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Sori Yanagi Furniture

Japanese, 1915-2011

Sōri Yanagi was a Japanese product designer. Born in 1915 in Tokyo, Japan. His father was Yanagi Sōetsu, founder of the Japanese folk crafts mingei movement, which celebrated the beauty of everyday objects, and the Japanese Folk Crafts Museum (Nihon Mingeikan). Yanagi entered Tokyo Art School in 1934, where he studied both art and architecture. He played a role in the Japanese modern design developed after the Second World War to the high-growth period in the Japanese economy. Yanagi was both a representative of the wholly Japanese modern designer and a full-blown Modernist, who merged simplicity and practicality with elements of traditional Japanese crafts. He designed the official torch for the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. Yanagi died in 2011 at the age of 96.

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Creator: Sori Yanagi
Rosewood Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanagi
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Dronten, NL
A perfect fusion of western function and eastern or Asian sensibility, the iconic butterfly stool was originally conceived in 1954 by Japanese designer Sori Yanagi. The stool is made...
Category

Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Sori Yanagi Furniture

Materials

Brass

Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool in Molded Blonde Rosewood for Tendo Mokko
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Chicago, IL
The Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanagi, (1915 - 2011) an iconic figure in Japanese industrial design. Originally created in 1954 using the moulded plywood technique that had been newly ...
Category

Early 2000s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Sori Yanagi Furniture

Materials

Rosewood

Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool in Molded Blonde Rosewood for Tendo Mokko
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Chicago, IL
The Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanagi, (1915 - 2011) an iconic figure in Japanese industrial design. Originally created in 1954 using the moulded plywood technique that had been newly c...
Category

Early 2000s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Sori Yanagi Furniture

Materials

Rosewood

Elephant Stool by Sori Yanagi for Vitra
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Centreville, VA
The Elephant Stool, designed by Sori Yanagi for Vitra, is a playful yet elegantly crafted piece that showcases the harmonious blend of function an...
Category

1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Furniture

Materials

Plastic

Japan Furniture Exhibition '61
By Sori Yanagi
Located in New York, NY
Catalog accompanying an exhibition held in the United States in 1961, sponsored and published by the Japan Export Furniture Manufacturer Association (JEFMA), a trade organization of 48 leading furniture makers in Japan, in collaboration with their government-run National Industrial Arts Institute, with the dual purpose of stimulating the production of Japanese “Good Design” in furniture, and introducing the results to the U.S. market. According to the introduction to this, the second iteration of this exhibition, “it is full three years since the First Exhibition was held in the United States in 1958…these recent years, we Japanese furniture manufacturers have increasingly equipped with facilities for mass production, so that we are now in a position to offer the products of better quality at lower prices. At the same time we have been making efforts to create furniture of graceful design with Oriental taste, using Japanese traditional craftsmanship. We have mainly selected the furnitures which are ready for mass production, and added some pieces of Japanese taste.” The 24 page catalog presents chairs, tables, and case pieces by prominent Japanese architects and designers including Katsuo Matsamura, Taichiro Nakai, Kozo Asari, Hideo Saito, Takeshi Mineo, Yujiro Yamaguchi, Ryuchi Ise, Fukuji Suzuki, Masaharu Ito, Keisuke Nakamura, Yo Yamagishi, Shigeru Imai, Shiro Kodo, Tadao Kawanami, Akira Sogi, Tomoichi Yoshida, Sori Yanagi, Taichiro Nakai, Toshio Miyake, Motoi Kojima, Fukui Suzuki, Akira Takayabu, Selichi Watanabe, and T. Nii, along with works from the Industrial Arts Institute and an armchair by American ex-pat Noemi Raymond, wife of architect Antonin Raymond. Manufacturers include. Manufacturers represented in the exhibition include Akita Mokko Co, Bokai Industry Co, Fuji Furniture Co, Haneda, Kosajujo Co, Inada & Co, Iwai Kogyo Co, Imada Mokko Co, Kobe Wood Chemics Assoc., Kosuga & Co, Kotobuki Seating Co, Kobyashi Fukuzo & Co, K.K. Shimada Seisakusho, Kubo Shoten Co, Kassai Manufacturing Co, Miyoshi Mokko Co, Okamura Mfg. Co, Sakigake Furniture, Santa Kogyosho Corp, Tendo Mokko, Tsuji Mokko Co, Tottori Kagu Kogyo Co, Taihei Mokko Co, Toki Mokko Co, Toyohashi Mokko Co, Yamaguchi Co...
Category

