Komorebi

The movie "Perfect Days".

The trees rustling in the heart of the city that appear repeatedly in the movie's scenes, and the "komorebi" (sunlight filtering through trees).

The word "Komorebi" also appears in the end credits, making it a keyword for the film.

In terms of dictionary definition,

However, I feel that "komorebi" is not just the sunlight leaking through branches and leaves, but also the gentle green light passing through leaves that clearly reveal their veins, and the indescribable overall atmosphere of the constantly changing fluctuations of shadows.

In the scenes of the movie "Perfect Days," when the protagonist, Hirayama, is kicked out of a restroom by someone who needs to use it, he leans against an outside wall and waits alone; he doesn't get irritated, but looks up and smiles a little.

And what he looks up at is always the swaying leaves of the trees and the changing light.

That smile of Hirayama's is a sense of relief toward something like the "fluctuation" that is never the same from one moment to the next, even within the overall atmosphere of "komorebi."

Also, just as he answered "Yes, they are my friends" as a matter of course when his niece Niko asked him casually during their lunch break in the park, "Uncle, are you friends with these trees?", it might be an expression of a conversation with nature, a small greeting.

Indeed, komorebi might be an indescribable scene.

A word that expresses this scene of trees and the fluctuation of light.

On a site called HuffPost, the Japanese word "Komorebi" is included among 11 words from other languages that are difficult to translate.

And I had assumed this uniquely Japanese word and expression of a scene was an ancient term, but it seems that might not actually be the case...

It does not seem to be a kigo (seasonal word) for haiku, and it did not appear in the limited range I researched (though mainly online) or in types of archaic dictionaries.

Also, when I searched using a simple search tool for the "Corpus of Historical Japanese" called "Kotoneri," the word "komorebi" did not hit.

If that is the case, is this word a modern one?

An acquaintance of mine from the university's design department, with whom I have a connection, researched and discussed the origins of the word "komorebi" when they created a soothing piece for their graduation thesis and project.

The origin of the word is "konoshitakage" (the shade under a tree).

According to what they taught me, this word, which means "the shade of a tree," has appeared since the Heian period, and they speculate that it is the origin of the term.

A famous example where this word appears is in a waka poem by Taira no Tadanori.

"If I am benighted on my journey and make the shade under the tree my lodging, perhaps the blossoms will be my host for the night."

"I have been wandering on my journey and night has fallen. If I rest in the shade of this cherry tree, perhaps the blossoms will be the host of my lodging for tonight."

He greets the blossoms (cherry blossoms), the host of the lodging, for allowing him to spend the night, and then falls asleep.

And in the morning, the sunlight filtering through the trees, flickering under the cherry tree, gently strokes his cheek and wakes him up.

The image of sunlight filtering through the trees comes to mind, expressing a poetic sentiment of a gentle relationship between nature and humanity.

Taira no Tadanori was a military commander at the end of the Heian period (1144-1184). He was known for his martial prowess and also for being a skilled waka poet who studied under Fujiwara no Toshinari.

There is an anecdote that while fleeing the capital, he returned to Kyoto and entrusted his waka poems to Toshinari.

Taira no Tadanori was then killed in the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani.

It is said that when he was killed, they untied a letter attached to his quiver and found a poem written under the title 'Blossoms at a Traveler's Inn'.

When Taira no Tadanori was killed, both friend and foe lamented the loss of a man who was excellent in both literature and martial arts.

A poem that was likely composed in an extreme situation.

Did Taira no Tadanori cherish the gentleness of the flickering sunlight filtering through the trees in the 'shade under the tree' even on the battlefield?

Returning to the subject, according to my acquaintance's research, the word 'komorebi' is used in a work titled 'Rojo' (On the Road) by Bokusui Wakayama (1911).

The scene of light flickering under a tree, which has been inherited from the 'shade under the tree' of the Heian period, became the expression 'komorebi' in modern literature.

The sound of this word, 'komorebi,' feels like an exquisite expression.

While I feel the 'gentleness' of the Japanese word 'komorebi,' I also feel that the way Westerners perceive 'komorebi' is somewhat different.

This is my personal feeling, so I don't think it has a universal Japanese quality, and it's not about which is better or worse, but rather that they just feel different...

That is, for example, symbolized by the photo of 'komorebi' featured in the pamphlet for the movie 'Perfect Days'.

The depth of the shadows in this image.

The pitch-black forest in the space below is striking.

It looks more like a scene of sunlight filtering into a deep European forest than the komorebi of a Japanese forest.

It also feels like the mental landscape of a walk through a deep German forest by the director of 'Perfect Days,' the German filmmaker Wim Wenders.

Also, I found a cover photo for a poetry collection called 'Dappled Sunlight' while looking for English books about komorebi.

The meaning of 'dappled sunlight' corresponds to the Japanese word 'komorebi'.

'Dapple' means 'mottled' or 'spotted' ('to mark something with spots of colour, light, or shade'; Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English).

The photo on this cover also exudes an atmosphere of 'komorebi' in 'untouched nature'.

Now, wondering what 'komorebi' feels like to me, I took some photos of the 'komorebi' on my walking path and in a park I visit occasionally.

It was a beautiful, refreshing day in a park in May.

The flickering of the komorebi and the gentleness of the light filtering through were comforting.

Perhaps it's hard to say anything definitive from just this sample.

Komorebi in a well-maintained park.

Even so, the leaves shine under the sunlight, and the ripples of light are pleasant to the eyes.

Even with my eyes closed, the sound of leaves swaying in the wind is as pleasant to my ears as the sound of the tide, and the light hitting my face is warm, and I can feel the flickering of the light as it gets brighter and darker.

I felt that behind the 'calm,' 'gentleness,' and 'comfort' I feel from 'komorebi' lies a Japanese consciousness of the rich four seasons and coexistence with nature.

Also, as I blankly or intently watch the 'flickering' of 'komorebi' (sunlight filtering through trees), I feel my mind and heart becoming empty, and I wonder if this is the same state as staring at a candle during meditation.

'Komorebi' is where yin and yang intersect within the flickering, and it feels like it exists on the boundary between the visible world and the invisible world... That is what I have started to feel.

This refreshing season.

I wanted to savor and enjoy the Japanese concept of 'komorebi,' which was taught to me once again by director Wim Wenders in the film 'Perfect Days'.