The Yanagi Sori Design Memorial is a small museum affiliated with Kanazawa College of Art that houses an interesting collection of the celebrated designer’s works and design materials. It is an eye-opening collection that reveals the deep consideration and artistry behind the design of seemingly simple household products that we use every day.
The Yanagi Sori Design Memorial is operated by Kanazawa College of Art
About Yanagi Sori
Yanagi Sori, who lived from 1915 – 2011, was a highly influential and very successful industrial designer in post-war Japan. He worked in many areas designing everyday products, home furnishings, and large scale public structures. With a firm base in traditional Japanese design principles he created simple, modern, attractive objects that could easily be mass produced. Yanagi Sori’s designs are distinctive for the timeless beauty in their organic simplicity of form.
A simple modern beauty born from traditional design principles
During his long career Yanagi Sori designed furniture, lighting, porcelain and kitchen utensils, children’s toys, railway stations, cars, motorcycles, and Olympic-related works including the 1964 Tokyo Olympic torch holder and sacred-fire transport container, and the 1972 Sapporo Olympic cauldron. He also taught at Kanazawa College of Art for almost 50 years and was the director of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum for 30 years too. After his death, in March 2012, Yanagi Design Office entrusted about 7,000 of his designs, products, and materials to Kanazawa College of Art and this was the origin of the Memorial.
A table setting at the Design Memorial
About the Museum
The Yanagi Sori Design Memorial was created to celebrate the designer’s legacy and to operate as a center of design education and research. It is free to enter for the public and displays many of Yanagi’s products which you can both see and touch. Many of these items remain in commercial production. Exhibits are arranged in unified household scenes such as a living room, dining area, and kitchen. Visitors can freely sit on the chairs and pick up the cups, dishes and cutlery to examine them. The exhibits are not captioned so that visitors can form their own ideas about Yanagi Sori’s unique design aesthetic. However, several of Yanagi’s thoughts and teachings on essential design principles are displayed on one wall in both Japanese and English. Here are just four of his ideas:
True beauty is born not created
Design cannot be achieved alone.
Design depends on society.
True design battles with trends.
Many of Yanagi’s designs remain in production
Access
The Yanagi Sori Design Memorial is located in the Owari-cho area of Kanazawa and is a 3 minute walk from the Hashiba-cho bus stop. To get there from Kanazawa Station take a Right Loop bus from bus stop #7 at the Kenrokuen Gate / East Gate bus terminal. The adult fare is 220 yen and the child fare is 110 yen, and it takes about 12-13 minutes to get to the Hashiba-cho bus stop. Parking is available for seven cars, including one priority space for disabled visitors. The Design Memorial is very close to the Kanazawa Phonograph Museum, so it is a good idea to visit these two unique museums together.
Open: 9.30 – 17.00
Closed on Mondays (open if the Monday is a national holiday)
Admission: Free
Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved. Last updated 31-May-2026.
