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Sori Yanagi Stools

Japanese, 1915-2011

Sōri Yanagi was a Japanese product designer. Born in 1915 in Tokyo, Japan. His father was Yanagi Sōetsu, founder of the Japanese folk crafts mingei movement, which celebrated the beauty of everyday objects, and the Japanese Folk Crafts Museum (Nihon Mingeikan). Yanagi entered Tokyo Art School in 1934, where he studied both art and architecture. He played a role in the Japanese modern design developed after the Second World War to the high-growth period in the Japanese economy. Yanagi was both a representative of the wholly Japanese modern designer and a full-blown Modernist, who merged simplicity and practicality with elements of traditional Japanese crafts. He designed the official torch for the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. Yanagi died in 2011 at the age of 96.

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Creator: Sori Yanagi
Wooden Sori Yanagi "Butterfly" Stool in Molded Plywood by Tendo Japan, 1980s
By Sori Yanagi, Tendo Mokko
Located in Stockholm, SE
Rare and iconic wooden mid century "butterfly" stool in molded plywood by Sori Yanagi for Tendo Mokko Japan, 1980s. In good condition and purchased by the previous owner on a busines...
Category

1980s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Stools

Materials

Plywood

Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool in Molded Blonde Rosewood for Tendo Mokko
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Chicago, IL
The Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanagi, (1915 - 2011) an iconic figure in Japanese industrial design. Originally created in 1954 using the moulded plywood technique that had been newly ...
Category

Early 2000s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Sori Yanagi Stools

Materials

Rosewood

Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool in Molded Blonde Rosewood for Tendo Mokko
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Chicago, IL
The Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanagi, (1915 - 2011) an iconic figure in Japanese industrial design. Originally created in 1954 using the moulded plywood technique that had been newly c...
Category

Early 2000s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Sori Yanagi Stools

Materials

Rosewood

Elephant Stool by Sori Yanagi for Vitra
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Centreville, VA
The Elephant Stool, designed by Sori Yanagi for Vitra, is a playful yet elegantly crafted piece that showcases the harmonious blend of function an...
Category

1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Stools

Materials

Plastic

Rare Japanese Stool by Soetsu Yanagi
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Uccle, BE
This stool was made in 1936 for the Japanese Folk Crafts Museum. Made of Japanese cherry wood and seagrass. Today, you can still see the original benches made for this museum. Yanagi Soetsu (1889 – 1961), also known as Yanagi Muneyoshi, was a Japanese art critic, philosopher, and founder of the Mingei (folk craft) movement in Japan in the late 1920s and 1930s. His son, Sori Yanagi, was a renowned industrial designer. In 1916, Yanagi made his first trip to Korea out of curiosity about Korean crafts. The trip led to the establishment of the Korean Folk Crafts Museum in 1924 and the coining of the term mingei by Yanagi, potters Hamada Shoji (1894–1978) and Kawai Kanjiro...
Category

1930s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Stools

Materials

Seagrass, Cherry

Sori Yanagi Vintage Rosewood and Brass Butterfly Stool
By Sori Yanagi
Located in North Miami, FL
This iconic and collectable butterfly stool is a work of simple and elegant sculpture by the Japanese designer Sori Yanagi. It is rosewood and brass structure. The combination aesthe...
Category

1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Stools

Materials

Brass

Sori Yanagi BUTTERFLY Stool
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Artist/Designer; Manufacturer: Sori Yanagi (Japanese, 1915-2011); Tendo, attributed. (Japan) Marking(s); notes: no marking(s) apparent Materials: rosewood veneer over plywood, brass ...
Category

1960s Vintage Sori Yanagi Stools

Materials

Wood

Rosewood Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanagi
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Dronten, NL
A perfect fusion of western function and eastern or Asian sensibility, the iconic butterfly stool was originally conceived in 1954 by Japanese designer Sori Yanagi. The stool is made...
Category

Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Sori Yanagi Stools

Materials

Brass

Sori Yanagi 'Monjiro' Stool in Oak and Steel for Hida
By Hida, Sori Yanagi
Located in Glendale, CA
Sori Yanagi 'Monjiro' Stool in Oak and Steel for Hida. For centuries, famed Hida artisans in Gifu prefecture have played a role in Japan's woodworking culture, crafting iconic bentwood furniture from sustainable local forests. Established in 1920, Hida Sangyo...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Javanese Mid-Century Modern Sori Yanagi Stools

Materials

Steel, Chrome

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Artist/Designer; Manufacturer: Sori Yanagi (Japanese, 1915-2011); Tendo, attributed. (Japan) Marking(s); notes: no marking(s) apparent Materials: rosewood veneer over plywood, brass ...
Category

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Sori Yanagi BUTTERFLY Stool
Sori Yanagi BUTTERFLY Stool
H 15.25 in W 16.5 in D 11.75 in
Set of 3 Prototype Elephant Stools attributed to Sori Yanagi, 1950s
By Sori Yanagi
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Set of 3 Elephant Stools attributed to Sori Yanagi, 1950s Probably Prototypes. They are made of a plastic mixture and appear to be prototypes or molds.
Category

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Rosewood and Leather Camel Saddle Stools by M. Hayat & Bros Ltd.
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20th Century Pakistani Other Sori Yanagi Stools

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Isamu Kenmochi for Akita Mokko Japan Mid-Century Modern Stacking Stool
By Isamu Kenmochi
Located in St. Louis, MO
Single bentwood stool by Isamu Kenmochi (1912-1971) for Akita Mokko. Original condition, minor scuffs. Label, circa 1950s Kenmochi was one of the most significant designers in midcentury Japan. He was a founding member of the Japan Industrial Designers, which included Sori Yanagi and Riki Watanabe...
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1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Stools

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Beech

Burgundy Vintage Stool, 1960s
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
Stool from the turn of the 1960s and 1970s. Beautiful soft velvet burgundy upholstery. The stool consists of an upholstered part, a seat and wooden legs narrowing downwards, characte...
Category

Mid-20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Sori Yanagi Stools

Burgundy Vintage Stool, 1960s
Burgundy Vintage Stool, 1960s
H 15.75 in W 15.75 in D 15.75 in
BUTTERFLY Stool Stool Chair Design Sori Yanagi Stool
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Saarburg, RP
BUTTERFLY Stool Stool Chair Design Sori Yanagi Stool The “BUTTERFLY” stool by Sori Yanagi combines elegance and functionality in a timeless design. Inspi...
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Metal

Isamu Kenmochi for Akita Mokko Stacking Vintage Stool
By Akita Mokko, Isamu Kenmochi
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
Designed by Isamu Kenmochi and produced by Akita Mokko, this stool is considered one of the icons of Japanese modern design. Kenmochi is known for his works that blend traditional J...
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Isamu Noguchi Rocking Stool for Vitra
By Vitra, Isamu Noguchi
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Previously Available Items
Elephant Stool by Sori Yanagi – Kotobuki - Japon - 1950s
By Sori Yanagi, Kotobuki
Located in SOTTEVILLE-LÈS-ROUEN, FR
An early edition of the iconic Elephant Stool by Sori Yanagi, produced by Kotobuki in 1954, featuring its original publisher’s label. Designed in fiberglass—a groundbreaking material...
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1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Stools

Materials

Fiberglass

Butterfly stool by Sori Yanagi
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Centreville, VA
Ease of travel in the jet age encouraged a growing fusion of cultural influences after World War II. Although Yanagi's stool was designed and manufactured in Japan, it employs Weste...
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Maple

Butterfly stool by Sori Yanagi
Butterfly stool by Sori Yanagi
H 15.25 in W 16.5 in D 12.25 in
Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool Rosewood Brass
By Sori Yanagi
Located in San Diego, CA
Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool in rosewood and brass. Designed in 1954 and produced in the 1990s. Signed, Sori Yanagi.
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1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Stools

