Presentation on the topic: Japanese philosophy of beauty: sabi, wabi, shibuya, yugen, kabuki, haiku (hoku), tanka

1 of 21

Presentation on the topic: Japanese philosophy of beauty: sabi, wabi, shibuya, yugen, kabuki, haiku (hoku), tanka

Slide no. 1

Slide description:

Slide no. 2

Slide description:

JAPANESE CULTURE Japanese culture stands out clearly for its unusual versatility against the general background of world culture, and for Westerners it seems very mysterious and incomprehensible. And the Japanese themselves believe that their culture and philosophy cannot be understood by a non-Japanese; to do this, one must be born Japanese. But still, in order to try to understand the essence and characteristics of Japanese national cultural traditions, it is necessary to plunge into the vast ocean of Eastern philosophy - Eastern wisdom, with which Japanese culture is inextricably linked connected. The Japanese are not without interest in philosophical views Lao Tzu, although they do not agree with them on everything. They are impressed by the thesis of the Daode Ching about the relationship between man and the surrounding nature. In the character of the Japanese, perhaps more than any other people, there lies a deep sense of attachment to living nature, a soulful attitude towards their native land, and a kind of adoration for their islands. And in the philosophy of Taoism they find not a simple concept of the triad (earth, man, sky), as is typical for Confucian doctrine, but the formula - earth, man, Tao - the way, naturalness.

Slide no. 3

Slide description:

The study of the cultural model of Japan allows us to identify the socio-historical conditions in which the continuity of cultural traditions is realized and preserved, the cultural and psychological context in which the corresponding artistic and aesthetic tastes, views and norms are formed. The openness of the Japanese to new things, their willingness and ability to borrow external signs of the modern way of life do not prevent them from carefully preserving the originality of their inner world, the originality of their spiritual culture. The changes and innovations that occur here inevitably acquire a character that is most consistent with the traditional context - way of life, ideas, forms of expression. As the American observer R. Halloran writes, “Western influence changed the face of Japan, but did not penetrate the souls of the Japanese.” Indeed, in all spheres of life, the Japanese manage to skillfully implement the principle of “wakon yosai”, the meaning of which is a firm attitude: when borrowing something foreign, do not allow it to shake the internal foundations of their way of life.

Slide no. 4

Slide description:

Slide no. 5

Slide description:

1.1. Sabi The first word is “sabi”. The Japanese see a special charm in signs of age. They are attracted by the darkened color of an old tree, a mossy stone in the garden, or even fraying - traces of many hands touching the edge of the picture. These old features are called the word “sabi”, which literally means “rust”. Sabi, therefore, is genuine rustiness, archaic imperfection, the charm of antiquity, the stamp of time.

Slide no. 6

Slide description:

Slide no. 7

Slide description:

1.2. Wabi The concept of “wabi”, the Japanese emphasize, is very difficult to explain in words. You have to feel it. Wabi is the absence of anything pretentious, flashy, deliberate, that is, in the minds of the Japanese, vulgar. Wabi is the beauty of the ordinary, wise restraint, the beauty of nature. By cultivating the ability to be content with little, the Japanese find and appreciate beauty in everything that surrounds a person in his everyday life, in every object of everyday life. Practicality, utilitarian beauty of objects - this is what is associated with the concept of “wabi”.

Slide no. 8

Slide description:

Slide no. 9

Slide description:

1.3. Shibui If you ask a Japanese what a Shibui is, he will answer: what a person with good taste would call beautiful. Literally, the word “shibui” means “tart”, “astringent”. Shibuya is primordial imperfection combined with sober restraint. This is the beauty of naturalness plus the beauty of simplicity. It is the beauty inherent in the purpose of the item as well as the material from which it is made. With minimal processing of the material - maximum practicality of the product. The Japanese consider the combination of these two qualities to be an ideal.

Slide no. 10

Slide description:

1.4. Yugen “Yugen” embodies the mastery of hint or subtext, the charm of reticence. To be happy or sad about the changes that time brings with it is inherent in all peoples. But perhaps only the Japanese were able to see the source of beauty in fragility. It is no coincidence that they chose sakura as their national flower. Improvement is more beautiful than perfection; completion more fully represents life, completeness. Therefore, the work that is most capable of telling about beauty is the one in which not everything is fully understood.

Slide no. 11

Slide description:

Yugen, or the beauty of understatement, is the beauty that lies in the depths of things, without tending to the surface. Considering completeness incompatible with the eternal movement of life, Japanese art, on the same basis, denies symmetry. We are so accustomed to dividing space into equal parts that when we place a vase on a shelf, we quite instinctively place it in the middle. The Japanese will just as mechanically move it to the side, because he sees beauty in the asymmetrical arrangement of decorative elements, in the disturbed balance, which for him personifies the living and moving world. Asymmetrical use of space eliminates pairing. And Japanese aesthetics considers any duplication of decorative elements a sin. The dishes on the Japanese table have nothing in common with what we call a service. Visitors are amazed: what a discrepancy! But to the Japanese it seems bad taste to see the same painting on plates, on dishes, on a coffee pot, and on cups...

Slide no. 12

Slide description:

Slide no. 13

Slide description:

2. Kabuki Kabuki (Japanese 歌舞伎, lit. “song, dance, skill”, “skillful singing and dancing”) is one of the types of traditional theater in Japan. A synthesis of singing, music, dance and drama, the performers use complex makeup and costumes with powerful symbolic loads.

Slide no. 14

Slide description:

The kabuki genre developed in the 17th century based on folk songs and dances. The genre was started by Okuni, a servant of the Izumo Taisha Shrine, who in 1602 began performing a new type of theatrical dance in a dry riverbed near Kyoto. Women played female and male roles in comic plays, the plots of which were incidents from everyday life. The new genre quickly became popular, Okuni was even invited to perform in front of the Imperial Court. On the crest of the success of the new type of theatrical art, competing troupes began to emerge, which gave rise to the emergence of kabuki theater, as a combination of dramatic and dance arts, in which all roles were performed by women. Initially, kabuki was largely rude and indecent performances; many actresses led an immoral lifestyle. Because of this, a homonym was sometimes used for the name kabuki (Japanese: 歌舞妓, kabuki, “theater of singing and dancing courtesans”).

Slide no. 15

Slide description:

In modern Japan, kabuki remains a fairly popular genre - it is the most popular form of theatrical art among all traditional Japanese dramatic genres. Many leading kabuki actors often appear in films and television (the famous onnagata actor Bando Tamasaburo V played several roles (including female ones) in films). In some theater companies, female roles began to be played again by women, and after World War II The all-female kabuki group Ichikawa Kabuki-za is formed. The founder of the genre, Okuni, was commemorated in a statue in the Kyoto district of Pontocho in 2003. On November 24, 2005, kabuki was included in the “Third Declaration of Masterpieces of the Oral Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO.

Slide no. 16

Slide description:

Kabuki theater currently consists of three types of productions: Jidai-mono (Japanese 時代物) - “historical” plays created before the Sengoku period Sewa-mono (Japanese 世話物) - “common folk” plays created after the Sengoku period Shosagoto (Japanese 所作事 - dance-dramatic plays. The first category is usually divided into 3 subgenres: otyo-mono (plays from court life), jidai-mono proper and oie-mono (plays about feudal strife). Important features of kabuki are the “language of poses” mie, with the help of which the actor brings out his character on stage; kesho makeup, which brings the necessary style to the character, making it easily recognizable even for spectators who are not experienced in theatrical art. Rice powder is used for the white base of the makeup, while kumadori emphasizes or enhances the features. the actor’s face, to create a “mask” of an animal or supernatural creature. Kumadori corresponds to the role. A feature of male makeup is the application of colored lines to the face, each of which has a special meaning. Female makeup differs from European ones only in the more exaggerated features.

Slide no. 17

Slide description:

3. Haiku Haiku (Japanese: 俳句), haiku (Japanese: 発句) - a genre of traditional Japanese lyric poetry waka. Classic haiku are necessarily built on the correlation of a person (the author), his inner world, biography, etc. with nature; in this case, nature must be defined in relation to the time of year - for this purpose kigo (Japanese 季語 kigo, “seasonal word”) is used as a mandatory element of the text. Most often, the narration is conducted in the present tense: the author presents his experiences. There is no rhyme in haiku in the European sense, since different principles of verse construction are used here. It is very important how many strokes are used to draw adjacent hieroglyphs. If the number of features is equal or almost equal, then the Japanese consider it a good haiku. And the greater the difference in the number of features in adjacent hieroglyphs, the worse it is (in the eyes of the Japanese).

Slide no. 20

Slide description:

4. Tanka Tanka (Japanese 短歌 tanka, “short song”) is a 31-syllable, five-line Japanese poetic form, the main type of Japanese feudal lyric poetry, which is a type of waka genre (Japanese 和歌 waka, “songs of Yamato”). Origins of tanka - in folk legends and oral poetry of the era of the tribal system. Currently, tanka is cultivated as the main form of Japanese national poetry. In the 13th and 14th centuries there was a satirical genre - rakushu, and in later times - humorous poetry kyoka (literally translated "mad poems"), which also use the tanka stanza, i.e. 5-7-5-7-7. The poet Tsurayuki (9th - early 10th centuries) defines tanka as poetry “whose roots are in the human heart.” Tanka has no rhymes. The technique of this form of poetry is based on a combination of five- and seven-syllable verses with two seven-syllable final verses:

Slide no. 21

Slide description:

Akazome-emon Was in in the world you, And the hardest path was not hard. But here I am alone, and covered with dew My headboard is made of herbs. Last spring, the petals flew around, but you see the cherry blossoms again. Oh, if only our separation turned out to be akin to flowers! Dewdrops on the leaves of the miscanthus tremble in the wind. In a moment - and they are gone. But our union is even more fragile, Although I live, hoping... Oh, I can’t fall asleep Alone on a cold bed. And here this rain - It’s knocking so hard that it’s impossible to close your eyes even for a moment. Forgotten by you. I wish I could master the skill It’s easy to forget. But like you, my heart is cruel - Alas, it doesn’t want to obey. I decided on my own - I’ll stop meeting you at least for a while. But in the morning it’s so bitter to listen to how birds beat their wings...

If you suddenly want to “live in the Eastern way,” meaning the Far East and cultural Asia, then you must learn and truly pass through three categories:

• wabi,
• sabi,
• Yugen.

Especially if you want to do “ethnic” things like:

• ikebana,
• rock garden,
• origami,
• bonsai,
• tea ceremony,
• ink drawing,
• silk drawing,
• writing haiku poems

Art Therapy, Creative Expression Therapy and Zen

Nowadays, within the framework of “psychotherapy through creative self-expression”, and within the framework of master classes on “art therapy”, these Japanese crafts and genres, silently expressing Zen, are very popular.

And this is the main thing we all need to understand: if we ourselves, our Teacher, the atmosphere of the classes do NOT contain the three listed categories (wabi, sabi, yugen), then there is no point in going to such classes.

It would seem that it couldn’t be easier, right now let’s read about sabi, wabi and yu-ge and fall in love with them. And then we can implement it easily.

And this is not very pleasant and not very familiar to us Europeans - sabi, wabi and yu-ge. Here. For example.

Every connoisseur of Zen aesthetics will immediately find “sabi” and “wabi” in what a European would call... "loneliness and desolation". For a person living with a sense of Zen, they are a blessing, and not vice versa. Why?

Loneliness and desolation give a person a rare gift: liberation from the illusion of eternal abundance of the material world , give a chance to go beyond this “maya” to true being. What is the essence of “authentic being”?

So let's start with "Wabi". Its associative series:

"Jane Eyre"

• modesty, simplicity, artlessness, (Whistle of folk crafts)
• loneliness, loneliness (one flower in the picture - no more. Look at one, right?),
• dimness (five colors tire the eye, five sounds tire the ear),
• and along with all this - great inner strength. (Understanding that in front of you is a masterpiece, a talisman, a talisman, a “trick” from the shaman’s arsenal).

Figurine from “Grandma’s Chest”

“Sabi” literally means “covered with rust.” Its associative series:

• vintage,
• "noble patina" of time,
• cracked, “chipped”, worn out from use, socks,
• “dear to the heart”, connection with the era, ancestors,
• feeling of "original"
• a one-piece work, now a single copy, no longer “for sale.”

As scholar of Japanese and Zen culture, Richard Powell, said: “True teaching of wabi-sabi occurs only when the student sincerely understands three truths:

• nothing on earth should last forever,
• nothing on earth should be finished,
• nothing on earth should be perfect.”

Otherwise - the Tower of Babel. Or a Hollywood movie.

