[Essay] Japanese Aesthetic Consciousness
The 'grace' that forms the foundation of Japanese aesthetic consciousness and finds beauty in nature.
Zeami's 'yugen' (profound grace), which taught that one should only perform to seven-tenths of one's ability and never fully reveal the performance.
Rikyu's 'wabi' (simplicity), which admonished the arrogant Hideyoshi and taught the value of austerity.
Basho's 'sabi' (loneliness), which expressed a wish to spend one's life traveling until it finally comes to an end.
'Kirei' (neat/pretty), which has the influence of Western culture in its background.
And 'kawaii' (cute), which is taking the world by storm in the 21st century.
When we try to share the charm of our homeland, Japan, with the world without falling into narrow-minded nationalism, I believe that the Japanese beauty found in our traditional culture is one of the things we can be proud of globally.
I also believe it is necessary to cherish this Japanese beauty more, to be aware of its irreplaceable originality, and to protect and nurture it.
'Grace',
'Yugen',
'Wabi',
'Sabi',
'Kirei',
'Kawaii',
It is clear that these aesthetic sensibilities are a continuous series and not independent concepts.
It can be said that these aesthetic sensibilities have been nurtured and developed within the Japanese people over time.
From the moment humans are given 'life,' they live toward the 'destruction' that is 'death.'
It is precisely because of this that the idea of valuing 'life' is said to be at the base of the Japanese aesthetic consciousness.
In the late Heian period, Saigyo, who lamented the impermanence of this world and became a monk at the age of 23, composed waka poetry while traveling across the country and passed away during his journey.
Admiring Saigyo, Matsuo Basho spent his days in the Edo period traveling and living in hermitages.
Writing, 'Stricken by illness on my journey, my dreams wander over withered fields,' Basho, like Saigyo, died as a traveler on the road.
Then, in the Showa era, there was another person who went on a journey, lived in a thatched hut, and died while traveling.
He was the German architect, Bruno Taut.
It is said that 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' by Matsuo Basho, translated by Donald Keene (Kodansha Academic Library), was one of Taut's favorite books.
'The Narrow Road to the Deep North (English Edition)' (Kodansha Academic Library) by Matsuo Basho, translated by D. Keene
In pre-WWII Germany, Taut, who was viewed with suspicion by the Nazis for being pro-Soviet, was stripped of his job and status and fled to Japan.
Having discovered and highly praised Japanese beauty in the 'Katsura Imperial Villa' in Kyoto, he lived in a thatched hut called 'Senshin-tei' on the outskirts of Takasaki during his approximately three-and-a-half-year stay in Japan, before eventually moving to Istanbul, Turkey, to take a job, where he passed away.
[Related Article]
[Reading Notes] 'The Moon and Japanese Architecture: Viewing the Moon from Katsura Imperial Villa' by Kenji Miyamoto (Kobunsha Shinsho)
https://note.com/bax36410/n/n614b9800783d
What can be found in common in the lives of these three men is that they viewed dying in the middle of a journey as an ideal death.
Within that lies a consciousness of the beauty of the incomplete.
Kenko Hoshi, who wrote 'Essays in Idleness' (Chikuma Gakugei Bunko) during the Kamakura period, presented the concept of 'mono no aware' (the pathos of things), didn't he?
'Essays in Idleness' (Chikuma Gakugei Bunko) by Kenko, translated and edited by Yuko Shimauchi
The sense of impermanence based on the Buddhist view of life and death that he intended to convey was a heart that cherishes beauty that is temporally limited.
A person's life is finite, and the 'beauty' one encounters in the midst of it is also fleeting.
Also, Zeami, the master of Noh theater, emphasized the concept of 'senu no' (the performance not performed) or 'senu hima' (the pause not performed), didn't he?
It was the idea that by restraining physical movement to seventy percent rather than performing it completely, one could express the heart within it.
Zeami taught that this should be done with a selfless mind (mushin).
The emotional resonance that lingers there by daring not to perform is called 'yojo' (lingering emotion) or 'yoin' (aftertone).
What Noh aims for is precisely the beauty of the incomplete.
As long as there is life, one should strive to master the path with a selfless mind (continue the journey).
And, do not dare to seek its completed form, but rather seek the heart expressed within it.
That is what it means, I suppose.
I believe the negative space in Japanese painting is the same thing as this lingering sentiment.
By daring not to paint, one expresses the heart on the canvas; I wonder what that is.
When viewed in this way, it is strange how I feel as though I have somehow come to understand the beauty of the incomplete.
Entering the 21st century, Japanese subculture has been highly acclaimed overseas.
"Cool Japan," or "kawaii," has been accepted around the world as a new aesthetic sense originating from modern Japan.
The "cool" in "Cool Japan" means "stylish" or "cool."
I am sure you are all aware that characters and anime, which once felt looked down upon domestically as "otaku culture," have now gathered such high popularity that they surpass Japan's mainstream culture.
In America, too, "kawaii" has become an English word and is commonly used with the nuance of being "cool" or "cute."
Through Takashi Murakami, Pokemon, and Hello Kitty, Japanese aesthetic sensibilities were exported and took the world by storm.
Even so, some may wonder why somewhat distorted and awkward characters are so popular.
The aesthetic of "kawaii" can also be said to be a beauty of the incomplete.
This word originally refers to:
1. Something weak that needs help because it is immature
2. Something small that looks like it might break at any moment
3. Something pure and innocent that looks like it could be easily tainted
It is said to point to the affection one feels when wanting to protect such things.
The beauty of the incomplete is, in other words, an aesthetic of perishability.
The "kawaii" aesthetic is also positioned as an extension of traditional Japanese trends, expressing the feeling of cherishing fleeting, fragile things, which connects to the concept of "mono no aware."
I believe the fact that this is resonating with people around the world is a phenomenon that cannot be ignored.
Perhaps this Zen-like mindset (the sense of impermanence) in Japan, both past and present, appears exotic, especially to Westerners.
The true nature of "Cool Japan" and "Kawaii" (cuteness) likely lies in such places after all. (^^)
[Reference Books]
"In Praise of Shadows" (Kadokawa Sophia Bunko) by Junichiro Tanizaki
"In Search of Japanese Beauty" (Kodansha Academic Library) by Kaii Higashiyama
"The Japanese Aesthetic" (Chuko Bunko) by Donald Keene, translated by Hisao Kanaseki
"Japanese Aesthetic Sense" (Kobunsha Shinsho) by Kenji Miyamoto
"Designing Japan: The Future Created by Aesthetic Sense" (Iwanami Shinsho) by Kenya Hara
"Refining Your Aesthetic Sense" (Heibonsha Shinsho) by Katsura Yamaguchi
"Haiku Brain: Ideas, Inspiration, and Aesthetic Sense" (Kadokawa Shinsho) by Kenichiro Mogi and Madoka Mayuzumi
"On 'Kawaii'" (Chikuma Shinsho) by Inuhiko Yomota
"The Beauty of Japan: From 'Mono no Aware' to 'Kawaii'" (Meiji University Liberty Books) by Ujitaka Ito
"A History of Cosmetics in Japan: The Evolution of Aesthetic Sense" (History and Culture Library) by Hiromi Yamamura
"What Beauty Means to the Japanese" by Shuji Takashina
"Philosophizing Japanese Beauty: Aware, Yugen, Sabi, and Iki" by Hisafumi Tanaka
