shibusa

01 02

shibusa

understanding & using Japan’s classic wabi-sabi-shibui concepts

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts

01 02

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts

shibusa

understanding & using Japan’s classic wabi-sabi-shibui concepts

copyright Book design copyright Š2014 by Maya Jahja. Published for course GR 434, Typography 4, taught by Ariel Grey in Spring 2014 at Academy of Art, San Francisco, CA. All rights reserved.

d e d i c at e d to The generations of Japanese, who strived for the ultimate in beauty and functionality.

Manifest plainness, Embrace simplicity, Reduce selfishness, Have few desires. —L ao Tzu

ta b l e of contents 06

Introduction

12

Zen Lessons

46

Schedule at a Glance

48

Additional Information

49

Map

50

Colophon

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts

introduction The philosophy and ethics of Japanese design concepts are revealed in key words that are laden with cultural meaning. Over the generations, the Japanese created an extensive vocabulary of aesthetic terms that made it possible for them to describe the physical as well as the metaphysical attributes of their culture, and of their arts and crafts. Although often relatively very simple in their original meanings, the terms were expanded to encompass 日本のデザインの要素は、

the basic principles and elements of beauty and design that evolved in the

日本の美学のキーワ

unique Japanese environment. The Japanese also created a variety of ritual-

ードは、日本のデザインの

ized practices for enhancing their ability to recognize and appreciate beauty

エッセンスを構成する

and good design. • It is this cultured-based philosophy and tradition of

要素を識別し、要素が、日

Japanese design and beauty that is leading a growing number of western-

本の伝統文化に浸透

ers to change their way of living to a style more in keeping with human

してきた方法を説明するた

nature, and therefore more satisfying sensually, emotionally, intellectually,

めに使用しています。

and spiritually. It’s also the factor that has made many of he refinement

本書は、このようにデザイ

and beauty Japan’s products so successful in the international marketplace

ナーと理解し、同じ原

and so influential in bringing about changes in the philosophical concepts

理を利用するために来るの

of design worldwide. • Not only did the Japanese institutionalize good

が良いデザインと品質

design and quality, the ritualized it as well. This book explains the uses of

に興味を持っている世界中

the key words of Japanese aesthetics to identify the elements that make up

の人々を支援します。

the essence of Japanese design and to explain how the elements came to permeate Japan’s traditional culture. The book will thus aid designers and other people around the world who are interested in good design and quality in coming to understand and make use of the same principles.

06 07

focus

の伝統文

take a break

本の美

be unselfish

bond with nature

に興

calm

日本

meditate

々を支

clear the mind

ードは

don’t judge

Striving for Perfection

Kaizen

sick chil

going and nursin

him if in the west there

s a tired mothe

going and for he

carryin

bundles of ric

if in the sout

there's someon

dyin

goin

and sayin

you don't have to b

afrai

if in the nort

there's a quarre

or a lawsui

saying it's not worth i

stop i

in a drough

shedding tear

in a cold summe

pacing bac and forth

los

calle

a good-for-nothin

by everyon

neither praise

nor thought a pai

someon

like tha

is what I wan if in the east there's to b sick chil

going and nursin

him if in the west there

s a tired mothe

going and for he

carryin

bundles of ric

if in the sout

there's someon

dyin

goin

and sayin

you don't have to b

afrai

if in the nort

there's a quarre

or a lawsui

saying it's not worth i

stop i

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts

Learning and using ja pa n e s e d e s i g n c o n c e p t s One of the foundations of Japan’s traditional arts and crafts was a deep-seated compulsion to strive constantly for higher and higher standards of deign, functionality, and quality. This effort extending 彼らは伝統的な方法で行われた一

over countless generations gradually seeped into the fabric of the nation’s culture, eventually becom-

般的なものでした。実質的

ing an inseparable part of it. The standards of beauty and design were severe for rich and poor alike.

にすべての日本の職人は、学術や

Rigid convention and enforced avoidance of all excess prevented anyone from exercising poor taste

知的成果にノークレームで普

of departing very far from a sternly graceful norm. • Thus developed a whole nation of people for

通の人々でした。彼らは自分の仕事

whom a high degree of refined elegance in behavior as well as in all of the artifacts of their daily lives

で達成洗練さと美しさは、 伝統​、態度、そしてそのによってそ

became the universal standard. Despite the inroads made by modernization and Westernization, Japan’s arts and crafts and the Japanese genius for design have survived, and they continue to add a special

れらに受け継がれた技術

dimension to people’s lives. In fact, no one can spend even a few days in the country without being

の力から来ました。生活と芸術の分

powerfully affected by the traditional culture that remain alive and well. For most westerners who

離は認められなかった。彼ら は同じことだった。

take up residence in Japan, the lure of life there begins to exercise an attraction that is almost mystic.

• There are two sources of this attraction: the enduring character and personality of the Japanese people themselves, and the magnetism that is radiated by what may be referred to as “things Japanese”—that is, the arts, crafts and other objects that reflect the essence and nuances of Japanese design. There is no other culture in which design and quality have played such a significant role in the day-to-day life

There

of the people. Not only did the Japanese institutionalize good design and quality, the ritualized it as well. One might say that the Japanese turned good design and quality into a religion. • However, it is important to note that the arts and crafts that the Japanese produced over the centuries that became o-meibutsu were not designed or created to be masterpieces in the Western sense. They were common things made in the traditional way. Virtually all Japanese craftsmen were just ordinary people with no claim to scholarly or intellectual achievements. The refinement and beauty they achieved in their work came from the power of tradition—the calues,

attitudes,

and skills

was

14 15

passed

down

no separation

to them

of

by their

life

they

forbears

and

art;

were

that

the

were

same

thing.

本の美

の伝統文

々を支

に興

"Do not be frightened, for

He approached he with a greeting of tears and laughter, then took her hand and placed against it his f laming lips. And with a voice with bespoke past sorrow, and joy of union, and uncertainty of her reaction, he said, “Fear me not, for I am the object of your plea. Be glad, for Peace has carried me back safely to you, and humanity has restored what greed essayed to take from us. Be not sad, but smile, my beloved. Do not express bewilderment, for Love has power that dispels Death; charm that conquers the enemy. I am your one. Think me not a specter emerging from the House of Death I to visit your Home of Beauty.

a m n ow T r u t h , s pa r e d from swords and fire to reveal to the people the triumph of Love over War. I am Word ut tering i n t r o d u c t i o n t o t h e p l ay o f h a p p i n e s s a n d p e a c e ."

日本 ードは

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts

wabi and sabi are universal By the turn of the twenty-first century, sabi and wabi had become new code words in the design world. A third concept, shibui, is an even more important term insofar as Japanese design is concerned.

Shibui is the adjectival form of shibum and can be translated as astringent, simple, and unaffected. In its traditional Zen sense, shibui beauty is beauty that is in perfect harmony with nature and has a tranquil effect upon the viewer. Shibui, together with wabi and sabi, forms the foundation of those aspects of traditional Japanese culture that are physically, emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually satisfying. Their importance and power in Japanese culture derives from the fact that the Japanese made these concepts primary pillars of their traditional lifestyle, institutionalizing and ritualizing them as integral parts of their culture. • In earlier times sabi was used to describe something that was withered with age.

Wabi was generally use in reference to living alone in an isolated hut with no amenities. Around the fourteenth century, the meanings of both words began to evolve in the direction of more positive aesthetic values as a result of the teaching and writing of Buddhist monks who eschewed all comfort and materialism in an effort to achieve enlightenment. • Wabi, which refers to simtplicity and tranquility as guidelines for living, provides the ideal philosophical foundations for life. To the Japanese it is a foundation that has proven to be the proper one over eons of human existence—the most suitable and the most satisfying physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. • The sabi concept, sometimes described as “the rust of age,” should not be regarded as injecting a somber tone. It should instead be viewed as a way to honor and respect the process of life—birth, aging, and death. • For a variety of rea-

18 19

sons—geographical, cultural, and historical—the Japanese created

lifestyle was buttressed by Shinto, which provided the early Japa-

a lifestyle based on ancient Chinese and native philosophical and

nese with the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual dimension that

ethical beliefs that took into account the nature of the interrelated

Homo sapiens needs to be fulfilled. The introduction of Buddhism

cosmos, life, and man. With only a few aberrations, they kept this

from the Asian continent between the fourth and sixth centuries

wabi-sabi lifestyle intact until modern times. For generation after

brought amazing technological advances to Japanese civilization,

generation, the Japanese lived in a wabi-sabi world, but that did not

dramatically raising the physical quality of life. But the precepts

make them dour or joyless. They were, and still are, among the most

of Buddhism did not alter the basic ancient wabi-sabi lifestyle of

fun-loving, pleasure-loving of all people, dedication themselves

the average Japanese. • Other writers on the wabi-sabi factor

to the exquisite pleasures of the flesh, refined arts and crafts, and

in Japanese design have emphasized the introduction of Zen into

the endless beauties of nature. • One of the key foundations of

Japan from the thirteenth century and its subsequent contribu-

this lifestyle was living in harmony with nature—of course, some-

tions to the wabi-sabi way of life, particularly in its influence on

thing that all of early mankind did to the best of their ability as a

the tea ceremony and its implements. But the great Zen-inspired

means of survival. In other words, living in harmony with nature

tea masters from the fifteenth century on did non invent any new

was a natural response that did not require any great intellectual

wabi-sabi elements. They practiced and taught a return to the past—

capacity or philosophizing. You lived in harmony with nature or

using the simplest, roughest of implements, and avoiding all the

you lived an uncomfortable if not painful life and generally died

adornments and sophistication that had come with a more techno-

young. It was that simple. • The challenge and the opportunity

logically advanced culture. • What these learned Zen monks and

offered by the wabi and sabi is to live a positive, graceful life. It is

tea masters of the times did contribute to the wabi-sabi world was

not necessary to relate this theme to Buddhism, Zen, or any other

the intellectualizing of its concepts. They injected old words with

religious belief. It is just common sense. • To help them sustain

new meanings to describe and explain the concepts. Thereafter,

life and increase the quality of their lives the Japanese, like all other

for generation after generation, advocates of wabi-sabi preserved

people, used natural materials—rock, wood, and straw. The rocks

in practicing and teaching its philosophical, ethical, and practical

they used were already sabi (rusty with age). Once cut, wood and

aspects. The result was that its values and qualities became deeply

straw quickly took on a sabi look from natural weathering as well.

entrenched in the mind-set of the people, and the techniques for

There was nothing philosophical about it. • The wabi element in

achieving it became part of the training of artists and craftsmen.

Japanese culture—simplicity and tranquility—also came about in a natural way. For eons, life was naturally simple, and with the exception of a small percentage of power hungry males, people naturally preferred to live quiet, peaceful lives. • This wabi-sabi

ey may profane what’s holy; eak them ed with awe:

Asuka, the field of Makami,

r eternal,

vine Emperor,

esome,

cided,

would a god,

rest within stone halls. knowing and all powerful,

r Emperor ed

e northern provinces.

oded

wa mountain crossing,

Koryo-bladed,

zami field,

a new palace came down from heaven;

e state, governed;

e land, he ruled.

at was his decision.

m the cock-crowing

tern provinces, warriors called.

he rough

k, pacify; and

e unruly

nds, control,� said he to son, my prince,

d fitting to that state.

your mighty body,

u strapped your sword;

your hand,

u held your bow;

ur warriors,

u summoned:

e call to arms

ums’ roar

e thunder ke;

e sounding of

e battle horns were as

the foe

iger roaring.

ny folk

re thus struck with fear.

gh f lying

nners snapping?

ried in winter,

th the spring

e fields set ablaze;

Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are

I t s o l e l y r e l i e s o n wh a t y o u thi n k

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts

shizen

Imitating Mother Nature

24 25

Learning lessons f r o m n at u r e それだけでは「自然」や意味

Shizen by itself means “nature” or “natural.” When the term is

「自然を。」という用語は、モダンな

applied to arts and crafts, including modern designs, it also encom-

デザインを含め、芸術品や工

passes things that are made to look like they were made by nature.

芸品に適用されると、それはまた、 彼らは自然に作られたように 見えるように作られていな包含し 。

• As is well known, one of the special skills that have long distinguished the Japanese is their ability apply shizen characteristics of nature, to the things they make, with landscaped gardens being one of the most conspicuous examples. • The obvious idea behind basing designs on shizen principles is that nature is the original designer and nature-made things are inherently appealing to human beings on both a conscious and subconscious level. We instinctively recognize that we have a physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual connection to nature; the more closely a product relates to certain aspects of nature, the more attractive it is to people. This especially applies to building materials, household furniture, utensils, and interior decorations. The Japanese learned this bit of wisdom a long time ago.

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts

T h e s p i r i t o f n at u r e Natural beauty is the core of Japanese aesthetics. Since the early Japanese believed that all things in nature had spirits and were spiritually connected, they were especially attuned to the appearance, character, and life of natural things. • The climate of the islands was temperate enough that it was conducive to a fairly comfortable lifestyle. And just as important, the scenic beauty of the island was so sublime, so inspiring, that it had a fundamental influence on the sensibilities of the Japanese that was to have far-reaching effects on the culture they developed over the millennia. • Among other things, the spiritual and physical relationship the Japanese had with nature led them to adopt both the outward beauty and the inner essence of nature as guidelines in their earliest arts and crafts. • Artists and craftsmen not only viewed the materials that they shaped into utilitarian objects as having spirits, they also treated their tools with extraordinary respect, not only in keeping them well maintained but also in handling them. • This spiritual attitude and behavior was significantly enhanced from the twelfth century on, when samurai warriors became the ruling class and administered all of the affairs of the country until 1868. • It was no great stretch for the samurai, already culturally instilled with the concept of material things having spirits, to begin regarding their swords as virtually sacred, and to treat them with the kind of respect generally associated with revered religious objects. • Because the influence of the philosophical and ethical codes of the samurai gradually seeped into the common culture, the ancient Shinto concept of all things having spirits and deserving respect became even more deep-seated in the Japanese mind-set, and ensured that it would survive into modern times. • In present-day Japan master artists and craftsmen continue to consciously follow the ancient precepts of Shinto, and more traditional old-line companies continue to conduct Shinto rituals on special occasions in order to keep the spirits on their side. consciously

Shinto

precepts

in their work.

adhere to

26 27

The L aw of the l and Wa, the Japanese word for harmony, is now known by many people around the world, but what most people probably do not know is that the concept of harmony was so important in the traditional culture that it was one of the seventeen articles that are often described as Japan’s first constitution, written in A.D. 604. This law stated that all behavior was to be conducted in a harmonious manner—not only social behavior but business and political behavior as well. • The importance of harmony in Japanese life was to have a profound influence on every aspect of the culture, from the nature and use of the language to the daily etiquette of the people. Eventually, wa became the prime directive in Japanese behavior, often taking precedence over both logic and common sense. • Wa also played an equally important role in Japan’s arts and crafts. An incredible amount of time and effort were expended in making sure that all of the elements of the object—the material, shape, surface, ornamentation, and so on—were absolutely harmonious. • This physical expression of harmony is especially key to the appeal of Japanese gardens and to the interior design and decoration of traditional Japanese style buildings, particularly private homes, ryokan inns, and ryotes restaurants. • This same attention to harmony is one of the secrets of the appeal and success of Japan’s modern commercial products, particularly small consumer items. • Traditionally, the basis for the “harmony with nature” in Japanese design was in the natural materials they used—wood, stone, straw, and mud plaster. engineers,

any of the old day-to-day

and other

Shinto behavior

nevertheless continue

Designers,

professionals

who do not

rituals in their to be

influenced by

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts

彼ら

は伝統

At that hour a young woman entered her chamber and knelt by her bed sobbing bitterly. Her heart f lamed with agony but she could finally open her lips and say, “Oh Lord, bring him home safely to me. I have exhausted my tears and can of fer no more, oh Lord, full of love and mercy. My patience is drained and calamity is seeking possession of my heart. Save him, oh Lord, from the iron paws of War; deliver him from such unmerciful Death, for he is weak, governed by the strong. Oh Lord, save my beloved, who is Thine own son, from the foe, who is Thy foe. Keep him from the forced pathway to Death’s door; let him see me, or come and take me to him.”

Quietly a young man entered.

His head was wrapped in bandage soaked with escaping life.

28 29

The tempest calmed after bending the branches of the trees and leaning heavily upon the grain in the field. The stars appeared as broken remnants of lightning, but now silence prevailed over all, as if Nature’s war had never been fought.

的

な方

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts

shibui

Elegant Simplicity

30 31

E l i m i n at i n g the unessential Shibui can be translated as astringent, simple, conservative, tough, elegant, unaffected. Some of Japan’s greatest tea masters used the word to sum up the nature of beauty. In its traditional sense, shibui beauty is beauty that is in perfect harmony with nature and has a tranquil effect upon the viewer. It suggests serenity and quiet luxury. It is a work of art in which all the elements are arranged and balanced in such a way that they have an almost transcendental affect on the viewer. One often sees this kind of beauty in Japanese kimono, lacquerware and ceramics. Often combined with a wabi-sabi appearance, it is also prominent in other traditional artifacts of Japanese culture, from vases made of bamboo to paper lanterns and natural wood counter tops. •There is also another kind of shibui beauty that one sees in modern-day electronic devices, appliances, automobiles, and a host of other consumer produces. Here beauty is the result of these products being reduced to their essence, having a surface color and texture that is serene, soothing, elegant, 製品は終わらない、より良い決して 作るための努力：カイゼンの コンセプトは「連続」の考え方は、 まさにそれを意味します。 カイゼンの概念は、製造プロセスに 限定されるものではない。 また、製品の企画·設計が組み込ま れています。それは効率的に 製造し、完成したときに欠陥を持た ないことを設計が完璧か、 璧に十分なようにするという考え。

and sensual. • In practice, a cerain color scheme is necessary to produce the shibui quality. Combinations of the colors of unpolished gold and silver, ashes, various shades of chestnut or russet, and suck natural colors as kelp green and grain chaff are among the most common and essential for producing the subdued, tranquil effect that is described as shibui. • After centuries of exposure to the principles and practices of shibui living, the Japanese developed the ability to recognize and produce this quality almost instinctively. They did not have to strain to judge whether or not something was beautiful. • A few Western designers and interior decorators have been following the principles of shibui since the 1980s or even earlier. It can be seen in the work of noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who got most of his best wai-sabi and shibui design and decorative ideas from Japan prior to and during the years he spent there designing and overseeing the building of Tokyo’s famous Imperial Hotel. • Shibusa, the noun form of shibui, is commonly used to mean a measure of the depth or shallowness of the beauty of any object, and the ability of an individual to recognize this measure is reflection of his or her aesthetic prowess.

In Japanese terms, anyone not capable of judging beauty on the basis of its shibui qualities is not considered aesthetically mature. And to quote the art historian Soetsu Yanagai, “Shibui is the sesame to open the doors to the infinite mysteries of beauty.”

