Michiko (Mityiko) Yamawaki (山脇 道子), born on July 13, 1910, in Tokyo, came from a prominent family closely connected to traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. In 1928, she married architect Iwao Fujita, who adopted her family name, Yamawaki. This was not unusual, as Michiko was the head of an influential family. In exchange for taking the Yamawaki name, Iwao was granted funding to study at the Bauhaus in Dessau.

The couple traveled to Germany in 1930, where Michiko joined Iwao at the Bauhaus, studying the preliminary course and later working in the textile workshop with Gunta Stölzl and Otti Berger. With limited German and no previous design knowledge, she appreciated extra guidance from Josef Albers and Wassily Kandinsky, who often explained lessons in English. Nevertheless, studying with a language barrier was challenging for Michiko. She found some relief in recognizing similarities between Japanese tea culture and Bauhaus design. In her autobiography, she describes both as concepts focused on functionality, where all unnecessary elements are removed. The remaining parts work together in harmony, creating an all-encompassing presence.

After the Bauhaus Dessau closed in 1932, the Yamawakis returned to Japan. Michiko became a textile designer and lecturer, promoting Bauhaus ideas and using Bauhaus-inspired decor in their Tokyo home, which became a gathering spot for local artists. Kawakita Renshichirō, founder of Japan’s Shinkenchiku Kōgei Gakuin, also called the Japanese Bauhaus, invited them to teach; Michiko briefly led the weaving class there before stepping down to focus on her family.

In later years, Michiko taught modern design at Showa Women’s University and reflected on her Bauhaus experience in her autobiography Bauhausu to Chanoyu (1995, only available in Japanese). She passed away in Tokyo in 2000. (ss)