The Edo Period (1603-1868) is renowned for the flourishing of material culture — a time when major advances and innovations in Japanese folk crafts and design were prized by the burgeoning commoner class of Edo (present-day Tokyo) and Osaka.

"The Golden Age of Mingei: Life and Beauty in the Edo Period," currently on exhibit at the Japan Folk Crafts Museum, showcases a wide range of Edo Period folk crafts (mingei), including textiles, ceramics, bamboo work, lacquerware and paintings. This carefully selected arrangement of artifacts provides visitors with a delightful introduction to the culture and design of everyday items, which were embraced and admired by cosmopolitan commoner and samurai alike.

The museum, with its exposed wooden beams, traditional roof and rustic architectural features, provides a fittingly beautiful backdrop for such a historical exhibition.