plums that they had grown in the fields here. I ended up buying some summer oranges and butterbur sprouts. I had no idea there were places like this in Tokyo.
After passing through the promenade, we arrived at Kinuta Park. It felt like it had been a long time since I had heard the sound of the wind rustling the trees.
Then we went to the museum in the park. We finally arrived.
Setagaya Art Museum
"The Work of Yasuji Hanamori: The Hands of Design, the Eyes of an Editor-in-Chief" Exhibition
The first part of the exhibition is the "Aiueo Object Encyclopedia," which introduces items related to "Kurashi no Techo" in alphabetical order.
After that, the exhibition introduces Hanamori's work from her student days and during the war, and after the first issue of "Kurashi no Techo" the pages of the magazine are displayed as panels. You can also see the bindings of books other than "Kurashi no Techo", which is a special feature of this exhibition, as well as cover art and advertisements for other companies' magazines.
This exhibition is packed with content. We will introduce it in seven sections.
This is going to be a bit long, but if you're interested please bear with me.
1. After experiencing war, he started making magazines
Hanamori was born in Kobe in 1911 (Meiji 44) to a trading merchant father. From an early age, he was taken to Takarazuka Revue performances and movies, and it seems he was good at drawing. During his student days, when he wrote poetry and novels, he dreamed of becoming a newspaper reporter or editor, and worked as an editor for the student newspaper during his time at Tokyo Imperial University.
After graduating from university, World War II began. He was already publishing books about lifestyle improvements around this time, but what surprised me was that he was involved in the layout of posters and other materials at a national propaganda agency. He was involved in the production of posters such as "We Don't Want Anything Until We Win."
In addition to his work, he also went to war zones such as Manchuria. The notebooks that Hanamori used during the war are also on display, but it seems that he didn't talk much about those times even after the war.
On the other hand, he had a strong interest in Western clothing since his student days, and immediately after the war, he was active as an illustrator and fashion critic. He launched the magazine "Style Book," the predecessor of "Kurashi no Techo." He popularized the "straight-line cutting" technique, saying that even if new fabrics were not available, it would be possible to make Western clothing using kimono and yukata fabrics.
Yasuji Hanamori (1948) "The beauty of straightforward lines," Style Book Summer 1948, p. 3-4, Costume Research Institute
The first issue of the style book. It was so popular that people lined up to buy it. I can imagine that the colorful pictures and the hope that you can change your life by using everyday items in an ingenious way must have instantly brightened the hearts of women in those days of scarcity just after the war.
2. The launch of "Kurashi no Techo" (Living in the City). The focus was on the consumer perspective.
In 1948 (Showa 23), he launched "Utsukushii Kurashi no Techo" (later renamed "Kurashi no Techo") with the aim of creating a magazine to make the world a place where terrible wars would never happen again. At the time, the word "kurashi" (living) had a dark image, so he added the word "beautiful" to the title. With food, clothing and shelter as its theme, he proposed a series of ideas and ingenuity to make life more enjoyable and fulfilling.
The most enjoyable article on display was "The Story of the Sauce Family." It is an article from 1954 (Showa 29), and it introduces four French sauces as sisters, which was unusual at the time, with colorful illustrations. The magazine's desire to deliver fun ideas for enriching people's lives is conveyed, and it makes you want to get your hands on the issue in which it was published.
While providing useful information for daily life, the magazine also delves into social issues, such as the problems with daycare centers at the time and pollution, and other issues that arise during rapid economic development. The magazine raises issues from the perspective of everyday people.
Hanamori's own writings, in which he outlines his thoughts on politics and economics, are also on display, and the powerful nature of his writing is overwhelming.
When I read Hanamori's articles, I get a strange feeling that even in sentences that use clear and strong words, it's like he's speaking to me right next to me. I'm drawn in from the first sentence, and before I know it, I'm reading more and more. He always tries to be conscious of "communicating in an easy-to-understand way" from the reader's perspective.
3. The editor-in-chief who illustrated all 153 books
Hanamori also did the cover art for all 153 issues of the magazine, from its first issue until his death in 1978 (Showa 53). The atmosphere of the illustrations changes with the era, but they all have a common warmth.
Immediately after the war, he photographed rooms and street corners that gave the impression of a somewhat dreamy life. In the 1960s, he photographed vegetables and fruits in an ingenious way. In the 1970s, he painted free-spirited pictures of women.
