In traditional Japanese aesthetics, is a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of appreciating beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" in nature. It is prevalent in many forms of Japanese art.
is a composite of two interrelated aesthetic concepts, and . According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, may be translated as "subdued, austere beauty," while means "rustic patina." is derived from the Buddhist teaching of the , specifically , and , however, the two were originally seen as distinct concepts.
Characteristics of aesthetics and principles include asymmetry, roughness, simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy, and the appreciation of both natural objects and the forces of nature.
Description
According to Leonard Koren, can be described as "the most conspicuous and characteristic feature of what we think of as traditional Japanese beauty. It occupies roughly the same position in the Japanese pantheon of aesthetic values as do the Greek ideals of beauty and perfection in the West." Another description of by Andrew Juniper notes that, "If an object or expression can bring about, within us, a sense of serene melancholy and a spiritual longing, then that object could be said to be ." For Richard Powell, " nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect."
The words and do not translate directly into English; originally referred to the loneliness of living in nature, remote from society; meant "chill", "lean" or "withered". Around the 14th century, these meanings began to change, taking on more positive connotations.
After centuries of incorporating artistic and Buddhist influences from China, eventually evolved into a distinctly Japanese ideal. Over time, the meanings of and changed to be more lighthearted and hopeful. Around 700 years ago, particularly among the Japanese nobility, understanding emptiness and imperfection was honored as tantamount to the first step to , or enlightenment. In today's Japan, the meaning of is often condensed to "wisdom in natural simplicity". In art books, it is typically defined as "flawed beauty". artworks often emphasize the process of making the piece and that is ultimately incomplete.
From an engineering or design point of view, may be interpreted as the imperfect quality of any object, due to inevitable limitations in design and construction/manufacture especially with respect to unpredictable or changing usage conditions; in this instance, could be interpreted as the aspect of imperfect reliability, or the limited mortality of any object, hence the phonological and etymological connection with the Japanese word . Although the kanji characters for "rust" are not the same as in , the original spoken word (pre-kanji, ) are believed to be one and the same.
and both suggest sentiments of desolation and solitude. In the Mahayana Buddhist view of the universe, these may be viewed as positive characteristics, representing liberation from a material world and transcendence to a simpler life. Mahayana philosophy itself, however, warns that genuine understanding cannot be achieved through words or language, so accepting on nonverbal terms may be the most appropriate approach.
In one sense is a training whereby the student of learns to find the most basic, natural objects interesting, fascinating and beautiful. Fading autumn leaves would be an example. can change the student's perception of the world to the extent that a chip or crack in a vase makes it more interesting and gives the object greater meditative value. Similarly materials that age such as bare wood, paper and fabric become more interesting as they exhibit changes that can be observed over time.
The and concepts are religious in origin, but actual usage of the words in Japanese is often quite casual because of the syncretic nature of Japanese belief.
In Japanese arts
Many forms of Japanese art have been influenced by Zen and Mahayana philosophy over the past thousand years, with the concepts of the acceptance and contemplation of imperfection, and constant flux and impermanence of all things being particularly important to Japanese arts and culture.
As a result, many of these artforms contain and exemplify the ideals of , and several display the concept's aesthetical senses particularly well. Examples include: