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80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1933
1702 people are currently reading
44556 people want to read
About the author
Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
509?books2,054?followers闯耻苍'颈肠丑颈谤ō Tanizaki (谷崎 潤一郎) was a Japanese author, and one of the major writers of modern Japanese literature, perhaps the most popular Japanese novelist after Natsume Sōseki.
Some of his works present a rather shocking world of sexuality and destructive erotic obsessions; others, less sensational, subtly portray the dynamics of family life in the context of the rapid changes in 20th-century Japanese society.
Frequently his stories are narrated in the context of a search for cultural identity in which constructions of "the West" and "Japanese tradition" are juxtaposed. The results are complex, ironic, demure, and provocative.
Some of his works present a rather shocking world of sexuality and destructive erotic obsessions; others, less sensational, subtly portray the dynamics of family life in the context of the rapid changes in 20th-century Japanese society.
Frequently his stories are narrated in the context of a search for cultural identity in which constructions of "the West" and "Japanese tradition" are juxtaposed. The results are complex, ironic, demure, and provocative.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,964 reviews
March 25, 2024
“We find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates… Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty.”
This is a fascinating, surprising, occasionally amusing essay that lauds and explains traditional Japanese aesthetics relating to light and its absence. It’s applied to architecture, music, writing, the costumes of theatres and temples, women, and food. It contrasts Japanese principles with the western ones that were increasingly influential in 1933, and asks if progress is necessarily good, particularly when it’s imported from another culture.
Image: “The beauty of a Japanese room depends on a variation of shadows, heavy shadows against light shadows” - that’s why there are so few ornaments. (.)
Dark and Light, East and West
“How different everything would be if we in the Orient had developed our own science.”
It’s not just a matter of taste. Tanizaki sees the differences arising from the landscape and the people themselves, giving rise to different paths of development - a cultural butterfly effect.
He explains how the fountain pen, "an insignificant little piece of writing equipment", was invented in the west, so there is no brush, no gentle seeping of black ink, and different paper is required. It makes writing a viscerally different experience, and its adoption in the east triggered suggestions to replace characters with Roman script, and will inevitably influence the type of literature Japanese writers write.
Image: You can now buy hybrid cartridge-filled brush pens. (.)
But I was challenged by the conclusions of this self-described Oriental that the fundamental reason for Japanese preference for dark and shadows was skin colour: how light plays on Japanese skin which, though pale, is "tainted by a slight cloudiness" akin to dirt in a clear pool. He even empathises with “pure-blooded whites” upset by the sight of those with other skin tones!
Protect Difference or Accept Hegemony?
In a broader sense, this is a topical question, nearly a century after it was written. How do we balance embracing the richness of other cultures with maintaining the essence of their distinct identities?
Tanizaki observes fundamental differences between east and west, and he doesn’t want to erase them, though he accepts some of the conveniences that come from afar.
I remember travelling in China in 2008, being struck by how different the fashion and cosmetic ads were compared with my previous trip in 1992. They all used the palest, least Chinese-looking models - apart from those that used western models. It’s one thing desiring western products, but wanting to look like a different race is tragic - except for the burgeoning cosmetic surgery sector, with specialisms in eye-surgery, skin whitening, and even leg lengthening.
Darkness to Enhance Other Senses
“Our cooking depends upon shadows and is inseparable from darkness.”
I once went to a restaurant whose USP was eating in total darkness. It was an experience like no other, and flavours were surprisingly hard to identify. I relished the novelty, and the enhanced sensations of shape and texture. That’s not a viable option day to day, but eating in more normal low-light, and without the distractions of cluttered walls, and background music certainly engages one more in the food itself. Conversely, too many dinners in front of the TV, where you barely notice what you eat, let alone how much, surely contribute to the obesity problem.
Tanizaki is at his most lyrical when writing about aged lacquerware in traditional low light (see quotes below):
“Only in dim half-light is the true beauty of Japanese lacquerware revealed.”
Image: ?nishi Isao, a traditional lacquerware craftsman works by candlelight. (.)
Quotes
In places, this reads almost like poetry, but is by a novelist who was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1964: .
? “The Japanese toilet is truly a place of spiritual repose. It always stands apart from the main building, at the end of a corridor, in a grove fragrant with leaves and moss. No words can describe that sensation as one sits in the dim light, basking in the faint glow reflected from the shoji, lost in meditation or gazing out at the garden.”
? “Japanese paper gives us a certain feeling of warmth, of calm and repose… Western paper turns away the light, while our paper seems to take it in, to envelop it gently, like the soft surface of a first snowfall. It gives off no sound when it is crumpled or folded, it is quiet and pliant to the touch as the leaf of a tree.”
? “We find it hard to be really at home with things that shine and glitter. The Westerner uses silver and steel and nickel tableware, and polishes it to a fine brilliance… We begin to enjoy it only when the luster has worn off, when it has begun to take on a dark, smoky patina.
? “We do not dislike everything that shines, but we do prefer a pensive luster to a shallow brilliance, a murky light that, whether in a stone or an artifact, bespeaks a sheen of antiquity.”
? “Darkness is an indispensable element of the beauty of lacquerware… [Traditional lacquerware] was finished in black, brown, or red, colors built up of countless layers of darkness, the inevitable product of the darkness in which life was lived.”
? “In the Gothic cathedral of the West, the roof is thrust up and up so as to place its pinnacle as high in the heavens as possible… In the temples of Japan, on the other hand, a roof of heavy tiles is first laid out, and in the deep, spacious shadows created by the eaves the rest of the structure is built.”
? “Japanese music is above all a music of reticence, of atmosphere… In conversation, too, we prefer the soft voice, the understatement. Most important of all are the pauses.”
? “Light is used not for reading and writing or sewing but for dispelling the shadows in the farthest corners, and this runs against the basic idea of the Japanese room.”
? “So dilute is the light there that no matter what the season, on fair days or cloudy, morning, midday, or evening, the pale, white glow scarcely varies. And the shadows at the interstices of the ribs seem strangely immobile, as if dust collected in the corners had become a part of the paper itself. I blink in uncertainty at this dreamlike luminescence, feeling as though some misty film were blunting my vision.”
? “The color of that ‘darkness seen by candlelight.’ It was different in quality from darkness on the road at night. It was a repletion, a pregnancy of tiny particles like fine ashes, each particle luminous as a rainbow.”
Themes
After reading this, I discovered a different edition labels 16 sections. I couldn’t actually work out where all the section breaks would go, so I’m glad I read it as one continuous piece. All the themes are covered, but not solely in this sequence:
1. On construction
2. The toilet aesthetic
3. A different course
4. A novelist's daydreams
5. On paper, tin and dirt
6. Candlelight and lacquerware
7. Bowls of broth
8. The enigma of shadows
9. An uncanny silence
10. Reflections in darkness
11. Shadows on the stage
12. The woman of old
13. Beauty in the dark
14. A world of shadows
15. A cool breeze in total darkness
16. Final grumblings
See also
? The only fiction I've read by Tanizaki also switches between cold light and very dark. See my review of The Tattooer, HERE.
? For a collection of mini reviews of stories about people and their shadows in European tales, see my review of Hans Christian Andersen's The Shadow, HERE.
This is a fascinating, surprising, occasionally amusing essay that lauds and explains traditional Japanese aesthetics relating to light and its absence. It’s applied to architecture, music, writing, the costumes of theatres and temples, women, and food. It contrasts Japanese principles with the western ones that were increasingly influential in 1933, and asks if progress is necessarily good, particularly when it’s imported from another culture.
Image: “The beauty of a Japanese room depends on a variation of shadows, heavy shadows against light shadows” - that’s why there are so few ornaments. (.)
Dark and Light, East and West
“How different everything would be if we in the Orient had developed our own science.”
It’s not just a matter of taste. Tanizaki sees the differences arising from the landscape and the people themselves, giving rise to different paths of development - a cultural butterfly effect.
He explains how the fountain pen, "an insignificant little piece of writing equipment", was invented in the west, so there is no brush, no gentle seeping of black ink, and different paper is required. It makes writing a viscerally different experience, and its adoption in the east triggered suggestions to replace characters with Roman script, and will inevitably influence the type of literature Japanese writers write.
Image: You can now buy hybrid cartridge-filled brush pens. (.)
But I was challenged by the conclusions of this self-described Oriental that the fundamental reason for Japanese preference for dark and shadows was skin colour: how light plays on Japanese skin which, though pale, is "tainted by a slight cloudiness" akin to dirt in a clear pool. He even empathises with “pure-blooded whites” upset by the sight of those with other skin tones!
Protect Difference or Accept Hegemony?
In a broader sense, this is a topical question, nearly a century after it was written. How do we balance embracing the richness of other cultures with maintaining the essence of their distinct identities?
Tanizaki observes fundamental differences between east and west, and he doesn’t want to erase them, though he accepts some of the conveniences that come from afar.
I remember travelling in China in 2008, being struck by how different the fashion and cosmetic ads were compared with my previous trip in 1992. They all used the palest, least Chinese-looking models - apart from those that used western models. It’s one thing desiring western products, but wanting to look like a different race is tragic - except for the burgeoning cosmetic surgery sector, with specialisms in eye-surgery, skin whitening, and even leg lengthening.
Darkness to Enhance Other Senses
“Our cooking depends upon shadows and is inseparable from darkness.”
I once went to a restaurant whose USP was eating in total darkness. It was an experience like no other, and flavours were surprisingly hard to identify. I relished the novelty, and the enhanced sensations of shape and texture. That’s not a viable option day to day, but eating in more normal low-light, and without the distractions of cluttered walls, and background music certainly engages one more in the food itself. Conversely, too many dinners in front of the TV, where you barely notice what you eat, let alone how much, surely contribute to the obesity problem.
Tanizaki is at his most lyrical when writing about aged lacquerware in traditional low light (see quotes below):
“Only in dim half-light is the true beauty of Japanese lacquerware revealed.”
Image: ?nishi Isao, a traditional lacquerware craftsman works by candlelight. (.)
Quotes
In places, this reads almost like poetry, but is by a novelist who was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1964: .
? “The Japanese toilet is truly a place of spiritual repose. It always stands apart from the main building, at the end of a corridor, in a grove fragrant with leaves and moss. No words can describe that sensation as one sits in the dim light, basking in the faint glow reflected from the shoji, lost in meditation or gazing out at the garden.”
? “Japanese paper gives us a certain feeling of warmth, of calm and repose… Western paper turns away the light, while our paper seems to take it in, to envelop it gently, like the soft surface of a first snowfall. It gives off no sound when it is crumpled or folded, it is quiet and pliant to the touch as the leaf of a tree.”
? “We find it hard to be really at home with things that shine and glitter. The Westerner uses silver and steel and nickel tableware, and polishes it to a fine brilliance… We begin to enjoy it only when the luster has worn off, when it has begun to take on a dark, smoky patina.
? “We do not dislike everything that shines, but we do prefer a pensive luster to a shallow brilliance, a murky light that, whether in a stone or an artifact, bespeaks a sheen of antiquity.”
? “Darkness is an indispensable element of the beauty of lacquerware… [Traditional lacquerware] was finished in black, brown, or red, colors built up of countless layers of darkness, the inevitable product of the darkness in which life was lived.”
? “In the Gothic cathedral of the West, the roof is thrust up and up so as to place its pinnacle as high in the heavens as possible… In the temples of Japan, on the other hand, a roof of heavy tiles is first laid out, and in the deep, spacious shadows created by the eaves the rest of the structure is built.”
? “Japanese music is above all a music of reticence, of atmosphere… In conversation, too, we prefer the soft voice, the understatement. Most important of all are the pauses.”
? “Light is used not for reading and writing or sewing but for dispelling the shadows in the farthest corners, and this runs against the basic idea of the Japanese room.”
? “So dilute is the light there that no matter what the season, on fair days or cloudy, morning, midday, or evening, the pale, white glow scarcely varies. And the shadows at the interstices of the ribs seem strangely immobile, as if dust collected in the corners had become a part of the paper itself. I blink in uncertainty at this dreamlike luminescence, feeling as though some misty film were blunting my vision.”
? “The color of that ‘darkness seen by candlelight.’ It was different in quality from darkness on the road at night. It was a repletion, a pregnancy of tiny particles like fine ashes, each particle luminous as a rainbow.”
Themes
After reading this, I discovered a different edition labels 16 sections. I couldn’t actually work out where all the section breaks would go, so I’m glad I read it as one continuous piece. All the themes are covered, but not solely in this sequence:
1. On construction
2. The toilet aesthetic
3. A different course
4. A novelist's daydreams
5. On paper, tin and dirt
6. Candlelight and lacquerware
7. Bowls of broth
8. The enigma of shadows
9. An uncanny silence
10. Reflections in darkness
11. Shadows on the stage
12. The woman of old
13. Beauty in the dark
14. A world of shadows
15. A cool breeze in total darkness
16. Final grumblings
See also
? The only fiction I've read by Tanizaki also switches between cold light and very dark. See my review of The Tattooer, HERE.