This is the cover art for the first issue published in 1948 (Showa 23). It is a scene that gives a glimpse of everyday life, featuring newspapers, pots, umbrellas, and more.
Apparently, he drew the cover art alone in his room after finishing all the work, such as the articles and layout. When it was finished, he would show it to the editorial staff to see their reaction, and if they didn't respond well, he would quietly make corrections.
You may wonder why she would both write articles and draw pictures, but for Hanamori, who was originally active as an illustrator, it may have been natural for her to do both. The cuts throughout the magazine are all heartwarming.
4. The consistent policy of "not displaying advertisements"
In the "A-I-U-E-O Illustrated Encyclopedia of Things," along with the message "Everyone, take good care of your things," the magazine lists the camera, recorder, and ink bottle used by Hanamori, as well as items tested by the editorial department in "Product Testing," a popular feature of "Kurashi no Techo."
In the "product testing" section, we test a variety of items, including irons, washing machines, and baby strollers. In the case of sewing machines, we test a total of 10,000 kilograms over the course of a year to see how well they can sew products from several different brands under the same conditions. In the test of toasters, we toast 43,088 slices of bread, which is quite thorough.
Nowadays, Japanese products are of high quality, but after the war there seemed to be a lot of variation in quality, and Hanamori wanted to encourage manufacturers to produce good products by conducting fair testing.
In addition, this project is possible because "Kurashi no Techo" does not carry advertisements. Not carrying advertisements is one reason for the magazine's freedom of expression, but it also reflects Hanamori's aesthetic sense, as she did not want the pages, which she had so lovingly laid out, to be disrupted by other people's work.
Apart from the products, there is also a feature called "Fire Testing", in which they actually knock over a stove, start a fire and test methods for extinguishing it, which is surprising.
5. A look at people struggling to get by day to day
The piece that left the biggest impression on me was a report titled "The Life of a Certain Japanese." It carefully interviewed nameless people who were struggling to survive after the war. The exhibit featured a story about a single mother who lost her husband in the war and was struggling to raise her children on her own, a woman known as a "carrier" at the time.
They wrap the rice they have grown in furoshiki cloths and head off to sell it in the city, and photographs of their backs give a sense of the weight of the life they carry on their shoulders.
In one of the exhibition rooms, you can hear Hanamori's voice. It sounds angry, which is a bit surprising, but it's actually her voice telling the editor of Kurashi no Techo, who interviewed people who get up early every morning to go to the auction, about things that couldn't be expressed in the photographs.
If you listen carefully, you will find that he is admonishing her by saying, "Are you taking the photos as if you were putting yourself in this person's shoes and embracing them emotionally?" When I think about the feelings he had while taking the photos, I can sense the magnitude of Hanamori's feelings behind the strength of his words.
At the end of the exhibition, there was a corner where we could take photos together, so I took a photo of Hanamori-san. This is the preparation for the "Kurashi no Techo Exhibition" held at department stores nationwide, shortly after "Kurashi no Techo" was launched. Everything in the exhibition room seems to have been handwritten and handmade.
6. The determination to "protect 'life' with the pen"
In this way, although it is a magazine, "Kurashi no Techo" does not promote consumption, but is instead imbued with the desire to enrich people's "daily lives." It is a unique magazine. Why did he create a magazine with this approach? A major factor was his experience of the war.
The exhibition introduces a passage from Hanamori's writing about how on the day of the end of the war, he walked the streets of Tokyo in a daze. On that day, Hanamori says, he came to the realization that "human life is something that should not be violated by anyone."
Until then, he had lived his life believing that there was something more important than "living," but after the defeat, he realized that there was nothing more important than that, and that there was nothing worth protecting or fighting for at the expense of his "living."
If there was a "lifestyle" to protect, there would be no more wars. That is why we protect "lifestyle" with our pens. That determination has supported "Kurashi no Techo."
7. A symbol of the will of the common people born from a "record of life during the war"
In 1968 (Showa 43), 22 years after the end of the war, Hanamori called on his readers to write about their lives during the war. Records were kept of the progress of the war and the leaders, but he felt that no records had been kept of how the people who lived through the war lived, died, and survived.
There were 1,736 submissions, all of which were written out of an impulse that "I just had to write." From those, 136 were selected to create a special issue titled "Records of Life During the War." This issue was later published as a book, which is still on sale today.
Towards the end of the exhibition, a large patchwork flag was hung from the ceiling. Called the "Issan Go Rin (※) Flag," Hanamori started making it suddenly one day and it was also hung in the company building.