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Rosewood

Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool Rosewood Brass
Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool Rosewood Brass
H 15.25 in W 16.75 in D 12 in
Sori Yanagi, "Butterfly" Stools, Walnut, Brass, Japan, 1954
By Tendo Mokko, Sori Yanagi
Located in High Point, NC
A set of first production walnut "Butterfly" stools, designed in 1954 by Sori Yanagi and produced by Tendo Mokko, Japan, c. 1960s. Unlabeled. Seat height: 15.75"
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1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Stools

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Brass

Pair Black Sori Yanagi Elephant Stools by Kotobuki Japan c. 1950s
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pair of black Sori Yanagi Elephant Stools by Kotobuki, Japan c. 1950s. Yanagi foil sticker on underside. Originally designed by Yanagi as ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Sori Yanagi Stools

Materials

Fiberglass

Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool or Ottoman
By Tendo Mokko, Sori Yanagi
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ottoman designed by Sori Yanagi. The walnut bent plywood frame mirrors one another showcasing a butterfly shape, hence the name. The stool is finished with brass hardware. Dimension...
Category

Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Sori Yanagi Stools

Materials

Brass

Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool or Ottoman
Sori Yanagi Butterfly Stool or Ottoman
H 15.25 in W 17.25 in D 11.75 in
Sori Yanagi ‘Elephant’ stool for Kotobuki, Japan 1954
By Sori Yanagi, Kotobuki
Located in Rotterdam, ZH
Elephant stool by Sori Yanagi for Kotobuki Seating Company, Tokyo 1954. Yanagi originally designed the stool as a work chair for his studio, a couple of years later it was released b...
Category

1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Stools

Materials

Fiberglass

Elephant Stool by Sori Yanagi for Kotobuki
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
The Elephant Stool was designed by Sori Yanagi in 1954. This stool, which was released in 1956 with FRP material, which was rare at the time, was used in the pavilion at the 1970 Osa...
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1950s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Stools

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Fiberglass

Elephant Stool by Sori Yanagi for Kotobuki
Elephant Stool by Sori Yanagi for Kotobuki
H 14.57 in W 19.69 in D 19.69 in
Sori Yanagi Model "Butterfly" Stool for Tendo Mokko, Japan, 2000s
By Tendo Mokko, Sori Yanagi
Located in Skokie, IL
Sori Yanagi model "Butterfly" stool for Tendo Mokko, Japan, 2000s Additional Information: Materials: laminated walnut, brass Dimensions: 15 1/2" H x 17" W x 12" D Condition: Ex...
Category

20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Sori Yanagi Stools

Materials

Walnut

Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanagi for Tendo, Japan, 1970
By Tendo Mokko, Sori Yanagi
Located in Amsterdam, NL
A beautiful “Butterfly” stool designed by Sori Yanagi and manufactured by Tendo in Japan around 1970. A design classic that exudes a sense of elegance and understated beauty. Craf...
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1970s Japanese Vintage Sori Yanagi Stools

Materials

Wood

Sori Yanagi Elephant stool by FRP
By Sori Yanagi
Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba
Stacking stools also called elephant leg stools. It won the gold medal at the 12th Milan Triennale of 1960, and it is stored as MoMA and the museum of the Amsterdam as a permanent co...
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1990s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Sori Yanagi Stools

Materials

Fiberglass

Sori Yanagi Elephant stool by FRP
Sori Yanagi Elephant stool by FRP
H 13.98 in W 20.08 in D 20.08 in
Elephant Stool by Sori Yanagi for Puig, 1960s Set of 2
By Sori Yanagi
Located in bruxelles, BE
Pair of red fibreglass stools, designer Sori Yanagi. Stamped on the leg. Wear due to time and age of the stools.
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Sori Yanagi Stools

Materials

Fiberglass

Sori Yanagi stools for sale on 1stDibs.

Sori Yanagi stools are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Sori Yanagi stools, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original stools by Sori Yanagi were created in the mid-century modern style in japan during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider stools by Isamu Kenmochi, and Pierre Jeanneret. Prices for Sori Yanagi stools can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $1,221 and can go as high as $11,095, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $5,000.

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