? For a collection of mini reviews of stories about people and their shadows in European tales, see my review of Hans Christian Andersen's The Shadow, HERE.
July 24, 2019
The preference for
a pensive luster to a shallow brilliance.
My quiet, soothingly minimalist room seems of no consequence when juxtaposed with the unearthly beauty that 闯耻苍'颈肠丑颈谤ō Tanizaki described in this splendid essay on aesthetics.
A 蝉丑ō箩颈. Lightning. Electric fans. The right heating system. Architecture. Food.
Every detail to avoid the disruption of harmony in a Japanese room.
An almost imperceptible line between an extremely refine taste and the subtlety of irony.
Inside this book, there is a room that seems enraptured by the sobriety of the different shades of black.
So much space beholding the magnificence of a dim light on a particular spot, barely illuminating the serene twilight the walls seem to be made of.
Could this book be applied to people? It shouldn't. But that is subject to one's personality. You could be the reserved, darkened room. Except when writing. And that would be fine.
Nevertheless, a book on beauty has its share of ugliness; people's skin and supposed degrees of purity.
Above all, this is an essay that exalts the enigmatic candlelight.
The particular beauty of a candle emanating a delicate glow that embellish a silent room. A most idyllic view under its mystical light.
Nothing superfluous. Nothing pretentious. Nothing loud but the silence. A universe in one's thoughts. The encounter with oneself under the tenuous radiance of a candle, evoking a somber night and the bright moon someone is gazing at.
Tanizaki observes. Tanizaki fights. Tanizaki pouts! Tanizaki misses. Tanizaki regrets.
The sound of the rain playing gently with the dusky light of a candle.
The mind wanders.
Nov 21, 2015
* Also on .
** Photo credit: Japanese room / via
Tatami room / via
Candle / via
My quiet, soothingly minimalist room seems of no consequence when juxtaposed with the unearthly beauty that 闯耻苍'颈肠丑颈谤ō Tanizaki described in this splendid essay on aesthetics.
A 蝉丑ō箩颈. Lightning. Electric fans. The right heating system. Architecture. Food.
Every detail to avoid the disruption of harmony in a Japanese room.
An almost imperceptible line between an extremely refine taste and the subtlety of irony.
We delight in the mere sight of the delicate glow of fading rays clinging to the surface of a dusky wall, there to live out what little life remains to them. We never tire of the sight, for to us this pale glow and these dim shadows far surpass any ornament. (9)
Inside this book, there is a room that seems enraptured by the sobriety of the different shades of black.
So much space beholding the magnificence of a dim light on a particular spot, barely illuminating the serene twilight the walls seem to be made of.
Could this book be applied to people? It shouldn't. But that is subject to one's personality. You could be the reserved, darkened room. Except when writing. And that would be fine.
Nevertheless, a book on beauty has its share of ugliness; people's skin and supposed degrees of purity.
Above all, this is an essay that exalts the enigmatic candlelight.
The particular beauty of a candle emanating a delicate glow that embellish a silent room. A most idyllic view under its mystical light.
Nothing superfluous. Nothing pretentious. Nothing loud but the silence. A universe in one's thoughts. The encounter with oneself under the tenuous radiance of a candle, evoking a somber night and the bright moon someone is gazing at.
Tanizaki observes. Tanizaki fights. Tanizaki pouts! Tanizaki misses. Tanizaki regrets.
The sound of the rain playing gently with the dusky light of a candle.
The mind wanders.
Nov 21, 2015
* Also on .
** Photo credit: Japanese room / via
Tatami room / via
Candle / via
May 19, 2023
Audiobook narrated by David Rintoul
As the blurb says: "An essay on aesthetics by the Japanese novelist, this book explores architecture, jade, food, and even toilets, combining an acute sense of the use of space in buildings." I cannot believe poetry can be made from describing toilet aesthetics but Tanizaki succeeded. 10 minutes of narration about toilets and I was enthralled. Besides toilets there is a comparison between the Japanese style and the Western style in terms of aesthetics which was fascinating. Regarding the title, the author advocates for less light, more darkness in order to soften the atmosphere, preserve a bit of mystery etc. Also ,toilets look better in the darkness, they appear cleaner :)).
I bought the The Makioka Sisters Today because I like this author so much.
As the blurb says: "An essay on aesthetics by the Japanese novelist, this book explores architecture, jade, food, and even toilets, combining an acute sense of the use of space in buildings." I cannot believe poetry can be made from describing toilet aesthetics but Tanizaki succeeded. 10 minutes of narration about toilets and I was enthralled. Besides toilets there is a comparison between the Japanese style and the Western style in terms of aesthetics which was fascinating. Regarding the title, the author advocates for less light, more darkness in order to soften the atmosphere, preserve a bit of mystery etc. Also ,toilets look better in the darkness, they appear cleaner :)).
I bought the The Makioka Sisters Today because I like this author so much.
July 23, 2015
A delightful essay on the ethos of Japanese aesthetics, its “frigid elegance” and its ancestral raison d’etre. Thanks to Tanizaki’s unadorned yet carefully layered prose I start to grasp the importance of natural materials like worn-out wood or paper lanterns, or the preference for dim lighted rooms and tarnished tableware that lack the aggressive glitter of metal or the aseptic whiteness of tiles of modern houses. It’s in the musky darkness that shrouds the bare room, devoid of artificial ornaments, that the mystery leads to peace and rest.
Never had this annoyingly bright screen and the artificial bulb that lights up the sultry room where I am typing these words seemed more unappealing or devoid of grace to me.
I yearn for the ink and the sturdy paper and the pattern of shadows playing on the Shoji and the warmth of “darkness seen by candlelight”.
Never had this annoyingly bright screen and the artificial bulb that lights up the sultry room where I am typing these words seemed more unappealing or devoid of grace to me.
I yearn for the ink and the sturdy paper and the pattern of shadows playing on the Shoji and the warmth of “darkness seen by candlelight”.
January 10, 2017
Sort of a Japanese Grandpa Simpson. Kids these days, no respect. Art these days, total crap. Food these days, inedible. It's all go go go. It's all electric lights and gramophones. What happened to sitting in the dark, poking yourself in the eye with a stick? Kids are too good for that now. Things were so much better before refrigeration and antibiotics. People used to have time for things, people used to care, people used to have pride. Bla bla bla. Said every generation ever. Bonus star for brevity.
May 22, 2017
Το εγκ?μιο τη? σκι?? ε?ναι ?να μικρ?,περιεκτικ? και ουσι?δε? βιβλ?ο που θα μπορο?σε να χαρακτηριστε? και ω? εγχειρ?διο αισθητικ?? στα παραδοσιακ? ιδε?δη τη? Ανατολ??.
Ενα δοκ?μιο απ?ρριψη? κ?θε επιφανειακ?? δυτικοποιημ?νη? εξ?λιξη?.
Μια καλογραμμ?νη ?κθεση π?νω σε ανατολ?τικο μετ?ξι με σκο?ρε? αποχρ?σει? ιδε?ν και ?νειρα μ?σα σε ομ?χλε? σκι?ν,σκοτ?δι,ασ?φεια,παρωχημ?νη αισθητικ? αντ?ληψη και γοητε?α νηφαλι?τητα?.
Η σκουρι? και η μουντ? παλαιωμ?νη πατ?να του χρ?νου,παρ?λληλα με το αμυδρ? και το μισο?δωμ?νο τη? σκι?? αποτελε? τη φ?ση τη? ομορφι??.
Το εγκ?μιο τη? σκι?? δεν ε?ναι σε καμ?α περ?πτωση μ?α αντιπαρ?θεση αν?μεσα στην παρ?δοση και την αναπ?τρεπτη εξ?λιξη του πολιτισμο?.
Αντιθ?τω? δημιουργε? μια συναισθηματικ? γαλ?νη μ?σα απο την αποδοχ? με λογικ? και στωικ?τητα.
Πολ? σεμν? και τρυφερ? αναπολε?,νοσταλγε? και διαπιστ?νει τη θλιβερ? απ?λεια τη? μαγε?α? τη? σκι??,τη? νηφαλι?τητα? και τη? γαλ?νη? που χ?νονται μπροστ? σε ?τι κραυγαλ?α γυαλ?ζει και επιδεικν?εται.
Απο αυτ? τη μαγε?α τη? παλαι?τητα? γεννιο?νται ?λα τα θα?ματα των υλικ?ν πλασμ?των,των φαντασμ?των και των ξωτικ?ν του σκοταδιο?.
Διαβ?ζοντα? το παρασ?ρεσαι και αφ?νεσαι σε μια αισθητικ? ανακο?φιση. Μια παρ?ξενη χαλ?ρωση που απλ?νεται στο σ?μα και το πνε?μα.
Βρ?σκεσαι μ?σα σε ?να βουδιστικ? μοναστ?ρι του 14ου αι?να και βι?νει? πνευματικ? και αισθητικ? αυτοσυγκ?ντρωση και φιλοσοφικο? νο?ματο? ζ?ν.
Οι αξ?ε? πηγ?ζουν απο την εσωτερικ?τητα και την υπαινικτικ? μαγε?α του σκοταδιο?.
?που εισχωρε? το φω? ξεθωρι?ζει η γοητε?α και οι γρ?γοροι ρυθμο? εξ?λιξη? εξοντ?νουν τη μοναχικ?τητα,το γο?στο,τη λεπτ?τητα και την καλα?σθητη θλ?ψη.
Η ομορφι? ε?ναι ψυχρ?,σκοτειν? και διακριτικ?!
Καλ? αν?γνωση!
Πολλο?? ασπασμο??.
Ενα δοκ?μιο απ?ρριψη? κ?θε επιφανειακ?? δυτικοποιημ?νη? εξ?λιξη?.
Μια καλογραμμ?νη ?κθεση π?νω σε ανατολ?τικο μετ?ξι με σκο?ρε? αποχρ?σει? ιδε?ν και ?νειρα μ?σα σε ομ?χλε? σκι?ν,σκοτ?δι,ασ?φεια,παρωχημ?νη αισθητικ? αντ?ληψη και γοητε?α νηφαλι?τητα?.
Η σκουρι? και η μουντ? παλαιωμ?νη πατ?να του χρ?νου,παρ?λληλα με το αμυδρ? και το μισο?δωμ?νο τη? σκι?? αποτελε? τη φ?ση τη? ομορφι??.
Το εγκ?μιο τη? σκι?? δεν ε?ναι σε καμ?α περ?πτωση μ?α αντιπαρ?θεση αν?μεσα στην παρ?δοση και την αναπ?τρεπτη εξ?λιξη του πολιτισμο?.
Αντιθ?τω? δημιουργε? μια συναισθηματικ? γαλ?νη μ?σα απο την αποδοχ? με λογικ? και στωικ?τητα.
Πολ? σεμν? και τρυφερ? αναπολε?,νοσταλγε? και διαπιστ?νει τη θλιβερ? απ?λεια τη? μαγε?α? τη? σκι??,τη? νηφαλι?τητα? και τη? γαλ?νη? που χ?νονται μπροστ? σε ?τι κραυγαλ?α γυαλ?ζει και επιδεικν?εται.
Απο αυτ? τη μαγε?α τη? παλαι?τητα? γεννιο?νται ?λα τα θα?ματα των υλικ?ν πλασμ?των,των φαντασμ?των και των ξωτικ?ν του σκοταδιο?.
Διαβ?ζοντα? το παρασ?ρεσαι και αφ?νεσαι σε μια αισθητικ? ανακο?φιση. Μια παρ?ξενη χαλ?ρωση που απλ?νεται στο σ?μα και το πνε?μα.
Βρ?σκεσαι μ?σα σε ?να βουδιστικ? μοναστ?ρι του 14ου αι?να και βι?νει? πνευματικ? και αισθητικ? αυτοσυγκ?ντρωση και φιλοσοφικο? νο?ματο? ζ?ν.
Οι αξ?ε? πηγ?ζουν απο την εσωτερικ?τητα και την υπαινικτικ? μαγε?α του σκοταδιο?.
?που εισχωρε? το φω? ξεθωρι?ζει η γοητε?α και οι γρ?γοροι ρυθμο? εξ?λιξη? εξοντ?νουν τη μοναχικ?τητα,το γο?στο,τη λεπτ?τητα και την καλα?σθητη θλ?ψη.
Η ομορφι? ε?ναι ψυχρ?,σκοτειν? και διακριτικ?!
Καλ? αν?γνωση!
Πολλο?? ασπασμο??.
August 12, 2016
“We find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates.”