1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Furniture

Materials

Paper

Wooden Sori Yanagi "Butterfly" Stool in Molded Plywood by Tendo Japan, 1980s
By Sori Yanagi, Tendo Mokko
Located in Stockholm, SE
Rare and iconic wooden mid century "butterfly" stool in molded plywood by Sori Yanagi for Tendo Mokko Japan, 1980s. In good condition and purchased by the previous owner on a busines...
Category

1980s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Furniture

Materials

Plywood

Sori Yanagi Vintage Rosewood and Brass Butterfly Stool
By Sori Yanagi
Located in North Miami, FL
This iconic and collectable butterfly stool is a work of simple and elegant sculpture by the Japanese designer Sori Yanagi. It is rosewood and brass structure. The combination aesthe...
Category

1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Furniture

Materials

Brass

Sori Yanagi White Elephant Stool for Kotobuki, 1960s
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
An iconic mid-century design by Japanese master Sori Yanagi. The Elephant Stool embodies simplicity, functionality, and sculptural beauty. Featuring a distinctive arching silhouette ...
Category

1960s Japanese Vintage Sori Yanagi Furniture

Materials

Fiberglass

Rare Japanese Stool by Soetsu Yanagi
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Uccle, BE
This stool was made in 1936 for the Japanese Folk Crafts Museum. Made of Japanese cherry wood and seagrass. Today, you can still see the original benches made for this museum. Yanagi Soetsu (1889 – 1961), also known as Yanagi Muneyoshi, was a Japanese art critic, philosopher, and founder of the Mingei (folk craft) movement in Japan in the late 1920s and 1930s. His son, Sori Yanagi, was a renowned industrial designer. In 1916, Yanagi made his first trip to Korea out of curiosity about Korean crafts. The trip led to the establishment of the Korean Folk Crafts Museum in 1924 and the coining of the term mingei by Yanagi, potters Hamada Shoji (1894–1978) and Kawai Kanjiro...
Category

1930s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Furniture

Materials

Seagrass, Cherry

Rare Japanese Stool by Soetsu Yanagi
Rare Japanese Stool by Soetsu Yanagi
$6,288 Sale Price
20% Off
Japanese Sake Glass Set by Sori Yanagi, 1970s
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
A masterpiece of Japanese design, these vintage sake glasses by Sori Yanagi embody the harmony of form and function. With their refined silhouette and subtle elegance, they offer a ...
Category

Late 20th Century Japanese Sori Yanagi Furniture

Materials

Glass

Sori Yanagi Side Chairs for Kotobuki, Pair, Designed in 1969
By Sori Yanagi, Kotobuki
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Stackable side chairs designed by Sori Yanagi in 1969 and manufactured by Kotobuki. Sold as a pair. Priced in pair. Upholstery, FRP (fiber-glass reinforced plastic), steel.
Category

1970s Japanese Vintage Sori Yanagi Furniture

Materials

Steel

Sori Yonagi for Hida Bleached Oak Table and Chairs Reissue 2022
By Hida, Sori Yanagi
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A beautiful dining table and chairs by Sori Yanaga Design for Hida of Japan. This wonderful set in oak consists of 2 armchairs, 2 side chairs and the 47 inch diameter table. While he...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Sori Yanagi Furniture

Materials

Oak

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Exhibition Catalog – 25 Originales: Litografías y Aguafuertes by Pablo Picasso
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Set of 3 Prototype Elephant Stools attributed to Sori Yanagi, 1950s
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Previously Available Items
Elephant Stool by Sori Yanagi – Kotobuki - Japon - 1950s
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Butterfly stool by Sori Yanagi
Butterfly stool by Sori Yanagi
H 15.25 in W 16.5 in D 12.25 in
Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool Rosewood Brass
By Sori Yanagi
Located in San Diego, CA
Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool in rosewood and brass. Designed in 1954 and produced in the 1990s. Signed, Sori Yanagi.
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1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Furniture

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Rosewood

Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool Rosewood Brass
Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool Rosewood Brass
H 15.25 in W 16.75 in D 12 in
SORI YANAGI , Mageki Stacking Chairs for Akita Mokkou , 1960s , Japanese modern
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
SORI YANAGI , Mageki Stacking Chairs for Akita Mokkou , 1960s , Japanese modern each price
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1960s Vintage Sori Yanagi Furniture

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Sori Yanagi, "Butterfly" Stools, Walnut, Brass, Japan, 1954
By Tendo Mokko, Sori Yanagi
Located in High Point, NC
A set of first production walnut "Butterfly" stools, designed in 1954 by Sori Yanagi and produced by Tendo Mokko, Japan, c. 1960s. Unlabeled. Seat height: 15.75"
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1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Furniture

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Sori Yanagi, Oval Mirror for Akita Mokko, 1980s
By Sori Yanagi, Akita Mokko
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Wall hanging mirror that was designed by Sori Yanagi in 1977 and manufactured by Akita Mokko. There is only one seam in the frame, which shows Akita Mokko's excellent technique. S...
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1980s Japanese Vintage Sori Yanagi Furniture

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Elephant Stool by Sori Yanagi for Kotobuki
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
The Elephant Stool was designed by Sori Yanagi in 1954. This stool, which was released in 1956 with FRP material, which was rare at the time, was used in the pavilion at the 1970 Osa...
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Fiberglass

Elephant Stool by Sori Yanagi for Kotobuki
Elephant Stool by Sori Yanagi for Kotobuki
H 14.57 in W 19.69 in D 19.69 in
Sori Yanagi Model "Butterfly" Stool for Tendo Mokko, Japan, 2000s
By Sori Yanagi, Tendo Mokko
Located in Skokie, IL
Sori Yanagi model "Butterfly" stool for Tendo Mokko, Japan, 2000s Additional Information: Materials: laminated walnut, brass Dimensions: 15 1/2" H x 17" W x 12" D Condition: Ex...
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Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanagi for Tendo, Japan, 1970
By Tendo Mokko, Sori Yanagi
Located in Amsterdam, NL
A beautiful “Butterfly” stool designed by Sori Yanagi and manufactured by Tendo in Japan around 1970. A design classic that exudes a sense of elegance and understated beauty. Craf...
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1970s Japanese Vintage Sori Yanagi Furniture

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Wood

Sori Yanagi Dining Table, Tendo Mokko, Designed in 1998
By Sori Yanagi, Tendo Mokko
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Dining table designed by Sori Yanagi in 1998 and manufactured by Tendo Mokko. The gentle rounded form enhances the texture of natural wood.
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1990s Japanese Sori Yanagi Furniture

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Sori Yanagi Rosewood Butterfly Stools
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Pair of Sori Yanagi butterfly stools executed in rosewood. These examples have polished chrome stretchers. Price listed is for the pair.
Category

1980s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Furniture

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Sori Yanagi furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Sori Yanagi furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Sori Yanagi furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Sori Yanagi were created in the mid-century modern style in japan during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Junzo Sakakura, Akita Mokko, and Takeshi Nii. Prices for Sori Yanagi furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $1,221 and can go as high as $11,095, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $4,500.

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