The Japanese mingei (folk-craft) movement began in the 1920s based on the notion that the rural crafts of premodern East Asia represented an authentic past of innocent utility and beauty among communal folk.  Typical of invented traditions, this romantic vision of pre-industrial community and technology was contradicted by the modern processes of its material and symbolic reproduction.  Three types of mingei emerged: old mingei attributed to “unknown” craftspeople of premodern East Asia, art-craft mingei created by individuals who used modern technology and apprentice modes of tacit learning, and new-mingei based on reforms in small-scale factory goods manufactured by farmer-potters.  This article examines this movement and the three types of mingei, and then analyzes a third-generation mingei craft-artist’s negotiation of these.  The author highlights the significance of place in materializing mingei craft, and the importance of both tacit and explicit knowledge in making, appreciating, and selling mingei.