** Kage-e illustrations - Japanese shadow art from the Edo period (woodblock print)
Have you ever stomped on your shadow, trying to hold its torso with your feet? The subtle chase between you and the devious shadow; toughening with every stomp on the dried grey asphalt while queries of whether you have lost your marbles looming in the humid air. Deer prancing, jumping rabbits, sluggish turtles and eagles soaring to the sky on a sunlit wall; an ecstatic scuffle of shadow -animals cheers up the dull wall. Emulate the avian hand creation in front of a mirror and observe the beauty of an eagle being dissected into shreds by an illuminated reality, the nimble fingers crumbling in a preposterous sway that had earlier been proudly celebrating the mystified flight of an eagle. The beauty of the shadow crumbles into the clarity of a luminous mirror, leaving the tangible fantasy of the hand-made animals to die away in sharpness of the vision. The softness of an object is highlighted through the shades of darkness; its beauty enhanced through an array of radiated nuances, the shadows cultivating a life of their own. For as long as my grandfather was alive, one of the bathrooms in our house had an Indian toilet installation that remained intact through several rounds of renovations. As much as I despised the functioning of an Indian toilet, my grandfather loathed its English counterpart. A man who strictly emphasized on my cursive calligraphy, my domestic and public etiquette, the immaculate English pronunciations and everything that spelled the norms of a Western cultural demeanor, was never able to let go his toilet preferences. That was the ultimate defining line that demarcated me and my grandfather standing apart in two different worlds. The novelist Natsume Soseki counted his morning trips to the toilet a great pleasure, “a physiological delight” he called it. And surely there could be no better place to savor this pleasure than a Japanese toilet where, surrounded by tranquil walls and finely grained wood, one looks out upon blue skies and green leaves. Through the words of Soseki, similar quandary when expressed by Tanizaki in his artistic essay brought a flurry of nostalgic shards piercing my psyche comprehending my grandfather’s quirks as the establishment of an Indian toilet was the only piece of Indian aesthetic remaining in the Western architectural jungle that adorned the house making it the sole rescue to his “old" world from the chaos of modernization. The solitude of a bathroom/toilet is where great literary ideas are born, culturally significant haikus are written, so says Tanizaki and I couldn't agree more. A toilet is indeed the most important element of an architectural mores. The shadows of the past intensify as we age, the dormant beauty exploding actively, flooding the superciliousness of time with melancholic meekness.
“The quality that we call beauty, however, must always grow from the realities of life, and our ancestors, forced to live in dark rooms, presently came to discover beauty in shadows, ultimately to guide shadows towards beauty’s ends. And so it has come to be that the beauty of a Japanese room depends on a variation of shadows, heavy shadows against light shadows – it has nothing else..."
It becomes evident from titular embellishments the thematic conception of this book revolving around the significance of ‘shadows’ and ‘shades of darkness’ in Japanese cultural aesthetics. For nearly 250 years, although not entirely secluded under the Sakoku policy, Japan still remained culturally aloof from the world until the late 1868. The entry of strange foreign world bringing in their aspect of cultural modernization further propelled the Japanese cultural to staunchly hold on to its ethnicity, culturally and philosophy. Even though honoured Japanese authors like Natsume Soseki , Junichiro Tanizaki, et.al were born decades later in a more liberated Japanese environment, their literature prospered through the teachings of Zen and conventional Japanese literary and spiritual philosophies. Moreover , with the burgeoning aspects of westernization in the early 20th century , Japanese literature orated the quandary of many the Japanese population that were stuck between the modern and orthodox civilization , searching a stable ground for co-habitation with the changing times and clutching on to the “allies of inhabitation” exhibiting a sense of belonging , however temporary. Tanizaki dilemma of surviving the bane of modernization while hanging onto the boons of the old Japanese edifying era is articulated through his annoyance of the necessitated usage of heavy electric lightings. The peculiarity of shadows through which the beauty of an object excels seems to be diminishing with the onset of modern times. Shadows form an integral part of Japanese traditional aesthetic and in the subsequent cyclic philosophy of concealment and revelation through a game of shadows the crucial beauty becomes highly seductive. Tanizaki applies this theoretical perception while arguing the essence of shadow through exemplary significance of electric heaters, architecture, theater, food, ceramics and lacquerware, literature, radio, music systems, the intricacies of Japanese way of life in accordance to its populace and even to the extent of comparing a fountain pen to the elegance of a Japanese calligraphy brush swaying gracefully on a boisterous, coarse paper.
The minimalist architectural layout of a Japanese room prevailing in the mysterious game of shadows; competing with the delicately illuminated rooms and alcove with the sober patterned colours adorning the ashen walls; the curious sun peeking through the raw texture of the filling the old floor lamps with reminiscent shadows. The Japanese architectural aesthetic is greatly based on the philosophical foundation of impermanence and imperfection. The simultaneous cyclic ‘light and shadow’ spirituality of ‘飞补产颈-蝉补产颈’ conveys the universal truth of the cyclical phenomenon of ‘day and night’, asserting the transient nature of the universe. The wooden pillar withered through the tantrums of changing seasons, ageing into oblivion equates to a wrinkled face, the shadows dwelling the wrinkly creases, augmenting the beauty of the face that has weathered the rambunctious life exemplifying that nothing is permanent, not even the tautness of a youthful skin and yet in those imperfect shadows of ugly deep wrinkles lay an unconventional beauty of perfection. The philosophical notion of the universe being created from nothingness and in due course all living organism will disintegrate into the darkness of oblivion, bestows the world of shadows with a spirituality of aesthetic ideals where the humility of imperfection and reticence of impermanence expunge the haughtiness of illuminated perfection. The impassive ceramic tiles that adorn the Western components of interior designs will never be able to contest with the mystifying magnificence of the withered wooden interiors
Tanizaki reveals his predicament over the use glass doors instead of the traditional 蝉丑ō箩颈 while constructing a house, the eventual costs for the interior designing rising above the limits of monetary assumption because of Tanizaki’s stubbornness of installing both the 蝉丑ō箩颈 and the glass door for valid reasons of illumination and security. The need for modern element surged from the dire circumstances of an evolving world. Tanizaki makes a valid case when he asserts how in order to survive in this transforming cultural avenues, the conventional cultural norms could be well followed if one lived in solitude away from the nitty-gritty of the city life. This adherence was certainly not possible to those residing and working in the cities.
Tanizaki elaborates an interesting debating subject dissecting the fundamentals of Japanese theater, distinguishing the reputable model and modus operandi of and revolving around the world of shadows depicting the mysterious aura that surrounds the theatrical performances. The silhouette of the Noh mask resting on the curious neck of the stage actor performing the play brings an outwardly mystery to the person behind the mask. It is as if you desire to remove the mask off the face exposing the vulnerabilities and apprehension of the actor contrasting that of its stage character. And, yet you fear that the rigid revelation would destroy the beauty that lingers for hours after the end of the final act. So you decide to sit back and take utter delight in the immaculate performance , the beauty of the Noh enhanced amid the shadows of the mask, its mystery deepening in the crimson flush swept across the underneath skin. Tanizaki’s affinity toward Noh, becomes evident with his exasperation for the heavily powered Kabuki faces which thrive in a world of sham shrouded with perverted beauty, an art which Tanizaki proclaims to have walked the path from subtle eroticism to overt vulgarity with its distinct charm misplaced in the array of gaudy floodlights. The apprehensions of the Noh theatre installing high voltage lightings for the viewing comfort in large auditorium , brings dismay to Tanizaki about the worrisome future of Noh losing its true beauty in such extravagant set up. The possibility of the diminishing aesthetical darkness that had once augmented the veiled beauty of Noh into a mystical world of realistic fantasy is feared with raging odds of the regal art being another commonplace theatrical facade. The spirit of nationalism takes centre stage as this promising composition connotes the significance of shadows deeply embedded in the Japanese cultural heritage. Tanizaki has his comical moments when he equates the affinity of the Japanese philosophies towards darkness to the inheritances of dark black hair of the populace. Another humorous anecdote comes up in the afterword penned by Thomas J. Harper. Conversely, the detailed description of the fair skin-tone becomes ambiguous when looked through a two-sided mirror reflecting images of pure aesthetics and subtle racism, each muddling within the shadows of the reader’s sanity. Yet, analogous to the age-old Japanese beautification symbol of ‘blackening the teeth’, the dialogue of translucent skin-tone varying underneath the perfect amalgamation of shadows and illumination to achieve an unadulterated fairness could be perceived under the lens of a purist aesthetic. But, still this aspect goes through scrutiny of a civilized lens of judgments.
Eloquently, Tanizaki elucidates the tantalizing aura of Japanese cuisine asserting the glorious food to be a form of meditation. He refers to Soseki’s literary marvel to elaborate on the splendour of Soseki’s favourite tea sweet – . The sweetened jelly concocted from red bean paste is rather splendid with its semi-translucent structure; the opaque tinted shadows that hover on this confectionery bring a pleasurable aura to its velvety consistency. Similar to Soseki’s attraction to the gem-like 驰ō办补苍 , Tanizaki dismisses the cream filled chocolates (Western product) preferring the shadowy weightiness of the yokan. The pondering Japanese palate finds luxuries in the delicate flavours of the regional cuisine. The perfectly moulded sake soaked vinegar laced rice with a subtle hint of salt beneath a thinly sliced salmon , its aromatic oil spreading in the shadows of a wrapped persimmon leaf. Once again, through the enticing bite-sized sushi embraced in the green blanket of the persimmon leaf, Tanizaki elaborates the quintessence of minimalism and simplicity rooted in Japanese traditions seeping through its culinary arts. Similar to the simplistic country life, the taste of the food is amplified by minimalist arrangement of ingredient deriving the maximum pleasure through its consumption and not being ruined by overcrowding of flavours, like the boisterous crowded city life.
“Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty.”
The lost radiance of the moon in a heavily lit ambiance now shines fiercely through the dimness of the clouds on a silent night. The beauty of the moon is at its best at the darkest of the night.
Darkness is an indispensable element of the beauty of lacquerware. The golden tint engraved into the creative depths of the lacquerware radiation its regal opulence through the maze of shadows.
The calligraphy brush elegantly amusing in the black shadows of India Ink disciplines the noisy paper as the fountain pen eagerly look to the embryonic stroke of the character kage(shadows), its gray shades discovering the concealed beauty on the dim walls of Japanese literature , arts and legacy.
** Kage-e illustrations - Japanese shadow art from the Edo period (woodblock print)
Have you ever stomped on your shadow, trying to hold its torso with your feet? The subtle chase between you and the devious shadow; toughening with every stomp on the dried grey asphalt while queries of whether you have lost your marbles looming in the humid air. Deer prancing, jumping rabbits, sluggish turtles and eagles soaring to the sky on a sunlit wall; an ecstatic scuffle of shadow -animals cheers up the dull wall. Emulate the avian hand creation in front of a mirror and observe the beauty of an eagle being dissected into shreds by an illuminated reality, the nimble fingers crumbling in a preposterous sway that had earlier been proudly celebrating the mystified flight of an eagle. The beauty of the shadow crumbles into the clarity of a luminous mirror, leaving the tangible fantasy of the hand-made animals to die away in sharpness of the vision. The softness of an object is highlighted through the shades of darkness; its beauty enhanced through an array of radiated nuances, the shadows cultivating a life of their own. For as long as my grandfather was alive, one of the bathrooms in our house had an Indian toilet installation that remained intact through several rounds of renovations. As much as I despised the functioning of an Indian toilet, my grandfather loathed its English counterpart. A man who strictly emphasized on my cursive calligraphy, my domestic and public etiquette, the immaculate English pronunciations and everything that spelled the norms of a Western cultural demeanor, was never able to let go his toilet preferences. That was the ultimate defining line that demarcated me and my grandfather standing apart in two different worlds. The novelist Natsume Soseki counted his morning trips to the toilet a great pleasure, “a physiological delight” he called it. And surely there could be no better place to savor this pleasure than a Japanese toilet where, surrounded by tranquil walls and finely grained wood, one looks out upon blue skies and green leaves. Through the words of Soseki, similar quandary when expressed by Tanizaki in his artistic essay brought a flurry of nostalgic shards piercing my psyche comprehending my grandfather’s quirks as the establishment of an Indian toilet was the only piece of Indian aesthetic remaining in the Western architectural jungle that adorned the house making it the sole rescue to his “old" world from the chaos of modernization. The solitude of a bathroom/toilet is where great literary ideas are born, culturally significant haikus are written, so says Tanizaki and I couldn't agree more. A toilet is indeed the most important element of an architectural mores. The shadows of the past intensify as we age, the dormant beauty exploding actively, flooding the superciliousness of time with melancholic meekness.
“The quality that we call beauty, however, must always grow from the realities of life, and our ancestors, forced to live in dark rooms, presently came to discover beauty in shadows, ultimately to guide shadows towards beauty’s ends. And so it has come to be that the beauty of a Japanese room depends on a variation of shadows, heavy shadows against light shadows – it has nothing else..."
