Wabi, Sabi and Shibui

Introduction
Wabi and sabi * aus der Higashiyama-Kultur des XV. Jhdts./ i. schaarschmidt-richter faz 29.09.04, S. N3
Blutiger Tee / Zen und die Kunst des Kulturkampfes: ein japanisches Lehrstck
are two of the key Japanese aesthetic concepts. Their definitions are not exact, but one can get a sense of them
from a short discussion of them. Over time, the two have been combined to form a new word, wabi-sabi,
meaning an aesthetic sensibility which includes these two related ideas.

Wabi
Wabi means things that are fresh and simple. It denotes simplicity and quietude, and also incorporates rustic
beauty. It includs both that which is made by nature, and that which is made by man. It also can mean an
accidental or happenstance element (or perhaps even a small flaw) which gives elegance and uniqueness to the
whole, such as the pattern made by a flowing glaze on a piece of ceramics.
= Bewusstsein der vergnglichkeit, selbstgengsamkeit, einfachheit und schlichtheit/ i. schaarschmidt-richter faz
29.09.04, S. N3 Blutiger Tee / Zen und die Kunst des Kulturkampfes: ein japanisches Lehrstck

Sabi
Sabi means things whose beauty stems from age. It refers to the patina of age, the concept that changes due to
use may make an object more beautiful and valuable. This also incorporates an appreciation of the cycles of life
and careful, artful mending of damage.
= innere einsamkeit und leere /enge zen-verknpfung/ i. schaarschmidt-richter faz 29.09.04, S. N3 Blutiger
Tee / Zen und die Kunst des Kulturkampfes: ein japanisches Lehrstck

Other Views
"Wabi is the quality of a rustic, yet refined, solitary beauty. Sabi is that trait, be it the green
corrosion of bronze, or the pattern of moss and lichen on wood and stone, that comes with
weathering and age."
- "Reflections of the Spirit: Japanese Gardens in America",
Maggie Oster

"Originally, the Japanese words wabi and sabi had quite different meanings. Sabi originally
meant 'chill', 'lean' or 'withered'. Wabi originally meant the misery of living alone in nature,
away from society... Around the 14th century, the meanings of both words began to evolve in
the direction of more positive aesthetic values. ... Over the intervening centuries, the
meanings of wabi and sabi have crossed over so much that today the line separating them is
very blurry indeed."
- "Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers",
Leonard Koren

"The word wabi ... does not lend itself readily to translation, for it can mean a number of
things: loneliness, desolation, rustic simplicity, quiet taste, a gentle affection for antique,
unostentatious, and rather melancholy refinement."
- "The Classic Tradition In Japanese Architecture: Modern Versions
Of

The Sukiya Style", Teiji Itoh, Yukio Futagawa

"... Kobori Enshu, the man widely regarded as the designer of Katsura Palace. Enshu's style as
applied to architecture and gardens was a synthesis of the elegance and grace of the imperial
court tradition with the austere rusticity favoured by Sen no Rikyu. This combination was by
no means as far-fetched as it sounds, because Rikyu's sabi- an aesthetic ideal connoting
seclusion, quietude, pastoral simplicity, and closeness to nature - was akin to a certain escapist
element that had long been a prominent feature of traditional Japanese culture."
- "Katsura: A Princely Retreat", Akira Naito, Takeshi Nishikawa

"Wabi-sabi is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. It is a beauty of

things modest and humble. It is a beauty of things unconventional. ... The closest English
word to wabi-sabi is probably "rustic". ... Things wabi-sabi are unstudied and inevitable
looking. .. unpretentious. .. Their craftsmanship may be impossible to discern. "
- "Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers",
Leonard Koren

"A certain love of roughness is involved, behind which lurks a hidden beauty, to which we
refer in our peculiar adjectives shibui, wabi and sabi. .. It is this beauty with inner
implications that is referred to as shibui. It is not a beauty displayed before the viewer by its
creator .. a piece thay will lede the viewer to draw beauty out of it for themselves. The world
may abound with different aspects of beauty. Each person, according to his disposition and
environment, will feel a special affinity to one or another aspect. But when their taste grows
more refined, they will necessarily arrive at the beauty that is shibui."
- "The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight into Beauty",
Soetsu Yanagi, Bernard Leach

"Throughout your stay in Japan you must have heard the word shibui uttered frequently. It is
impossible to translate this word accurately into English. 'Austere', 'subdued', 'restrained',
'sombre' - these words come nearest to acceptable substitutes. Etymologically, shibui means
'astringent', and is used to describe profound, unassuming and quiet feeling. ... this simple
adjective is the final criterion for the highest form of beauty."
- "Folk Crafts of Japan", Soetsu Yanagi

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