* "Issan 5 rin" refers to the price of a postcard when one is called up as a soldier during wartime. It is said that this comes from Hanamori's shock when his sergeant told him, "I'll take your place for issan 5 rin."
The patchwork flag comes from an episode in which people collected supplies during the war from wrapping cloth that had been repeatedly sewn together.
The flag was a symbol of the will of the common people, or "Issen Gorin." Under the flag were written words that expressed Hanamori's sentiment that "we will not bow down to great power."
Hanamori-san was a light that illuminated the world
Through this exhibition, we learned that it was precisely because Hanamori experienced the war that she was able to create "Kurashi no Techo," a journal that is permeated with her extraordinary thoughts about "daily life."
One of Hanamori's favorite motifs is the lamp. With the desire to be a "light that illuminates the world," she has repeatedly depicted it on the cover and in cuts.
By shedding light on people living sincerely after the war and on problems that might otherwise be hidden, and by sharing ideas for daily life, she brightens people's hearts. Hanamori has done the work of several people by herself, and I believe she has truly brought light to the world.
For me, Kurashi no Techo was a familiar magazine that had been in our home since I was a child, but until I saw this exhibition I had no idea that it was a magazine produced with such passion.
After returning from the museum, I picked up a copy of Kurashi no Techo for the first time in a long while and read it.
On the inside of the cover is the usual text.
"Kurashi no Techo Special Edition: First Editor-in-Chief of Kurashi no Techo, Yasuji Hanamori" (2016), p. 1, Kurashi no Techo Publishing
This is your notebook.
There are many things written here. One or two of these will be immediately useful in your daily life today. One or two of them may not seem immediately useful, but they will eventually sink deep into your heart and one day change the way you live. This is a notebook for your life.
(Kurashi no Techo)
These words belong to Hanamori.
After the war, many people read Kurashi no Techo and gradually changed their lives, and perhaps these changes have come back to enrich our lives today.
I started as an editor for the Monosasu site this year.
Although it is just one company's website, it was a day when I thought that I would like to create a site that would lift the spirits of those who read it.
If you are interested, please visit the museum. You will want to take your time to look through the magazine pages, so we recommend that you go with plenty of time. (And if possible, enjoy the journey to the museum as well!)
I bought some butterbur sprouts on the way to the museum. They had a bittersweet spring taste.
"The Work of Yasuji Hanamori: The Hands of Design, the Eyes of an Editor-in-Chief"
Setagaya Art Museum
February 11th - April 9th, 2017
Hekinan City Fujii Tatsukichi Museum of Contemporary Art
April 18th - May 21st, 2017
Takaoka Art Museum
June 16th - July 30th, 2017
Iwate Museum of Art
September 2nd - October 15th, 2017
If you can't make it to the exhibition, we recommend this book!
Special edition of Kurashi no Techo First editor-in-chief of Kurashi no Techo Yasuji Hanamori
(Kurashi no Techosha 2016 Amazon )
You can see Hanamori's cover art, cutouts, and original illustrations of the bound books.
Written by Yasuji Hanamori Designed by Yasuji Hanamori
(Kurashi no Techosha 2011 Amazon )
This issue, which summarized the "lifestyles" of people who lived through the war, has been made into a book.
Records of life during the war - Archives
(Kurashi no Techo Editorial Department 1969 Amazon )
A collection of selected writings by Hanamori for the magazine "Kurashi no Techo"
The Flag of One Five Rins by Yasuji Hanamori
(Kurashi no Techosha 1971 Amazon )
Bonus: A story about his daughter, Aio
I visited the Setagaya Art Museum again later. There was a lecture by Hanamori's daughter, Aio Doi. She was a stylish and articulate woman.
Hanamori shared many stories from her home life, unrelated to work.
Hanamori-san was known as the "fierce editor-in-chief" because of the strict attention to detail he put into creating the magazine. Although he was a bit eccentric, he also treasured his family.
At his daughter's wedding, he came from his workplace in his usual interview style of a jumper, carrying a camera and a recorder, and continued taking pictures, ignoring the venue's dedicated photographer. It seems that the only subject in focus was the bride, Aio.
He also wrote many letters to his daughter and wife. The letters he wrote to his grandchildren are on display, and they are filled with adorable pictures that will make you smile.
Hanamori-san has devoted himself to changing the lives of people all over Japan through his work. It was as if we got a glimpse of how much he valued his own "lifestyle" as well.
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