It becomes evident from titular embellishments the thematic conception of this book revolving around the significance of ‘shadows’ and ‘shades of darkness’ in Japanese cultural aesthetics. For nearly 250 years, although not entirely secluded under the Sakoku policy, Japan still remained culturally aloof from the world until the late 1868. The entry of strange foreign world bringing in their aspect of cultural modernization further propelled the Japanese cultural to staunchly hold on to its ethnicity, culturally and philosophy. Even though honoured Japanese authors like Natsume Soseki , Junichiro Tanizaki, et.al were born decades later in a more liberated Japanese environment, their literature prospered through the teachings of Zen and conventional Japanese literary and spiritual philosophies. Moreover , with the burgeoning aspects of westernization in the early 20th century , Japanese literature orated the quandary of many the Japanese population that were stuck between the modern and orthodox civilization , searching a stable ground for co-habitation with the changing times and clutching on to the “allies of inhabitation” exhibiting a sense of belonging , however temporary. Tanizaki dilemma of surviving the bane of modernization while hanging onto the boons of the old Japanese edifying era is articulated through his annoyance of the necessitated usage of heavy electric lightings. The peculiarity of shadows through which the beauty of an object excels seems to be diminishing with the onset of modern times. Shadows form an integral part of Japanese traditional aesthetic and in the subsequent cyclic philosophy of concealment and revelation through a game of shadows the crucial beauty becomes highly seductive. Tanizaki applies this theoretical perception while arguing the essence of shadow through exemplary significance of electric heaters, architecture, theater, food, ceramics and lacquerware, literature, radio, music systems, the intricacies of Japanese way of life in accordance to its populace and even to the extent of comparing a fountain pen to the elegance of a Japanese calligraphy brush swaying gracefully on a boisterous, coarse paper.
The minimalist architectural layout of a Japanese room prevailing in the mysterious game of shadows; competing with the delicately illuminated rooms and alcove with the sober patterned colours adorning the ashen walls; the curious sun peeking through the raw texture of the filling the old floor lamps with reminiscent shadows. The Japanese architectural aesthetic is greatly based on the philosophical foundation of impermanence and imperfection. The simultaneous cyclic ‘light and shadow’ spirituality of ‘飞补产颈-蝉补产颈’ conveys the universal truth of the cyclical phenomenon of ‘day and night’, asserting the transient nature of the universe. The wooden pillar withered through the tantrums of changing seasons, ageing into oblivion equates to a wrinkled face, the shadows dwelling the wrinkly creases, augmenting the beauty of the face that has weathered the rambunctious life exemplifying that nothing is permanent, not even the tautness of a youthful skin and yet in those imperfect shadows of ugly deep wrinkles lay an unconventional beauty of perfection. The philosophical notion of the universe being created from nothingness and in due course all living organism will disintegrate into the darkness of oblivion, bestows the world of shadows with a spirituality of aesthetic ideals where the humility of imperfection and reticence of impermanence expunge the haughtiness of illuminated perfection. The impassive ceramic tiles that adorn the Western components of interior designs will never be able to contest with the mystifying magnificence of the withered wooden interiors
Tanizaki reveals his predicament over the use glass doors instead of the traditional 蝉丑ō箩颈 while constructing a house, the eventual costs for the interior designing rising above the limits of monetary assumption because of Tanizaki’s stubbornness of installing both the 蝉丑ō箩颈 and the glass door for valid reasons of illumination and security. The need for modern element surged from the dire circumstances of an evolving world. Tanizaki makes a valid case when he asserts how in order to survive in this transforming cultural avenues, the conventional cultural norms could be well followed if one lived in solitude away from the nitty-gritty of the city life. This adherence was certainly not possible to those residing and working in the cities.
Tanizaki elaborates an interesting debating subject dissecting the fundamentals of Japanese theater, distinguishing the reputable model and modus operandi of and revolving around the world of shadows depicting the mysterious aura that surrounds the theatrical performances. The silhouette of the Noh mask resting on the curious neck of the stage actor performing the play brings an outwardly mystery to the person behind the mask. It is as if you desire to remove the mask off the face exposing the vulnerabilities and apprehension of the actor contrasting that of its stage character. And, yet you fear that the rigid revelation would destroy the beauty that lingers for hours after the end of the final act. So you decide to sit back and take utter delight in the immaculate performance , the beauty of the Noh enhanced amid the shadows of the mask, its mystery deepening in the crimson flush swept across the underneath skin. Tanizaki’s affinity toward Noh, becomes evident with his exasperation for the heavily powered Kabuki faces which thrive in a world of sham shrouded with perverted beauty, an art which Tanizaki proclaims to have walked the path from subtle eroticism to overt vulgarity with its distinct charm misplaced in the array of gaudy floodlights. The apprehensions of the Noh theatre installing high voltage lightings for the viewing comfort in large auditorium , brings dismay to Tanizaki about the worrisome future of Noh losing its true beauty in such extravagant set up. The possibility of the diminishing aesthetical darkness that had once augmented the veiled beauty of Noh into a mystical world of realistic fantasy is feared with raging odds of the regal art being another commonplace theatrical facade. The spirit of nationalism takes centre stage as this promising composition connotes the significance of shadows deeply embedded in the Japanese cultural heritage. Tanizaki has his comical moments when he equates the affinity of the Japanese philosophies towards darkness to the inheritances of dark black hair of the populace. Another humorous anecdote comes up in the afterword penned by Thomas J. Harper. Conversely, the detailed description of the fair skin-tone becomes ambiguous when looked through a two-sided mirror reflecting images of pure aesthetics and subtle racism, each muddling within the shadows of the reader’s sanity. Yet, analogous to the age-old Japanese beautification symbol of ‘blackening the teeth’, the dialogue of translucent skin-tone varying underneath the perfect amalgamation of shadows and illumination to achieve an unadulterated fairness could be perceived under the lens of a purist aesthetic. But, still this aspect goes through scrutiny of a civilized lens of judgments.
Eloquently, Tanizaki elucidates the tantalizing aura of Japanese cuisine asserting the glorious food to be a form of meditation. He refers to Soseki’s literary marvel to elaborate on the splendour of Soseki’s favourite tea sweet – . The sweetened jelly concocted from red bean paste is rather splendid with its semi-translucent structure; the opaque tinted shadows that hover on this confectionery bring a pleasurable aura to its velvety consistency. Similar to Soseki’s attraction to the gem-like 驰ō办补苍 , Tanizaki dismisses the cream filled chocolates (Western product) preferring the shadowy weightiness of the yokan. The pondering Japanese palate finds luxuries in the delicate flavours of the regional cuisine. The perfectly moulded sake soaked vinegar laced rice with a subtle hint of salt beneath a thinly sliced salmon , its aromatic oil spreading in the shadows of a wrapped persimmon leaf. Once again, through the enticing bite-sized sushi embraced in the green blanket of the persimmon leaf, Tanizaki elaborates the quintessence of minimalism and simplicity rooted in Japanese traditions seeping through its culinary arts. Similar to the simplistic country life, the taste of the food is amplified by minimalist arrangement of ingredient deriving the maximum pleasure through its consumption and not being ruined by overcrowding of flavours, like the boisterous crowded city life.
“Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty.”
The lost radiance of the moon in a heavily lit ambiance now shines fiercely through the dimness of the clouds on a silent night. The beauty of the moon is at its best at the darkest of the night.
Darkness is an indispensable element of the beauty of lacquerware. The golden tint engraved into the creative depths of the lacquerware radiation its regal opulence through the maze of shadows.
The calligraphy brush elegantly amusing in the black shadows of India Ink disciplines the noisy paper as the fountain pen eagerly look to the embryonic stroke of the character kage(shadows), its gray shades discovering the concealed beauty on the dim walls of Japanese literature , arts and legacy.
November 11, 2020
Although this book is primarily about aesthetics, I cannot entirely avoid mentioning the historical context. This short essay was written in 1933 when the nationalist agenda permeated every aspect of life in Japan. It is also noticeable in the pages of this book and in the mind of the author.
Written two years after the Manchurian Incident and the subsequent withdrawal of Japan form the League of Nations, one year after the assassination of a moderate prime minister Tsuyoshi Inukai, this essay praising traditional Japanese ways and criticizing shallow Western concepts of beauty must have fallen on fertile ground. Everything Japanese could be lauded, everything Western - dismissed. The author goes as far as suggesting that physics or chemistry could have been different and definitely more suitable had they been originally developed in Japan.
There is another notion implanted in the author's head by the prevailing attitudes: Pan-Asian union. Everything originally Chinese and already accepted in Japan should be praised, acknowledging cultural similarities and forgetting about differences, thus covertly justifying the invasion of China as some sort of desirable unification.
Keeping political context of the times aside, there are other issues that could raise objections from a reader. Grumbling about the new ways displacing the preferred traditional ones is one issue that has appeared over and over again and is treated much better elsewhere. One does not even have to leave Japan to find a more interesting discourse on the subject in 'The Master of Go' by Kawabata or in works of Mishima. Another issue is an attitude to women as objects, an echo of the past that even the contemporary Japan is still struggling with. Just one quote: "Our ancestors made of woman an object inseparable from darkness, like lacquerware decorated in gold or mother-of-pearl".
Returning to aesthetics, and specifically shadows, the analysis is quite good. There are multiple observations that make the reading of this tiny book worthwhile. The importance of the interplay of light and shadow in architecture, painting, performing arts and even cooking is elegantly explained. Most importantly, finding the beauty in the everyday, the need for the beauty we all crave and the easy ways to satisfy this need, is something the author insists on: "The quality that we call beauty ... must always grow from the realities of life."
Another quote, with which this reader wholeheartedly agrees, is found in the closing paragraph of the book: "In the mansion called literature I would have the eaves deep and the walls dark, I would push back into the shadows the things that come forward too clearly, I would strip away the useless decoration".
Written two years after the Manchurian Incident and the subsequent withdrawal of Japan form the League of Nations, one year after the assassination of a moderate prime minister Tsuyoshi Inukai, this essay praising traditional Japanese ways and criticizing shallow Western concepts of beauty must have fallen on fertile ground. Everything Japanese could be lauded, everything Western - dismissed. The author goes as far as suggesting that physics or chemistry could have been different and definitely more suitable had they been originally developed in Japan.
There is another notion implanted in the author's head by the prevailing attitudes: Pan-Asian union. Everything originally Chinese and already accepted in Japan should be praised, acknowledging cultural similarities and forgetting about differences, thus covertly justifying the invasion of China as some sort of desirable unification.
Keeping political context of the times aside, there are other issues that could raise objections from a reader. Grumbling about the new ways displacing the preferred traditional ones is one issue that has appeared over and over again and is treated much better elsewhere. One does not even have to leave Japan to find a more interesting discourse on the subject in 'The Master of Go' by Kawabata or in works of Mishima. Another issue is an attitude to women as objects, an echo of the past that even the contemporary Japan is still struggling with. Just one quote: "Our ancestors made of woman an object inseparable from darkness, like lacquerware decorated in gold or mother-of-pearl".
Returning to aesthetics, and specifically shadows, the analysis is quite good. There are multiple observations that make the reading of this tiny book worthwhile. The importance of the interplay of light and shadow in architecture, painting, performing arts and even cooking is elegantly explained. Most importantly, finding the beauty in the everyday, the need for the beauty we all crave and the easy ways to satisfy this need, is something the author insists on: "The quality that we call beauty ... must always grow from the realities of life."
Another quote, with which this reader wholeheartedly agrees, is found in the closing paragraph of the book: "In the mansion called literature I would have the eaves deep and the walls dark, I would push back into the shadows the things that come forward too clearly, I would strip away the useless decoration".
June 10, 2023
Junichiro Tanizaki helped me understand why I am so drawn to the Japanese aesthetic. He begins his essay, In Praise of Shadows, with an example I can relate to. Many Japanese people try to hide electrical wires because they don’t want to spoil the beauty of the traditional decor. I so get this. I wish I could hide all my electrical wires too. There are so many of them. Not to mention all the LED lights from appliances that once were luxuries and now are necessities. But don’t think for a moment that I could part with my computer or my coffee maker. I love them. I just wish they didn’t spoil the decor.
Tanizaki doesn’t reject Western conveniences either. He just wishes they could have been designed with a Japanese sensibility in mind. He thinks that if these same conveniences had been developed by the Japanese, they would be more in harmony with Japanese taste. But instead of the Japanese making these innovations in their own time, Japan’s contact with the West at the beginning of the Meiji era led to rapid modernization in the Western style. He thinks that if the Japanese had developed these things, they would be very different from the Western versions.
In Praise of Shadows is his tribute to the Japanese aesthetic, to the beauty of darkness, to moonlight rather than sunshine, shadow rather than glare, softness rather than neon. His argument is that this aesthetic arose, not from some mysterious “national character,” but from people’s actual way of life.
“The quality that we call beauty, however, must always grow from the realities of life, and our ancestors, forced to live in dark rooms, presently came to discover beauty in shadows, ultimately to guide shadows towards beauty’s ends” (18).
In the course of the essay, Tanizaki writes of lamps, stoves, toilets (yes toilets), pens, paper, glass, lacquerware, ceramics, food, houses, picture alcoves, theater, women, clothing, skin color, and cosmetics. He fondly describes the austere beauty of darkness – the dreaminess, the softness, the silence, the mystery, the timelessness.
But it is not only darkness and shadow that the Japanese find beautiful. In fact, it is only because of this appreciation of darkness and shadow that the beauty of light and gold can be experienced. Gold is garish under the glare of harsh lights, but in a dim room it beautifully reflects the little light that is there.
“Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty” (30).
The simplicity of traditional Japanese decor appeals to me: the shoji doors, the tatami mats, the alcove housing an old scroll and a single flower in a humble vase. I like the minimalism, the subtlety, the naturalness. And I like the night. It’s slower, quieter, softer than the day.
Would I like it as much if it were the only thing I knew? Maybe not. I might be as eager to experience the new, the bright, and the modern as the Japanese were when first introduced to the Western lifestyle. But the Japanese aesthetic isn’t the one I have always known. I am a child of the West, of the bright lights of Times Square and the clamor of Grand Central Station. Too much yang. Not enough yin. For me, the Japanese aesthetic restores the balance.
In Praise of Shadows is a book about beauty, but there is also a sadness in Tanizaki’s praise of shadows. He despairs that the Japanese aesthetic is dying because the old way of life is passing away. He tells of a moon-viewing ruined by electric lights. And he hopes that something of the traditional beauty and richness of the Japanese aesthetic might be saved – in literature at least if no where else.
His plea touches my heart. To lose this world of shadows is to lose something essential to the human spirit. Light is good, but too much of it is blinding. Sound is good, but too much of it is deafening. Activity is good, but too much of it is exhausting. Without darkness, the light will soon overwhelm us and leave us longing for the shadows we have unwisely banished.
Tanizaki doesn’t reject Western conveniences either. He just wishes they could have been designed with a Japanese sensibility in mind. He thinks that if these same conveniences had been developed by the Japanese, they would be more in harmony with Japanese taste. But instead of the Japanese making these innovations in their own time, Japan’s contact with the West at the beginning of the Meiji era led to rapid modernization in the Western style. He thinks that if the Japanese had developed these things, they would be very different from the Western versions.
In Praise of Shadows is his tribute to the Japanese aesthetic, to the beauty of darkness, to moonlight rather than sunshine, shadow rather than glare, softness rather than neon. His argument is that this aesthetic arose, not from some mysterious “national character,” but from people’s actual way of life.
“The quality that we call beauty, however, must always grow from the realities of life, and our ancestors, forced to live in dark rooms, presently came to discover beauty in shadows, ultimately to guide shadows towards beauty’s ends” (18).
In the course of the essay, Tanizaki writes of lamps, stoves, toilets (yes toilets), pens, paper, glass, lacquerware, ceramics, food, houses, picture alcoves, theater, women, clothing, skin color, and cosmetics. He fondly describes the austere beauty of darkness – the dreaminess, the softness, the silence, the mystery, the timelessness.
But it is not only darkness and shadow that the Japanese find beautiful. In fact, it is only because of this appreciation of darkness and shadow that the beauty of light and gold can be experienced. Gold is garish under the glare of harsh lights, but in a dim room it beautifully reflects the little light that is there.
“Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty” (30).
The simplicity of traditional Japanese decor appeals to me: the shoji doors, the tatami mats, the alcove housing an old scroll and a single flower in a humble vase. I like the minimalism, the subtlety, the naturalness. And I like the night. It’s slower, quieter, softer than the day.
Would I like it as much if it were the only thing I knew? Maybe not. I might be as eager to experience the new, the bright, and the modern as the Japanese were when first introduced to the Western lifestyle. But the Japanese aesthetic isn’t the one I have always known. I am a child of the West, of the bright lights of Times Square and the clamor of Grand Central Station. Too much yang. Not enough yin. For me, the Japanese aesthetic restores the balance.
In Praise of Shadows is a book about beauty, but there is also a sadness in Tanizaki’s praise of shadows. He despairs that the Japanese aesthetic is dying because the old way of life is passing away. He tells of a moon-viewing ruined by electric lights. And he hopes that something of the traditional beauty and richness of the Japanese aesthetic might be saved – in literature at least if no where else.
His plea touches my heart. To lose this world of shadows is to lose something essential to the human spirit. Light is good, but too much of it is blinding. Sound is good, but too much of it is deafening. Activity is good, but too much of it is exhausting. Without darkness, the light will soon overwhelm us and leave us longing for the shadows we have unwisely banished.
November 5, 2019
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?????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ?????? ??????? ?? ?? ?????? ?????? ????. ????? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ???? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ??????? ?? ??? ?? ?? ?? ??? ????????? ?? ?? ??? ??????? ????. ???? ????? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ??????? ? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??? ???. ?? ??? ???? ???? ????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ???????? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ????? ????? ?? ?? ?? ???? ????? ?? ????? ???. ??? ???? ? ???? ? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ?? ????????? ?? ??? ??????? ? ???? ????? ??? ??? ????? ????????? ??? ???????? ?? ????? ??? ??? ?????? ?????? ????? ???? ?? ?? ???? ? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ??? ????? ?? ??? ?? ?? ????????? ?? ? ????? ????????. ??? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ?? ????? ?????????????? ????? ?? ???? ??? ??????? ?????? ? ?????????? ?? ????? ?? ??????
(? 26)
?? ???? ???????? ? ????? ?? ???? ??? ???. ??? ?? ??? ????????? ?? ????? ????????? ???? ????? ?? ?? ??????? ????? ???????? ?? ????????? ?????? ?? ?? ???? ???? ????. ?????? ???? ?? ????? ????? ??? ? ??? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ? ???. ?? ???? ????? ???? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ? ?? ?????? ??? ??????? ????? ?? ?? ? ??? ?? ??? ??????. ?? ???? ?????? ? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ?? ?? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ? ???? ???? ???? ? ???? ????? ??? ?? ?? ??? ????? ???????? ????? ????. ??? ??? ???? ?? ???? ??? ? ??? ?????? ????? ??????. ? ???? ??? ?? ?? ?????????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ?????????? ?? ?? ????????? ?????? ????
(? 28)
???????? ?? ???
?????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ?????? ??????? ?? ?? ?????? ?????? ????. ????? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ???? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ??????? ?? ??? ?? ?? ?? ??? ????????? ?? ?? ??? ??????? ????. ???? ????? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ??????? ? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??? ???. ?? ??? ???? ???? ????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ???????? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ????? ????? ?? ?? ?? ???? ????? ?? ????? ???. ??? ???? ? ???? ? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ?? ????????? ?? ??? ??????? ? ???? ????? ??? ??? ????? ????????? ??? ???????? ?? ????? ??? ??? ?????? ?????? ????? ???? ?? ?? ???? ? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ??? ????? ?? ??? ?? ?? ????????? ?? ? ????? ????????. ??? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ?? ????? ?????????????? ????? ?? ???? ??? ??????? ?????? ? ?????????? ?? ????? ?? ??????
(? 26)
?? ???? ???????? ? ????? ?? ???? ??? ???. ??? ?? ??? ????????? ?? ????? ????????? ???? ????? ?? ?? ??????? ????? ???????? ?? ????????? ?????? ?? ?? ???? ???? ????. ?????? ???? ?? ????? ????? ??? ? ??? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ? ???. ?? ???? ????? ???? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ? ?? ?????? ??? ??????? ????? ?? ?? ? ??? ?? ??? ??????. ?? ???? ?????? ? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ?? ?? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ? ???? ???? ???? ? ???? ????? ??? ?? ?? ??? ????? ???????? ????? ????. ??? ??? ???? ?? ???? ??? ? ??? ?????? ????? ??????. ? ???? ??? ?? ?? ?????????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ?????????? ?? ?? ????????? ?????? ????
(? 28)
December 1, 2018
In this delightful essay Junichiro Tanizaki looks at Japanese aesthetics, and selects praise for all things delicate and nuanced, everything softened by shadows, and the patina of age, anything understated and simply natural, for instance the patterns of grain in old wood, the sound of rain falling from leaves, or washing over the footing of a stone lantern in a garden, and refreshing the moss that grows around it, and by doing so he suggests an attitude of appreciation and mindfulness, especially a mindfulness of beauty, a natural beauty that is all around us, that one tends to forget or take for granted.
Tanizaki appreciates the world and its ordinary pleasures, and offers a sharp contrast to the functional, plastic, disposable aesthetic of modern western culture. Although his aesthetic is associated with a cultural perspective markedly different from western varieties, there is nevertheless something essentially familiar about it. It addresses the felt quality of experience in any lived moment, not just as an end in itself but because each such moment belongs to a lifelong series in which beauty and richness of experience are important components of the good life.
A tranquil, enchanting, and light read, Tanizaki really opens your eyes, where you just want to take a moment, sit back, relax, and think long and hard about what he is getting across. I guess you could look at this as an anti-modernist book, that floats with a poetic language over a range of things in a beautiful and evocative way. A fascinating insight into another culture, that illuminates the mind into thinking about things from a completely different angle.
Tanizaki appreciates the world and its ordinary pleasures, and offers a sharp contrast to the functional, plastic, disposable aesthetic of modern western culture. Although his aesthetic is associated with a cultural perspective markedly different from western varieties, there is nevertheless something essentially familiar about it. It addresses the felt quality of experience in any lived moment, not just as an end in itself but because each such moment belongs to a lifelong series in which beauty and richness of experience are important components of the good life.
A tranquil, enchanting, and light read, Tanizaki really opens your eyes, where you just want to take a moment, sit back, relax, and think long and hard about what he is getting across. I guess you could look at this as an anti-modernist book, that floats with a poetic language over a range of things in a beautiful and evocative way. A fascinating insight into another culture, that illuminates the mind into thinking about things from a completely different angle.
March 13, 2025
"The sun never knew how great it was until it hit the side of a building."
-Louis Kahn
In Praise of Shadows is an essay about the differences between the traditional Japanese and Western cultures. The main focus of the essay is on the role the shadows and darkness play in Japanese architecture and literature and how the artificial light usually takes away the beauty and cancels the mystery.
-Louis Kahn
In Praise of Shadows is an essay about the differences between the traditional Japanese and Western cultures. The main focus of the essay is on the role the shadows and darkness play in Japanese architecture and literature and how the artificial light usually takes away the beauty and cancels the mystery.
May 21, 2021
“Bana g?re biz Do?ulular, i?inde bulundu?umuz ?artlardan ho?nut olmay? ama?lay?p elimizdekilerle mutlu oldu?umuz i?in karanl?ktan ?ikayet etmek yerine bunun bir ?aresi olmad???n? kabullenip ???k azsa azd?r der, karanl?k üzerinde dü?üncelere g?mülür ve karanl???n i?indeki do?al güzelli?i ke?federiz. Ancak yenilik?i Bat?l? yetinmeyip elindekini iyile?tirmekte kararl?d?r her zaman. Mumdan gaz lambas?na, gaz lambas?ndan elektrik ?????na daha ayd?nl?k bir ???k aray??? asla bitmiyor, en ?nemsiz g?lgeyi bile yok etmek ad?na hi?bir zahmetten ka??nm?yor.”
Tanizaki, Do?u ile Bat? aras?ndaki nüanslara de?inerek atalar?n?n karanl?klarda ya?ama zorunlu?unu g?lgeyi ke?federek güzelle?tirmesini ve bunun Do?u’nun güzellik ve estetik anlay???ndaki etkisini anlat?yor. G?lgelerin ve alacakaranl???n getirdi?i ince, lo? ?????n zarif par?lt?s?nda, ge?mi? dünyan?n mükemmel olmayan ko?ullar?n?n güzelle?mesine dair bir ?vgü bir bak?ma. Tabii kitab?n yaz?m tarihinin 1933 oldu?unu atlamamak gerekiyor. Zira kitab?n yaz?lmas?ndan yakla??k 70 y?l sonras?nda Tanizaki’nin topraklar?n? ziyaret etti?imde kitapta anlat?lan hassasiyeti ve g?lgenin dans?n? ancak tap?naklar ve geleneksel alanlarda g?rebildim. Zira art?k ???k ve renkler Japonya’n?n vazge?ilmezlerinden.
Tanizaki, Do?u ile Bat? aras?ndaki nüanslara de?inerek atalar?n?n karanl?klarda ya?ama zorunlu?unu g?lgeyi ke?federek güzelle?tirmesini ve bunun Do?u’nun güzellik ve estetik anlay???ndaki etkisini anlat?yor. G?lgelerin ve alacakaranl???n getirdi?i ince, lo? ?????n zarif par?lt?s?nda, ge?mi? dünyan?n mükemmel olmayan ko?ullar?n?n güzelle?mesine dair bir ?vgü bir bak?ma. Tabii kitab?n yaz?m tarihinin 1933 oldu?unu atlamamak gerekiyor. Zira kitab?n yaz?lmas?ndan yakla??k 70 y?l sonras?nda Tanizaki’nin topraklar?n? ziyaret etti?imde kitapta anlat?lan hassasiyeti ve g?lgenin dans?n? ancak tap?naklar ve geleneksel alanlarda g?rebildim. Zira art?k ???k ve renkler Japonya’n?n vazge?ilmezlerinden.
June 2, 2023
Subdued Aesthetics
A finely wrought essay on esthetics, or is it an elegantly gathered bunch of musings on the old ways of Japan as opposed to Western-imported technics and contraptions. That is, as far as I can judge from the English translation by Thomas J. Harper and Edward G. Seidensticker.
I am still at a loss to figure out what 闯耻苍'颈肠丑颈谤ō Tanizaki meant - in Chapter III especially - when he brought up the "national" or "Eastern" science. Here is the excerpt I have in mind. The italics are mine:
Time and again, throughout its history, hasn't Japan successfully adapted imported ideas and technics to its own uses, however? Is this dolorous (dolorist?) celebration of Japanese uniqueness truly in agreement with the roots and the blossoms of Japanese culture? Isn't Japanese culture more of an exquisitely sublime, ever-changing, evergreen blend than an unsurpassable and ultimately all-too singular and preternaturally opaque culture radically clashing with the West?
Other quotes:
Suggestions:
A finely wrought essay on esthetics, or is it an elegantly gathered bunch of musings on the old ways of Japan as opposed to Western-imported technics and contraptions. That is, as far as I can judge from the English translation by Thomas J. Harper and Edward G. Seidensticker.
I am still at a loss to figure out what 闯耻苍'颈肠丑颈谤ō Tanizaki meant - in Chapter III especially - when he brought up the "national" or "Eastern" science. Here is the excerpt I have in mind. The italics are mine:
Time and again, throughout its history, hasn't Japan successfully adapted imported ideas and technics to its own uses, however? Is this dolorous (dolorist?) celebration of Japanese uniqueness truly in agreement with the roots and the blossoms of Japanese culture? Isn't Japanese culture more of an exquisitely sublime, ever-changing, evergreen blend than an unsurpassable and ultimately all-too singular and preternaturally opaque culture radically clashing with the West?
Other quotes:
Suggestions:
December 17, 2019
The quality that we call beauty must always grow from the realities of life, and our ancestors, forced to live in dark rooms, presently came to discover beauty in shadows, ultimately to guide shadows towards beauty's ends
(If you don't have time to read the whole of my review, go ahead and skip the next two paragraphs)
There is a practice essay prompt in the US College Board's guide to the SAT book that goes something like "Do changes that make our lives easier always make them better?". This is one of my favourite prompts, as it captures a real tension. It's easier to drive to the supermarket for a loaf, but wouldn't we be better off walking, saving petrol (and the money it costs), breathing some fresh air, enjoying the glorious Autumn day and (assuming they're in working order) stretching our legs? Might it not be even better if we used some of the organic whole spelt flour in the cupboard to make real honest-to-goodness home-baked bread? Take your frustrations out on an unfeeling lump of dough, save still more money, avoid additives and enjoy the fruit of your own labour! But we are time-poor, we are tempted, we drive to the supermarket after all.
Another common experience is sadness as an enjoyable technology is superseded. For decades after my mother stopped using her Singer sewing machine it sat in the corner taking up space, its implacable beauty defying anyone to suggest throwing it out.
This is Tanizaki's elegy for the aesthetic superiority of vanishing inconvenience and dirt. The Japanese house crouches in the deep shadow of its roof, lit by the mournful and meagre glow trickling through its paper walls. In this dimness, its simplicity and its natural materials, slowly gathering oily grime and wearing away (and thereby growing ever more beautiful), make sense; they provide the balance and poetry and mystery that make the quotidian details of life so pleasurable. Soup served in lacquer bowls so you can't see what's in it properly and chilly outdoor toilets are infinitely preferable, aesthetically speaking, to pale ceramic dishes and sparkling tiles.
My point in making light here is that Tanizaki sells it, even if I am repelled by his remarks on skin colour and dubious about the idea of a stable 'national character'. A writer who can make me yearn, spine tinglingly, for a wooden outhouse instead of a cosy en suite can only be a genius. There is a rich thought here about the subjectivity of experience that is missed by Western aesthetics. We plan our lighting for mood, but only for the stage consider how it will create the scene. When Tanizaki describes 'darkness lit by candlelight' or the gold costumes of the Noh glowing in dimness, he makes us aware that every banal drama of the day takes its character from its illumination. But he makes an even stronger point, a superb, thrilling point:
how different everything would be if we in the Orient had developed our own science. Suppose for instance that we had developed our own physics and chemistry: would not the techniques and industries based on them have taken a different form, would not our myriads of everyday gadgets, our medicines, the products of our industrial art - would they not have suited our national temper better than they do?
To take a trivial example near at hand... if the [fountain pen] had been invented by the ancient Chinese or Japanese it would surely have had a tufted end like our writing brush... and since we would have found it inconvenient to write on Western paper, something near Japanese paper would have been more in demand. Foreign ink and pen would not be as popular as they are; the talk of discarding our system of writing for Roman letters would be less noisy.. But more than that: our thought and our literature might not be imitating the West as they are, but might have pushed forward into new regions quite on their own.
This musing of the conservative, aging novelist is not mere nostalgia, letting the old machine linger and sighing uselessly for bygone days, but the wellspring of hope behind decolonisation: even the culture-shaping tools of science and technology can be remodelled and reshaped; the invader can be displaced by new growth surging up from the strong roots of indigenous knowings... This is something the Rationalist fails to imagine. Sometimes, Tanizaki's melancholic essay surprisingly shows us, radical change begins by going backwards.
Read
October 27, 2024My father would not be amused. In this 1933 essay that comes under the category of "aesthetics," Tanizaki advocates for dim lighting, shadows, even darkness in the traditional Japanese home. But in our house, anytime anyone dared to dim the dining room lights in the name of "ambiance," my dad would say, "Turn up the lights, dammit. I want to SEE my food."
Of course, there's a bit more to this essay than that, but it is a kind of rah-rah for the home team (Japan) vs. the overly-lit West (Team Electricity). Tanizaki doesn't even like polished silver. Much preferable to have it gorgeously dull. And the Japanese home, so wonderfully gray with a very-necessary alcove that's totally dark, comes in for high praise.
Of course the Afterward offers the best laugh. When Tanizaki had a home built for himself, the builder proudly announced he had read "In Praise of Shadows" and would build according to the principles written therein. But no. Tanizaki said that was for literature. He'd have something a little more... light... for his OWN home. Perhaps, like Dad, he liked to see his meals? Or tea? Or saki?
Fun, quirky, off subject now and then (which I liked), but not a must-read by any means, just a gentle lark worthy of its time -- and yours.
Of course, there's a bit more to this essay than that, but it is a kind of rah-rah for the home team (Japan) vs. the overly-lit West (Team Electricity). Tanizaki doesn't even like polished silver. Much preferable to have it gorgeously dull. And the Japanese home, so wonderfully gray with a very-necessary alcove that's totally dark, comes in for high praise.
Of course the Afterward offers the best laugh. When Tanizaki had a home built for himself, the builder proudly announced he had read "In Praise of Shadows" and would build according to the principles written therein. But no. Tanizaki said that was for literature. He'd have something a little more... light... for his OWN home. Perhaps, like Dad, he liked to see his meals? Or tea? Or saki?
Fun, quirky, off subject now and then (which I liked), but not a must-read by any means, just a gentle lark worthy of its time -- and yours.
January 4, 2016
A backward, reactionary, nationalistic prose piece disguised as an essay on aesthetics, which engages in strange speculation and musing that is not at all well supported. But it gets better towards the end when its cantankerousness and hyperbole get amusing, and it does ultimately manage to express a mournful nostalgia for a dying aesthetic, even if that aesthetic is more of a personal aesthetic than the author admits, rather than being an expression of national character.
P.S.
The aesthetic can be summarized thus: "Turn the lights down, it's too bright in here, especially for people with yellow skin."
P.S.
The aesthetic can be summarized thus: "Turn the lights down, it's too bright in here, especially for people with yellow skin."
Read
January 8, 2015
The quality that we call beauty ... must always grow from the realities of life.
In Praise of Shadows, written by the well known Japanese novelist Tanizaki 闯耻苍'颈肠丑颈谤ō (1886-1965) in 1933, is a particularly charming and discursive rumination on the differences between Japanese (indeed, East Asian) and occidental aesthetics (among other matters). It is also an illustration of the differences between the Japanese tradition of zuihitsu ("to follow the brush"), of which In Praise of Shadows is a most worthy modern exemplar, and the occidental tradition of the essay.
Ranging from toilets to hospitals, from architecture to paper, from writing and eating utensils to cuisine and sweets, from theater to feminine beauty, Tanizaki meditates on the differences, as he sees them, between East and West - subdued, tarnished, natural versus bright, polished, artificial; the cloudy translucence of jade versus the brilliant sparkle of diamond; the flickering half-light of the candle versus the steady glare of electric light.
Tanizaki was a cultural conservative and much preferred old Japan to new Japan (you won't find many photos of him in western garb). He quite rightly points out that if East Asia had been left to its own devices instead of being forced into the "modern" age in the nineteenth century, it may have "advanced" much more slowly but would have invented technology, devices, fixtures much better suited to the aesthetics of its people than the objects it found itself obliged to receive from its "benefactors."(*)
But let Tanizaki speak for himself - here is a passage where he draws some of the aesthetic consequences of the contrast between the low, heavy, wide roofs of East Asia and the relatively high, light, small roofs of the West (he likens the former to parasols and the latter to caps).
And so it has come to be that the beauty of a Japanese room depends on the variation of shadows, heavy shadows against light shadows—it has nothing else. Westerners are amazed at the simplicity of Japanese rooms, perceiving in them no more than ashen walls bereft of ornament. Their reaction is understandable, but it betrays a failure to comprehend the mystery of shadows. Out beyond the sitting room, which the rays of the sun at best can but barely reach, we extend the eaves or build a veranda, putting the sunlight at still greater a remove. The light from the garden steals in but dimly through paper-paneled doors, and it is precisely this indirect light that makes for us the charm of the room. We do our walls in neutral colors so that the sad, fragile, dying rays can sink into absolute repose. The storehouse, kitchen, hallways, and such may have a glossy finish, but the walls of the sitting room will almost always be of clay textured with fine sand. A luster here would destroy the soft fragile beauty of the feeble light. We delight in the mere sight of the delicate glow of fading rays clinging to the surface of a dusky wall, there to live out what little life remains to them. We never tire of the sight, for to us this pale glow and these dim shadows far surpass any ornament. And so, as we must if we are not to disturb the glow, we finish the walls with sand in a single neutral color. The hue may differ from room to room, but the degree of difference will be ever so slight; not so much a difference in color as in shade, a difference that will seem to exist only in the mood of the viewer. And from these delicate differences in the hue of the walls, the shadows in each room take on a tinge peculiarly their own.
Along with all the elements mentioned above, the free floating form of zuihitsu permits Tanizaki to comment on the complaints of the elderly, street lights, even throw in a recipe for a special kind of sushi. I must warn you that there is some remarkable rubbish in this zuihitsu,(**) but there is also eloquent insight into, in some respects, Japanese sensibilities in general and, throughout the text, the sensibilities of one of the most important novelists of the 20th century.
(*) Oh how he abominates tile, particularly white tile!
(**) Such as a startling disquisition on why the Asian's prediliction for shadows is a consequence of his not quite perfectly white skin!
Rating
March 12, 2020
Asombroso ensayo, lleno de fuerza evocadora y muy carente de objetividad: es todo pasión. No se miden estas cuestiones con la bara de la Ciencia, sino con la de Humanidades. El por qué sí y el por qué no de la belleza o de su ausencia están aquí muy bien argumentados, sin ser concluyentes. Una increíble lectura.
July 26, 2017
????? ????! ?? ?? ???????? ?????? ? ????????????? ?? ???? ????? ????!
?????? ????? ??????? ???.
?????? ????? ??????? ???.
May 29, 2018
?να ?κρω? γοητευτικ? δοκ?μιο ? καλ?τερα ?να εγκ?μιο τη? σκι?? που πα?ζει καθοριστικ? ρ?λο στην ιαπωνικ? κουλτο?ρα. Ο Τανιζ?κι εκθ?τει την ?ποψη του για την φ?ση τη? ομορφι??, για την αρχιτεκτονικ?, την διακ?σμηση, τα σκε?η καθημεριν?? χρ?ση?, το θ?ατρο (?ξερα μονο το θ?ατρο Καμπο?κι αλλα ?μαθα και για το θ?ατρο Νο που διατηρε? την ατμ?σφαιρα και τα μ?σα παλαι?τερων εποχ?ν εστι?ζοντα? στην ααποτ?πωση τη? πραγματικ?τητα? χωρ?? φτιασ?δια).
