From Japanese cuisine staples and tea, through anime and manga, to various Zen practices and philosophy – Japanese culture is fascinating and multifaceted, rooted deeply in millennial traditions and at the same time pushing boundaries with the new technological development. And while most of us probably have strong opinions on sushi, Japanese tattoos or Pokemon characters, there are a few phenomena that are equally curious yet not so immediate and easy to grasp.
Let’s have a look at some of the ideals in Japanese aesthetics, which happen to be intertwined in our daily life.
Wabi-sabi – Wabi refers to ‘transient‘ and sabi is a term for the beauty of natural patina and aging. With time, they have converged into wabi-sabi, which ideal refers to acceptance of the transience and imperfection of the mundane world and seeing the beauty in it. That seems to be quite the opposite of the Western obsession with youth and perfection. Wabi-sabi is the beauty of the basic, natural, unbounded by convention, subtle and imperfect.
Yugen – this is the most ineffable of all the ideals in Japanese aesthetics, but nevertheless present in our every day lives. The term yugen means ‘mysterious,‘ (first found in Chinese) and the concept behind it is the beauty of the subtle, profound grace. To illustrate the concept of yugen poets use plenty of images of Nature as a constant metaphor of what can be said but is not:
“To watch the sun sink behind a flower clad hill.
To wander on in a huge forest without thought of return.
To stand upon the shore and gaze after a boat that disappears behind distant islands.
To contemplate the flight of wild geese seen and lost among the clouds.
And, subtle shadows of bamboo on bamboo.” Zeami Motokiyo
Mono no aware – “the pathos of things” is another complex concept in Japanese aesthetics, which refers to the beauty of impermanence. The transience of all things around us bringing sadness, but also awareness of being alive. Yet again this idea is best illustrated by Nature and, in particular, by the cherry blossom season “hanami” – one of the best known Japanese celebrations. The cherry blossoms are not more beautiful than the pear or apple blossoms, but they are more highly valued because of their transience, since they usually begin to fall within a week of first appearing. It is precisely the evanescence of their beauty that evokes the wistful feeling of mono no aware in the viewer.
Iki – a phenomenon, that was central to Japanese aesthetic life and derived from forms of erotic relations between men and geisha in the pleasure quarters of the big cities. Iki is sophistication, spontaneity, and originality. It is ephemeral, straightforward, measured, and unselfconscious. Iki is not pretentious and complicated. When applied to a person, it is a high compliment. Etymologically, iki has a root that means ‘pure and unadulterated.‘ However, it also carries a connotation of having an appetite for life. Although the French terms chic, coquet, and raffiné share connotations with the term iki, unsurprisingly no European word is capable of translating the richness of its meaning. The French esprit and the German Sehnsucht are similarly untranslatable, for similar reasons of cultural embeddedness.
Interested to learn other untranslatable German words? – check some suggestions by EVS Translations here.
Interested to further explore the Japanese culture? – do not hesitate to -> click here and contact our team of Japanese linguists.
