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MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY CRAFT INSTITUTE, JAPAN, c.1930s
Publisher: Ministry of Commerce and Industry Craft Institute
Year: c.1930s
Binding: Softcover
Language: Japanese
Kogei News (Kōgei News / 工藝ニュース) was a pioneering Japanese publication dedicated to craft, industrial arts and modern design, produced by the National Craftworks Institute under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Published during a crucial period of transition in Japan, the magazine became a platform for discussing the relationship between traditional craftsmanship and emerging ideas of modern production, functionality and everyday life.
More than a periodical, Kogei News functioned as a forum for architects, designers and theorists involved in shaping the foundations of Japanese modern design culture. Figures such as Katsuhei Toyoguchi contributed essays and research exploring furniture, ergonomics and new domestic environments, helping introduce concepts that would later define post-war Japanese design.
Combining articles, experimental studies, photography and product documentation, the publication captured an important moment in which Japan was negotiating the coexistence of craft traditions and industrial modernity. Today, issues of Kogei News remain valuable historical documents and provide rare insight into the intellectual environment surrounding early Japanese modernism.