An interaction between Junkichi Mayuyama and the author Yasunari Kawabata, as recorded in The Joys of an Art Dealer.
 
The following is an extract from a book that provides a glimpse of Junkichi Mayuyama’s thoughts and life as an art dealer.
 
About Haniwa
 
“In Japan, haniwa have long been considered archaeological materials. However, since World War II, they have been recognized as beautiful Japanese art works. Given that foreigners have considered Japanese art as influenced by Chinese and Korean culture since ancient times, they have had a strong interest in discovering the nature of Japan’s own unique aesthetic. Undoubtedly, the art works of the Heian period, Momoyama period, or the Genroku era of the Edo period all reveal Japan’s unique forms of beauty. But to me, it is the haniwa that is the personification of Japanese beauty.”
 
“I have handled a lot of haniwa as wares in my gallery. Among them, my favorite haniwa is the one in the form of a girl’s head which was excavated in Nara prefecture. Yasunari Kawabata purchased that work from me.
…
Kawabata himself commented on the work. ‘It is faintly plump and loveable. It is unusual among haniwa for its well-proportioned, graceful, adorable quality. I breathe in the soul of Japanese women when I look at this haniwa head. In it, I sense the origin, the source of the women of Japan. I am so grateful.’ ”
[Junkichi Mayuyama, The Joys of an Art Dealer, Benridō, 1988, p. 130]
 
 
              Yasunari Kawabata made several visits to the Mayuyama family post-war wooden shopfront house in Kyobashi. Junkichi Mayuyama’s close association also meant that he visited Kawabata in his home in the Hase district of Kamakura. With little conversation, they would sit and look at art works in silence. It was always Kawabata’s practice to then announce what he would like to buy as he made his farewells from the reception room. In that manner, Junkichi had many opportunities to experience how Kawabata took up the works that he had recommended and how they came to be associated with first rank literature. Around 1950, amid the post-war recovery period, Junkichi, then in his 30s, learned about the joys of being an art dealer through his interactions with clients. Then, finally with the signing of the Treaty of San Francisco (Treaty of Peace with Japan), the world began to pay more attention to Japanese culture and arts. He was able to confirm the potential for interest in Japanese arts for visual appreciation in the overseas art market.