‘’ Η ομορφι? δεν βρ?σκεται μ?σα στο ?διο το πρ?γμα, αλλα γεννι?ται απ? το φ?? και το σκοτ?δι, με? στι? αποχρ?σει? τη? σκι?? των πραγμ?των στην σχ?ση του? το ?να με το ?λλο’’
Με εντυπωσ?ασε το πω? το σκοτ?δι και οι σκι?? μπορο?ν να αναδε?ξουν το σ?νολο αλλα και το κ?θε σημε?ο ξεχωριστ? μ?σα σε μια ιαπωνικ? κατοικ?α . Ο τρ?πο? που σερβ?ρεται το φαγητ? για παρ?δειγμα σε αντικε?μενα απ? λ?κα, που συμβ?λλουν στην μυστηριακ? και βαθι? απ?λαυση του φαγητο?, που δ?νει χ?ρο για γαλ?νη και περισυλλογ?. Αποφε?γουν τα γυαλιστερ? αντικε?μενα, θ?λουν ο χρ?νο? να ?χει δημιουργ?σει πατ?να στα σκε?η του?.
‘’Αυτ? που ονομ?ζουμε ομορφι?… πηγ?ζει π?ντα απ? τι? αναγκαι?τητε? τη? πραγματικ?τητα?’’
''Στο παλ?τι που λ?γεται λογοτεχν?α, τα υπ?στεγα θ?λω να ε?ναι βαθι? και οι το?χοι σκοτεινο?. Θα σπρ?ξω καθετ? που χτυπ?ει στο μ?τι με? στο σκοτ?δι, θα προσπαθ?σω να απογυμν?σω τα εσωτερικ? απο καθε ?χρηστη διακ?σμηση... ''
‘’ Η ομορφι? δεν βρ?σκεται μ?σα στο ?διο το πρ?γμα, αλλα γεννι?ται απ? το φ?? και το σκοτ?δι, με? στι? αποχρ?σει? τη? σκι?? των πραγμ?των στην σχ?ση του? το ?να με το ?λλο’’
Με εντυπωσ?ασε το πω? το σκοτ?δι και οι σκι?? μπορο?ν να αναδε?ξουν το σ?νολο αλλα και το κ?θε σημε?ο ξεχωριστ? μ?σα σε μια ιαπωνικ? κατοικ?α . Ο τρ?πο? που σερβ?ρεται το φαγητ? για παρ?δειγμα σε αντικε?μενα απ? λ?κα, που συμβ?λλουν στην μυστηριακ? και βαθι? απ?λαυση του φαγητο?, που δ?νει χ?ρο για γαλ?νη και περισυλλογ?. Αποφε?γουν τα γυαλιστερ? αντικε?μενα, θ?λουν ο χρ?νο? να ?χει δημιουργ?σει πατ?να στα σκε?η του?.
‘’Αυτ? που ονομ?ζουμε ομορφι?… πηγ?ζει π?ντα απ? τι? αναγκαι?τητε? τη? πραγματικ?τητα?’’
''Στο παλ?τι που λ?γεται λογοτεχν?α, τα υπ?στεγα θ?λω να ε?ναι βαθι? και οι το?χοι σκοτεινο?. Θα σπρ?ξω καθετ? που χτυπ?ει στο μ?τι με? στο σκοτ?δι, θα προσπαθ?σω να απογυμν?σω τα εσωτερικ? απο καθε ?χρηστη διακ?σμηση... ''
March 26, 2024
???? ????? ???? ?? ????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???:
"??? ???? ???? ?? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ??? ???? ?? ????? ??????? ????? ????? ?? ???? ????? ?? ?? ???? ?? ????? ???????? ???????? ???? ??? ???? ?? ?? ????? ? ???? ?????? ?? ??????? ??? ?? ?? ???? ???? ? ????? ???? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ?? ??? ???? ????? ????? ?? ?? ????????? ? ??????????? ?? ????? ? ?????? ? ???? ????? ????? ?? ?? ????? ?????????? ?? ?? ??? ? ??? ??? ?? ???????? ?????"
????? ??? ?? ???? ??????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ? ????????? ????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ? ???? ?? ????? ????? ???????? ? ??????? ?? ???????????? ???????? ????? ?????
"??? ???? ???? ?? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ??? ???? ?? ????? ??????? ????? ????? ?? ???? ????? ?? ?? ???? ?? ????? ???????? ???????? ???? ??? ???? ?? ?? ????? ? ???? ?????? ?? ??????? ??? ?? ?? ???? ???? ? ????? ???? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ?? ??? ???? ????? ????? ?? ?? ????????? ? ??????????? ?? ????? ? ?????? ? ???? ????? ????? ?? ?? ????? ?????????? ?? ?? ??? ? ??? ??? ?? ???????? ?????"
????? ??? ?? ???? ??????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ? ????????? ????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ? ???? ?? ????? ????? ???????? ? ??????? ?? ???????????? ???????? ????? ?????
August 23, 2019
"Sonra kapak ?abucak a??l?r ve bu siyah kab?n i?ine y???lm??, her tanesi inci gibi parlayan, saf beyaz yeni ha?lanm?? yemek d??ar? s?cak buharlar yayar -i?te bu her Japon'u etkileyen bir g?rüntüdür. Yemek pi?irme sanat?m?z g?lgeye ba?l?d?r ve karanl?ktan ayr?lamaz."
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Japon kültürü hakk?nda ilgin? ?eyler ??rendim...
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Japon kültürü hakk?nda ilgin? ?eyler ??rendim...
December 27, 2022
????? ?? ?? ????? ?? ????? ??????? (?????? ?????? ??????)
???????? ????? ??? ?? ????? ?? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ?????? ? ?? ???? ????????. ??? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?? ??? ?? ??? ????? ????? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ?????.
??????? ???? ?? ???????? ?????? ? ?????? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ???? ? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ????? ??????. ?? ???? ???? ??? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ??????? ??????? ????? ????? (???? ??????? ????? ?????? ?...)? ??? ? ?????? ???? ?? ???.
????????? ????? ?????? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ???????? ????????????? ? ????? ??????? ?? ??? ??? ????? ??? ????? "?????? ?????" ?????????. ???? ????? ???. ?? ???? ?????? ???????? ????? ???? ???? ????? ? ????? ??? ?? ????? ??????. ?? ?? ???????? ??????? ? ??? ?????! ?????????? ? ???????? ?? ?????? ????? ?????????? ?? ?? ???? ???????? ???????.
???? ??? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???. ??????? ? ????. ?? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ??????? ?????.
??? ?? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ????? ????? ????? ????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ? ???? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ?? ???.
???????? ????? ??? ?? ????? ?? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ?????? ? ?? ???? ????????. ??? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?? ??? ?? ??? ????? ????? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ?????.
??????? ???? ?? ???????? ?????? ? ?????? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ???? ? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ????? ??????. ?? ???? ???? ??? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ??????? ??????? ????? ????? (???? ??????? ????? ?????? ?...)? ??? ? ?????? ???? ?? ???.
????????? ????? ?????? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ???????? ????????????? ? ????? ??????? ?? ??? ??? ????? ??? ????? "?????? ?????" ?????????. ???? ????? ???. ?? ???? ?????? ???????? ????? ???? ???? ????? ? ????? ??? ?? ????? ??????. ?? ?? ???????? ??????? ? ??? ?????! ?????????? ? ???????? ?? ?????? ????? ?????????? ?? ?? ???? ???????? ???????.
???? ??? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???. ??????? ? ????. ?? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ??????? ?????.
??? ?? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ????? ????? ????? ????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ? ???? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ?? ???.
August 31, 2018
Σε ?ναν κ?σμο που ?χει αν?γει τη Δ?ση και τι? συν?θει?? τη? σε πρ?τυπο και αναζητε? την πολυτ?λεια και την ομορφι? στα φανταχτερ? αντικε?μενα και στι? γυαλ?δε? του?, που προσπαθε? να εξαλε?ψει κ?θε σκι? και να αποφ?γει με κ?θε τρ?πο το σκοτ?δι, ο Τανιζ?κι φανερ?νει τη μαγε?α των σκι?ν. Ο Ι?πωνα? συγγραφ?α? πραγματε?εται τι? αμ?τρητε? ποι?τητε? που μπορε? να προκαλ?σει το παιχν?δι του ελ?χιστου φωτ?? μ?σα σε ?ναν σκοτειν? χ?ρο και τι? αισθ?σει? που μπορε? να αφυπν?σει, εν? ταυτ?χρονα νοσταλγε? εικ?νε? τη? καθημεριν?? ζω?? στην Ιαπων?α που ?χουν χαραχτε? στη μν?μη του με τη μορφ? υφ?ν, εντυπ?σεων και βιωμ?των... π?ντα με φ?ντο τι? σκι?? και την ομορφι? του?.
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April 6, 2019“G?lgeye ?vgü” ad?ndan da anla??laca?? gibi g?lgeye, gere?i kadar olan ????a ve bunlar?n bulundu?u ortam? adeta bir sanat eseri haline getiri?ine dair yaz?lm?? bir deneme. Geleneksel bir Japon evinin yap?l???nda ?????n - g?lgenin dengelenmesinden tutun, basit bir evdeki dekorasyonel oyuklar?n nas?l g?lgelendirilmesi - ???kland?r?lmas? gerekti?ine kadar, No Tiyatrosundan Kabuki Tiyatrosuna g?lgenin ?nemine kadar daha bir?ok konuda Tanizaki’nin g?rü?lerini okuyoruz. Tanizaki’nin bu konuyu y?llarca dü?ündü?ü, inceledi?i ?ok belli, adeta bu konunun en yetkin uzman? gibi anlat?yor. Konunun merakl?lar?na ve Tanizaki’den ne olsa okurum diyenlere tavsiye ederim.
April 9, 2020
Το εγκ?μιο τη? σκι?? ? η ελεγε?α τη? Ομορφι?? στην Ιαπων?α
?να μικρ? μπιζο? καλαισθησ?α? και γο?στου που χ?ρεσε στη μικρ? μου τσ?ντα για μια μ?ρα και ο νου? μου ?τρεχε συνεχ?? εκε?, να το ανο?ξω με κ?θε ευκαιρ?α και να συνεχ?σει την επ?δραση τη? γοητε?α? του π?νω μου. Η σημεριν? μου Δευτ?ρα δεν ?μοιαζε με μια απλ? Δευτ?ρα. ?μουν απλ? κ?που αλλο?. ?νιωσα κ?πω? αλλι??.
Αν ποτ? βρεθ? στην Ιαπων?α, θα ?χω σ?γουρα μαζ? μου αυτ? το βο?θημα. Γιατ? για βο?θημα πρ?κειται. Αυτ? που θα συμπληρ?σει την οποιαδ?ποτε ξερ? και κρ?α ξεν?γηση, το οποιοδ?ποτε ?νευ νο?ματο? βλ?μμα π?νω σε τ?μπλα, τε?οποτε?α και σημε?α.
Αυτ? το βιβλ?ο ?ταν για μ?να: λατρε?ω τι? λεπτομ?ρειε?, ε?ναι αυτ?? που καμι? φορ? θα παρατηρ?σω και θα απογει?σουν ? θα καταστρ?ψουν ?να τοπ?ο, ?ναν χ?ρο, μια γωνι?.
Με τι? περιγραφ?? του συγγραφ?α και τι? εξιστορ?σει? φ?λων που βρ?θηκαν εκε? συνδυαστικ?, μπορ? ε?κολα να γ?νω japanese-bathroom fetichist. Πριν μπω, θα βγ?λω αθ?ρυβα τα παπο?τσια μου και θα μπω μ?σα ξυπ?λυτη ακροπατ?ντα? ?στε να νι?σω την α?σθηση του ξ?λου στι? πατο?σε? μου· θα αφ?σω το φω? που διαπερν? το ρυζ?χαρτο να με θωπε?σει.
Ο συγγραφ?α? με ?κανε κοινων? μια? ατμοσφαιρικ?τητα? και μια? ευα?σθητη? ματι?? π?νω στον ορισμ? τη? ομορφι?? και του μεγαλε?ου τη? μ?σα απ? φωτοσκι?σει? που προ?ρχονται απ? το σκοτ?δι κι ?χι απ? το φω?. Εκτιμ? την κρυφ? ομορφι?, την προ? ανακ?λυψη, τη διακριτικ? παρουσ?α τη?. Αυτ? που δε δ?νεται στο πι?το, αυτ? που ε?ναι φυσικ? συγκαλυμμ?νη, αυτ? που χρει?ζεται λ?γο να επικεντρωθε?? περισσ?τερο για να την παρατηρ?σει? και που ?ταν σου αποκαλ?πτεται μ?νει? με τη σαγ?νη και τη γοητε?α τη? ανακ?λυψ?? σου κι ?τσι την χα?ρεσαι περισσ?τερο, τ?ρψη των αισθ?σεων και ταυτ?χρονα εγκεφαλικ?.
