An international movement in the decorative and fine arts that flourished in Europe and North America between 1880 and 1910, emerging in Japan in the 1920s. It stood for traditional craftsmanship using simple forms and it often used medieval, romantic or folk styles of decoration. It advocated economic and social reform and has been said to be essentially anti-industrial. It was largely a reaction against the perceived impoverished state of the decorative arts at the time and the conditions in which they were produced. Its influence was felt in Europe until it was displaced by Modernism in the 1930s and continued among craft makers, designers and town planners long afterwards.

The term was first used in 1887, although the principles and style on which it was based had been developing in England for at least 20 years. It was inspired by the writings of the architect Augustus Pugin, the writer John Ruskin and the artist William Morris.