And here’s how to define the third Japanese aesthetic category“yu-ge” (“yu-gen”) our Vsevolod Ovchinnikov in his famous book “Sakura Branch”:

“Yugen, or the beauty of understatement, is that beauty that modestly lies in the depths of things, not striving to the surface. It may not be noticed at all by a person devoid of taste or peace of mind.”

The Russian poetess Zinaida Gippius spoke in consonance with this:

“If you need to explain, then don’t explain.”

Are there examples of sabi, wabi and yu-gen in Russian culture?

Eat. And we must first study them before going east. They are also in European culture. "Wabi", for example, are portraits by Rembrandt. Sabi - black and white European cinema. Yu-gen... Well, for example, Tarkovsky. (For me, Tarkovsky is European cinema).

And here is a pure example from Russian culture. Poet Evgeny Baratynsky and his little-known poem “Desolation.” There are three categories of Zen aesthetics here. And wabi. And sabi. And yugen.

Baratynsky dedicates this poem to his father, who died early. The hero of the poem (the poet) returns to his native estate, which was once rich. Returns there in late autumn. And he thanks the surrounding atmosphere for the fact that it is here and precisely under such conditions that he can communicate with the spirit of his father and literally believe with his whole body. To believe that besides this world there is another world, where nothing is subject to decay and where separations are abolished.

Poem

Desolation

I visited you, captivating canopy,

Not on the merry days of life-giving May,

When, waving green branches,

You beckon the traveler into your thick shadow,

When you smell the scent

Flowers carefully nurtured by you,—

Under your enchanted roof

I slowed down with my return.

The trees stood in the autumn nakedness

And they turned unfriendly;

The frozen grass crunched under my feet,

And the dead leaves, worried, rustled;

I breathed sharply with coolness

The smell of decay hits my face;

But I wasn’t looking for spring decorations,

And memories of past years.

Thoughtful at heart, I walked slowly

From the years of infancy familiar paths;

An experienced artist once carried them out.

Alas, his hand has been worn out by the years!

The paths are stalled, you dream, a pedestrian

Accidentally trampled. I went down to the treasured house,

Dol, welcome cherisher of my first thoughts!

I was looking for beautiful waters from a friend's pond,

I was looking for the springing waters of the memorable cascades:

There, I thought, to my soul

Visions of former days will fly in droves...

In vain! deprived of a protective barrier,

The waters have flown far away,

Their bed is overgrown with grass,

The beehives found an economic shelter in them,

And the easy path disappeared before me.

My gaze did not find anything familiar!

But here it is still a wooded slope

A brave path leads me... a collapse

Suddenly swallowed her... I became

And he measured the unexpected depth with a sad gaze,

In bewilderment I looked for another path;

I'm going: where the gazebo is smoldering

And in the dust before her lie her pillars,

Where the skeleton of the bridge is decaying.

And you, majestic grotto,

Heavy stone, befallen by destruction,

And you threaten to fall,

It used to be completely cool in the summer heat!

Well? Let the past pass in a fleeting sleep!

You are still beautiful, stalled Elisey,

And with mighty charm

Filled for my soul.

He was not a thought, he was not cold at heart,

Who, the nameless bliss, is greedy,

Their wayward running indicated these paths,

Who, inclining their ears to the mysterious noise

These maples, these oaks, I nourished in my soul

A sympathetic thought for him.

For a long time, rumors about him fell silent around me.

The distant grave received his ashes,

My memory of his image did not preserve,

But his accessible spirit still lives here;

Here, friend of dreams and nature,

I know him completely:

He excites me with inspiration,

He tells me to praise the forests, valleys, waters;

He convincingly prophesies a country for me,

Where I inherit the non-urgent spring,

Where I don’t notice any destruction of traces,

Where in the sweet shadow of unfading oak trees,

By endless streams,

I am the sacred shadow that will meet me.

Elena Nazarenko

The Japanese measure beauty using four concepts: sabi, wabi, shibuya and yugen. The first three concepts have their roots in ancient religion Shinto, and Yugen is inspired by Buddhist philosophy. In traditional Japanese aesthetics, sabi, wabi, shibui and yugen define the essence of beauty.

Sabi literally means rust. This concept conveys the charm of wear, a certain patina of time, patina, traces of the touch of many hands. Sabi is a natural beauty born of time, its stamp. It is believed that time helps to reveal the essence of things. That's why the Japanese see evidence of age as having a special charm. They are attracted to the dark color of old wood and mossy stone in the garden. The category sabi expresses the connection between art and nature. The more obvious the signs of time, the more precious the thing. The Japanese like to brew tea in an unfired clay teapot. With each brew, the smell becomes richer, and the teapot becomes more expensive. And the cup will become perfect after the glaze is covered from the inside with a network of cracks.

Wabi is the absence of anything deliberate, the beauty of simplicity. This concept is associated with the practicality, functionality and utilitarian beauty of objects. Beauty and naturalness for the Japanese are identical concepts. Wabi is a bridge between art and everyday life. The concept of wabi is very difficult to explain in words, it must be felt. Wabi is the absence of anything pretentious, flashy, deliberate, that is, in the minds of the Japanese, vulgar.

Wabi and sabi over time began to be used as one concept - wabi-sabi, which then acquired a broader meaning, turning into the everyday word shibui.

Shibuya is the beauty contained in the material with its minimal processing, and the practicality of the product. The Japanese consider the combination of these two qualities to be an ideal. Over the centuries, the Japanese have developed the ability to recognize and recreate the qualities defined by the word Shibui almost instinctively. In the literal sense of the word, shibui means tart, astringent. It comes from the name jam, which is prepared from persimmons.

Yugen is an understatement, a beauty that lies in the depths of things, not striving to the surface. Kenko Yoshida wrote in the 18th century: “For all things, completion is bad, only unfinished things give a joyful, relaxing feeling.” An object that is completed is uninteresting, the variability of the natural disappears in completeness. Japanese art also denies symmetry - it embodies repetition. The secret of art is to listen to the unsaid, to admire the invisible. This is the fourth criterion of the Japanese idea of ​​beauty.

The wabi sabi interior style reflects the Japanese aesthetic worldview of the same name. It can be seen in haiku and tanka, ikebana, drawings on silk, and the design of Japanese gardens.

One translation option sounds like “modest beauty.” In fact, the philosophy of wabi sabi is something that cannot be described in Western terms. You can only feel it.

Based on Buddhist teachings about impermanence and suffering, the philosophy favors design in love with asymmetry, rigor and simplicity.

“Nothing lasts forever, nothing is finished, nothing is perfect” - these are the three things on which traditional Japanese philosophy is based.

Who is it for?

The principles of wabi sabi interior design appeal to people in creative professions: actors, photographers, singers. The apartments at the Robert De Niro Hotel are decorated in this style. The cost of renting a penthouse is 15 thousand US dollars per day.

Such interiors will appeal to those who:

• does not want to endlessly replace new things with even newer ones;
• tired of disposable products;
• loves objects that have personality, history and character;
• appreciates what he has.

Business Cards

Despite the fact that Japanese wabi-sabi cannot be put into any specific framework, the style has several calling cards.

Characteristic is the use of natural materials and calm tones, attention to the texture of materials. Old and self-made items are welcome.

Colors, lighting and materials

Calm colors are used: white, beige, gray, brown, green. Light colors give lightness and space, green and brown symbolize unity with nature.

The lighting is dim and diffuse. It came from tea houses, which were built so that the windows faced the north side.

The materials are not necessarily expensive, but always natural. Preference is given to local wood species and types of stone.

If pine trees grow around and there is a granite quarry nearby, designers are more likely to give preference to these materials, disdaining lapacho wood and white marble.

You might be interested in: Corner Kitchen Design: You'll Want to Know About It

The absence of ornaments and patterns is more than replaced by attention to texture. Multi-colored veins of wood, shades of natural stone - discreet and noble beauty.

Furniture and accessories

The furniture is laconic, without decorative ornaments. It shouldn't look like a newfangled throwaway item. Worn wooden surfaces and uneven stones are played up.

The interior should show the passage of time. Therefore, they use old, but not necessarily antique, things. It could be a chair that has lasted 20 years or a cracked sculpture.

Handmade items and indoor plants are welcome, especially bonsai. Dry branches are often used in decoration as a symbol of withering.

Modern designers use hammocks and hanging beds, thus adding unusualness and color due to the originality of the solution, and not due to the decor.

Elements of incompleteness, negligence, and irregularity are required, expressing the beauty of imperfection. What will it be: a broken stone countertop, old stair steps or a crooked clay cup?

Unmade bed

Some incompleteness in the interior is expressed in an untidy bed. At first glance, the blanket thrown carelessly is actually laid out in thoughtful folds.

It is necessary to choose the right bedding. Definitely natural, possibly crushed. Preference is given to silky satin. But cotton, linen and silk will look just as good.

Kintsugi (gold patch) is a ceramic restoration technique invented by the Japanese. This is an entire art, the philosophy of which is based on the ability to correctly perceive failures and appreciate the beauty of flaws. Such products will look great in a wabi sabi interior.

According to legend, in 15th century Japan, the shogun lost his favorite cup. He ordered all the fragments to be collected and given to the craftsmen for repair.

When the work was ready, the Japanese dignitary was dissatisfied and demanded a redo. Fearing the shogun's wrath, the craftsmen turned the cup into a real work of art, filling the cracks with gold varnish.

Wabi-sabi - the path of simplicity. IN Lately many began to think about returning to their roots: giving up everything, leaving the bustle of the city behind, going to live in the countryside and enjoying simplicity. This is exactly what the wabi-sabi worldview is about - seeing beauty in the imperfect. What is so special about this lifestyle, and why 2017 will be the year of wabi-sabi?

Last year, the whole world went crazy for hygge, a Danish way of life that encourages finding small joys in everyday life. Cocoa in your favorite mug, warm fluffy socks, reading books on the window and a cat curled up on your lap - thousands of photos with the hashtag #hugge could be found on social networks. Now the Scandinavian trend has been replaced by the no less interesting Japanese trend of wabi-sabi.

Japanese philosophy finds beauty in imperfection, so their culture emphasizes the importance of finding a harmonious balance between action and inaction. And one of the ways to achieve such balance is a simple but profound way of life, which is called the way of wabi-sabi.

Literally wabi-sabi” - modest simplicity. IN in a broad sense it is what modern slick, mass-produced, technology-rich culture is not. These are flea markets instead of shopping centers, old wood instead of glossy flooring, wildflowers instead of thousands of roses. To understand wabi-sabi, you need to see extraordinary beauty in something that may seem decrepit and ugly at first glance.

WHAT DOES WABI-SABI MEAN?

Wabi-sabi is a lifestyle that values ​​simplicity. It was formed under the influence of Buddhist ideals of the Middle Ages and Zen philosophy. The word wabi comes from the Japanese words "wabiru" (to be alone) and "wabisti" (to be withdrawn from society). Over time, the meaning of this word turned into such concepts as “enjoy peace”, “be simple, refined”. Wabi contains three main qualities: simplicity, modesty and purity.

And the roots of sabi are in the word “sabiru” (to grow old, fade, become dull). This concept includes such qualities as archaic, dull and natural.

WHY IS WABI-SABI POPULAR IN THE WEST?

“This is a call to appreciate a cracked vase, a quiet rainy day, the impermanence of things. This is an alternative to today's world - a rapidly changing, mass-oriented world. Wabi-sabi reminds us to slow down and find comfort in the simple things around us.”

Hollywood actress Jessica Alba and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey have already declared their passion for this Japanese trend. You can also find more than 160 thousand images on Instagram and other social networks with the hashtag #wabisabi.

HOW TO START LIVING BY WABI-SABI?

You don't need money, training or special skills to bring wabi-sabi into your life. It takes a mind quiet enough to appreciate subdued beauty, the courage not to be afraid of aimlessness, the willingness to accept things as they are - without embellishment. Wabi-sabi depends on the ability to slow down, to shift the balance from doing to being, to understanding rather than perfecting.

You can pay homage to wabi-sabi by simply opening up an old closet. A chipped vase or a faded piece of fabric - look carefully at the smallest details that give things character, explore them with your hands. You don't need to understand why you are drawn to a particular thing, but you need to accept it for what it is.

There are no clear rules, right or wrong way when creating a wabi-sabi style home. The main thing is that every item has meaning. It's as simple as using an old bowl to hold mail, letting the paint on an old chair or garden take on a life of its own. Whatever it is, it cannot be bought. Wabi-sabi is a state of mind, a way of being. This is the subtle art of being at peace with yourself and your surroundings.