Sori Yanagi (* 1915 in Tokyo), attended art school in the city and worked from 1940 to 1942 in the
office of the designer Charlotte Perriand. In 1952, he founded the Yanagi Industrial Design
Institute, which created a prolific number of articles of daily use and furnishings. Sori
Yanagi's organic forms combine western industrial designs with Japan's native artisanal
traditions. This successful synthesis made Sori Yanagi one of the most significant Japanese
designers of the post-war era. Among Yanagi's most famous designs is his Elephant Stool from
1954. In addition to furniture, he also designed lighting, glass objects, cutlery, children's
toys, metro stations, cars and motorcycles. In 1977, Sori Yanagi was named director of the
Japanese Folk Art Museum in Tokyo.
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