In addition to creating some instantly recognisable furniture icons, Yanagi created a prolific number of industrial designs including lighting, glass objects, cutlery, children’s toys, metro stations, cars and motorcycles.

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.

In 1977, Sori Yanagi was named director of the Japanese Folk Art Museum in Tokyo. He died in Tokyo in 2011.