James Marshall Plumer’s Collecting Journey in War-torn Japan

Full title: James Marshall Plumer’s Collecting Journey in War-torn Japan: Mingei Pottery, Folk Deities, and Ainu Art

Recorded on: Thursday, April 2, 2026

Natsu Oyobe, Curator of Asian Art, University of Michigan Museum of Art

James Marshall Plumer (1899–1960) is remembered as a U-M professor and authority on East Asian ceramics, best known for identifying the kiln site of Jian (Tenmoku) ware in China. Between 1948 and 1949, Plumer served as Fine Arts Advisor to the General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, traveling around Japan to assess the condition of cultural properties. During the trips, he collected Mingei (Folk Art Movement) pottery, images of folk deities, and Ainu objects, which later became part of the University of Michigan Museum of Art’s (UMMA) holdings. Drawing upon these objects and his personal diaries, this talk examines Plumer’s collecting journey and highlights his legacy as an advocate of Japanese art and influential cultural leader in the immediate postwar period.

Natsu Oyobe, Ph.D., is curator of Asian art at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA). Specializing in modern and contemporary Japanese art, she has curated numerous art exhibitions, including Isamu Noguchi and Qi Baishi: Beijing 1930 (2013) and Clay as Soft Power: Shigaraki Ware in Postwar America and Japan (2022). She is also co-curating an exhibition about the artistic practices of Ainu women, which will open at UMMA at a later date.

Видео James Marshall Plumer’s Collecting Journey in War-torn Japan канала University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies