This lecture focuses on the topic of meibutsu with Christine Guth, art historian and scholar, drawing on her recent book Exemplary Things: Meibutsu in Premodern Japan. In this talk, Dr. Guth unlocks the long and multifaceted history of meibutsu and its role in laying the foundations for the identification, classification and preservation of Japanese cultural heritage.
Meibutsu is a Japanese cultural keyword—with no exact anglophone equivalent—that has had a pervasive and enduring influence in Japan. Literally meaning “famous thing” or “thing with a personal name,” it has served to designate articles of the highest quality, from utensils used in the tea ceremony, swords and incense, to regional crafts and foodstuffs. Initially, this honorific was applied to luxury goods imported from China collected by the elite but over time it became a branding device for domestic products, especially those available along the heavily traveled Tokaido Road linking Kyoto and Edo.