Διακρ?νεται ε?κολα η απ?λυτη αν?γκη που ?χει ο Τανιζ?κι να φυλακ?σει μια για π?ντα την ομορφι? τη? Ιαπωνικ?? κουλτο?ρα? στι? σελ?δε? του, διαισθαν?μενο? την καλπ?ζουσα απειλ? τη? Δ?ση? και απαριθμ?ντα? πονεμ?να τι? ?απ?λει?? τη? λ?γω δανε?ου απ? του? δυτικο???. Μπορε?? ε?κολα να πειστε?? ?τι ναι, ε?ναι επιθετικ? η καθαρ?τητα τη? απ?λυτα λευκ?? καλογυαλισμ?νη? επιφ?νεια? σε σ?γκριση με την αρμον?α τη? σκοτεινι?? που αποκτο?ν τα αντικε?μενα με την πατ?να του χρ?νου π?νω του?. Υπ?ρχει πολ?? ρομαντισμ?? στο βιβλιαρ?κι αυτ?, απ? πολλ?? σκοπι?? που δεν το περ?μενα. Δηλ?νω γοητευμ?νη.
Στον Τανιζ?κι κερδ?ζει το σκοτ?δι κι ?χι το φω?. Κι εγ? ε?μαι μαζ? του.
?να μικρ? μπιζο? καλαισθησ?α? και γο?στου που χ?ρεσε στη μικρ? μου τσ?ντα για μια μ?ρα και ο νου? μου ?τρεχε συνεχ?? εκε?, να το ανο?ξω με κ?θε ευκαιρ?α και να συνεχ?σει την επ?δραση τη? γοητε?α? του π?νω μου. Η σημεριν? μου Δευτ?ρα δεν ?μοιαζε με μια απλ? Δευτ?ρα. ?μουν απλ? κ?που αλλο?. ?νιωσα κ?πω? αλλι??.
Αν ποτ? βρεθ? στην Ιαπων?α, θα ?χω σ?γουρα μαζ? μου αυτ? το βο?θημα. Γιατ? για βο?θημα πρ?κειται. Αυτ? που θα συμπληρ?σει την οποιαδ?ποτε ξερ? και κρ?α ξεν?γηση, το οποιοδ?ποτε ?νευ νο?ματο? βλ?μμα π?νω σε τ?μπλα, τε?οποτε?α και σημε?α.
Αυτ? το βιβλ?ο ?ταν για μ?να: λατρε?ω τι? λεπτομ?ρειε?, ε?ναι αυτ?? που καμι? φορ? θα παρατηρ?σω και θα απογει?σουν ? θα καταστρ?ψουν ?να τοπ?ο, ?ναν χ?ρο, μια γωνι?.
Με τι? περιγραφ?? του συγγραφ?α και τι? εξιστορ?σει? φ?λων που βρ?θηκαν εκε? συνδυαστικ?, μπορ? ε?κολα να γ?νω japanese-bathroom fetichist. Πριν μπω, θα βγ?λω αθ?ρυβα τα παπο?τσια μου και θα μπω μ?σα ξυπ?λυτη ακροπατ?ντα? ?στε να νι?σω την α?σθηση του ξ?λου στι? πατο?σε? μου· θα αφ?σω το φω? που διαπερν? το ρυζ?χαρτο να με θωπε?σει.
Ο συγγραφ?α? με ?κανε κοινων? μια? ατμοσφαιρικ?τητα? και μια? ευα?σθητη? ματι?? π?νω στον ορισμ? τη? ομορφι?? και του μεγαλε?ου τη? μ?σα απ? φωτοσκι?σει? που προ?ρχονται απ? το σκοτ?δι κι ?χι απ? το φω?. Εκτιμ? την κρυφ? ομορφι?, την προ? ανακ?λυψη, τη διακριτικ? παρουσ?α τη?. Αυτ? που δε δ?νεται στο πι?το, αυτ? που ε?ναι φυσικ? συγκαλυμμ?νη, αυτ? που χρει?ζεται λ?γο να επικεντρωθε?? περισσ?τερο για να την παρατηρ?σει? και που ?ταν σου αποκαλ?πτεται μ?νει? με τη σαγ?νη και τη γοητε?α τη? ανακ?λυψ?? σου κι ?τσι την χα?ρεσαι περισσ?τερο, τ?ρψη των αισθ?σεων και ταυτ?χρονα εγκεφαλικ?.
Διακρ?νεται ε?κολα η απ?λυτη αν?γκη που ?χει ο Τανιζ?κι να φυλακ?σει μια για π?ντα την ομορφι? τη? Ιαπωνικ?? κουλτο?ρα? στι? σελ?δε? του, διαισθαν?μενο? την καλπ?ζουσα απειλ? τη? Δ?ση? και απαριθμ?ντα? πονεμ?να τι? ?απ?λει?? τη? λ?γω δανε?ου απ? του? δυτικο???. Μπορε?? ε?κολα να πειστε?? ?τι ναι, ε?ναι επιθετικ? η καθαρ?τητα τη? απ?λυτα λευκ?? καλογυαλισμ?νη? επιφ?νεια? σε σ?γκριση με την αρμον?α τη? σκοτεινι?? που αποκτο?ν τα αντικε?μενα με την πατ?να του χρ?νου π?νω του?. Υπ?ρχει πολ?? ρομαντισμ?? στο βιβλιαρ?κι αυτ?, απ? πολλ?? σκοπι?? που δεν το περ?μενα. Δηλ?νω γοητευμ?νη.
Στον Τανιζ?κι κερδ?ζει το σκοτ?δι κι ?χι το φω?. Κι εγ? ε?μαι μαζ? του.
May 30, 2022
Ko nesimato - n?ra.
Tanizakis yra vienas mano m?gstamiausi? ra?ytoj? ever. Patvirk? diedukai, klastingos mar?ios, vyrai draskomi prie?taring? jausm? ir u?gaid?, etc etc, na, dievinu a? toki? fuckery. ?i knygut? - i? esm?s trumpas es? - apie tamsos ir ?e??li? svarb? ryt? ir ypa? japon? kultūroje ir estetikoje, man buvo be galo ?domi, bet gal tik kiek trumpoka.
Na ir ?ioks toks m?ginukas - ko gero tik Tanizakis sugeb?jo prad?ti savo traktat? nuo tradicinio lauko ?ikiniko estetini? privalum? aptarimo ir baigti va tokia simboli? ir metafor? kupina moters analize.
"Kadaise savo es? "I?ioano u?ra?ai" jau esu ra??s, kad ?iuolaikiniai ?mon?s seniai ?prat? prie elektros lempu?i? ?viesos ir u?mir?o kada nors buvus ?itoki? tams?. Ypa? "plika akimi matoma tamsa", kurioje lengva kilti haliucinacijoms, neva ten ka?in kas mirg?s, ir kuri kartais yra gūdesn? u? tams? lauke. Ko gero, visokios pabaisos ir piktosios dvasios veikdavo tokioje tamsyb?je, bet ar storomis u?uolaidomis, keliais ?irm? ir pertvar? sluoksniais patamsyje aptvertos moterys vis d?lto nebuvo t? pabais? pasiuntin?s? Tamsa tas moteris susupdavo ? de?imtis ir dvide?imtis sluoksni?, u?pildydavo menkiausius ply?elius nuo apykakl?s ir rankogali? iki valk?io siūli?. O gal net prie?ingai, t? tams? jos nelyginant voras voratinkl? i?spjaudavo i? savo kūn?, i? burnos juodai nuda?ytais dantimis ir juod? plauk? galiuk?."
Yummy.
P.S. Ir ne, Tanizakis nebuvo mizoginistas.
Tanizakis yra vienas mano m?gstamiausi? ra?ytoj? ever. Patvirk? diedukai, klastingos mar?ios, vyrai draskomi prie?taring? jausm? ir u?gaid?, etc etc, na, dievinu a? toki? fuckery. ?i knygut? - i? esm?s trumpas es? - apie tamsos ir ?e??li? svarb? ryt? ir ypa? japon? kultūroje ir estetikoje, man buvo be galo ?domi, bet gal tik kiek trumpoka.
Na ir ?ioks toks m?ginukas - ko gero tik Tanizakis sugeb?jo prad?ti savo traktat? nuo tradicinio lauko ?ikiniko estetini? privalum? aptarimo ir baigti va tokia simboli? ir metafor? kupina moters analize.
"Kadaise savo es? "I?ioano u?ra?ai" jau esu ra??s, kad ?iuolaikiniai ?mon?s seniai ?prat? prie elektros lempu?i? ?viesos ir u?mir?o kada nors buvus ?itoki? tams?. Ypa? "plika akimi matoma tamsa", kurioje lengva kilti haliucinacijoms, neva ten ka?in kas mirg?s, ir kuri kartais yra gūdesn? u? tams? lauke. Ko gero, visokios pabaisos ir piktosios dvasios veikdavo tokioje tamsyb?je, bet ar storomis u?uolaidomis, keliais ?irm? ir pertvar? sluoksniais patamsyje aptvertos moterys vis d?lto nebuvo t? pabais? pasiuntin?s? Tamsa tas moteris susupdavo ? de?imtis ir dvide?imtis sluoksni?, u?pildydavo menkiausius ply?elius nuo apykakl?s ir rankogali? iki valk?io siūli?. O gal net prie?ingai, t? tams? jos nelyginant voras voratinkl? i?spjaudavo i? savo kūn?, i? burnos juodai nuda?ytais dantimis ir juod? plauk? galiuk?."
Yummy.
P.S. Ir ne, Tanizakis nebuvo mizoginistas.
April 3, 2021
Daha ?nce okudu?um yine Jaguar Yay?n’dan ??kan iki uzun ?ykü kitab?ndan ?ok farkl? bir kitap, bir deneme. Tabii dili kullan??? ve edebi ??tas?n?n yüksekli?i ayn?. Ge?mi?e, gelene?e, klasi?e ?zlem, modernle?me kar??tl???na yaz?lan bir ?vgü belki de bir a??t.
Do?ulular?n (?in, Japon, Hint) karanl?kta güzellik aramalar?na kar?? bat?l?lar?n g?lgelerden hi? keyif almad???n? iddia ediyor Tanizaki, bunu günlük ya?amdan, mimariden, sahne sanatlar?ndan ?rneklerle destekliyor. Asl?nda karanl?k bir esteti?i ?zlemle anlat?yor ki günümüz ger?ekli?inden olduk?a uzak dü?üyor.
Bu denemesi i?in harcayaca??n?z zaman? ?ykü ve romanlar?na harcay?n derim.
Do?ulular?n (?in, Japon, Hint) karanl?kta güzellik aramalar?na kar?? bat?l?lar?n g?lgelerden hi? keyif almad???n? iddia ediyor Tanizaki, bunu günlük ya?amdan, mimariden, sahne sanatlar?ndan ?rneklerle destekliyor. Asl?nda karanl?k bir esteti?i ?zlemle anlat?yor ki günümüz ger?ekli?inden olduk?a uzak dü?üyor.
Bu denemesi i?in harcayaca??n?z zaman? ?ykü ve romanlar?na harcay?n derim.
March 31, 2019
“Eskimeyenin kar??s?nda bir tür korku duymad?n?z m? hi?; zaman?n ge?ti?ine dair bilincinizi kaybedece?iniz, say?s?z y?llar?n ge?ece?i ve kendinize geldi?inizde kendinizi ya?lanm?? ve sa?lar?n?z? beyazlam?? bulaca??n?z korkusunu?”
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Tanizaki demek tutku demek benim i?in. Bir tiyatroda oyuncunun uzun, d?kümlü elbisesinden ellerini g?rüp hayran kalabilecek kadar tutkulu. Ya?ad??? evin her santimini dü?ünüp, kulland??? mürekkebin dokusunu duyumsayacak kadar tutkulu..
Roman ve ?ykülerindeki ele avuca s??maz Tanizaki’den Japon mimarisinden tiyatrosuna,edebiyattan giyime dek estetik alg?s?n? okuyoruz.
E?ya,mekan ve ki?ilerin ayd?nl?k ile g?lge aras?ndaki var olu?lar?na i?kin bir Tanizaki Juni?iro eseri..
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?ngilizceden (ki ba?ar?l? oldu?unu dü?ünüyorum) ?evirisinde Didem Kizen, perdelenmi? ????a odaklanan kapak tasar?m?nda Natalia Suvorova yer almakta (ancak kitap ismi ve yazar ad?n?n bu denli silik olmas?n? sevemedim~)
.
Tanizaki demek tutku demek benim i?in. Bir tiyatroda oyuncunun uzun, d?kümlü elbisesinden ellerini g?rüp hayran kalabilecek kadar tutkulu. Ya?ad??? evin her santimini dü?ünüp, kulland??? mürekkebin dokusunu duyumsayacak kadar tutkulu..
Roman ve ?ykülerindeki ele avuca s??maz Tanizaki’den Japon mimarisinden tiyatrosuna,edebiyattan giyime dek estetik alg?s?n? okuyoruz.
E?ya,mekan ve ki?ilerin ayd?nl?k ile g?lge aras?ndaki var olu?lar?na i?kin bir Tanizaki Juni?iro eseri..
.
?ngilizceden (ki ba?ar?l? oldu?unu dü?ünüyorum) ?evirisinde Didem Kizen, perdelenmi? ????a odaklanan kapak tasar?m?nda Natalia Suvorova yer almakta (ancak kitap ismi ve yazar ad?n?n bu denli silik olmas?n? sevemedim~)
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