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts

怒っている偏見を持った り、イライラ人は完全 に美しさを鑑賞すること ができない。 recognizing a n d a p p r e c i at i n g beaut y

01 02

For most westerners the deep, abiding pleasure experienced from

own disposition and environment will feel special affinity to one or

viewing beautiful items is a very personal thing because they have

another aspect. But when his taste grows more refined, he will nec-

never been exposed to objective aesthetic guidelines or standards.

essarily arrive at the beauty that is shibui. Beauty cannot rest until

In Japan, on the other had, bigaku, or “aesthetics,” became woven

it reaches this point. • Yanagi says that recognizing and appreciat-

into the threads of the cultural fabric, and the Japanese devel-

ing beauty is not an intellectual process. Rather, it is and intuitive

oped prcise guidelines, standards, and customs for recognizing

process that goes beyond knowledge, and “the eye of knowledge

and appreciating beauty. • For more than a thousand years

cannot see beauty.” He adds that to fully appreciate the beauty

the Japanese made the appreciation of beauty a part of their daily

of an object one must be in a state of mushin, or “without mind,”

life. It was something that they studied and practiced as part of

see things from a “void,” and not make intellectual judgments. •

their being Japanese. Their model and standard for beauty was the

When the Japanese say that something is beautiful, it is the “soul”

natural or what was suggested by nature, including some things

of the object that they are praising, not the skill or technique that

most westerners would describe as ugly. • The Japanese concept

made it. The more human the impression imparted by the object,

of beauty originated in China in the teachings of Lao Tsu, the

the deeper their feelings of kinship and pleasure. To the Japanese,

founder of Taoism. He taught that there is beauty in everything

an object must be familiar and sympathetic to be beautiful. They

in nature and it is up to the viewer to see it. The great Taoist mas-

hold that it is impossible to admire the truly vain—in either man

ters that followed Lao Tsu further taught that it was possible to

or his handiwork. Beauty that is too blatant and overt becomes

really appreciate beauty only if a person allowed beauty to permeate

vulgar. It must be humble and modest. It is up to the trained taste

his being and direct his life. Their principle was that until people

of the connoisseur to bring it out. Frugality and restraint are both

could make their own thoughts and behavior beautiful, it was

hallmarks of beauty in product design and graceful living. • The

sacrilege to approach beauty. • In Japan this cultural principle

ability to perceive and appreciate beauty can be enhanced by exer-

developed in successive stages within the language, arts, and the

cises in aesthetics. The Japanese long ago developed customs and

handicrafts, and finally culminated in the tea ceremony, which

ceremonies designed to maintain and strengthen their aesthetic

was an exercise in pure aestheticism. • Most westerners auto-

powers. These exercises included organized viewing parties (going

matically distinguished between the fine arts, as devoted to pure

out to look at the moon, cherry and plum blossoms, snow) and the

aesthetic enjoyment, and the decorative arts, which aim at harmony

tea ceremony. These aesthetic exercises are no longer as universally

between beauty and utility. The Japanese aesthetic, however, com-

or as diligently part of the lifestyle of millions of Japanese. • The

monly mixes the two there being no reason to separate life from

aesthetic aspects of Japan’s culture were so much a part of daily

art. From ancient times, therefore, beauty was present in every

thought and life for nearly two thousand years that they became

Japanese home. No matter how poor or how low on the social lad-

deeply embedded in the psyche of the people. Today, they continue

der, every Japanese family would possess a few pieces of pottery or

to influence their attitudes and behavior, especially in the design

lacquerware that were works of art. • Taoist view, brought down

and functionality of graphic design.

to earth by the Zen monks of Japan, to be beautiful an object must lack of something that the viewer can add from himself. There must be a “vacuum” that the viewer can enter and fill up to the full measure of his aesthetic ability. In order to accomplish this, the viewer has to cultivate the proper frame of mind. The angry, prejudiced, or frustrated person is not capable of fully appreciating beauty. • Soetsu Yanagi (1889–1961), potter, philosopher, writer, and founder of the Japan Handicraft Museum, expresses this same idea about cultivating the taste for beauty. He wrote in The Way of Tea, one of his many books, “The world may abound with different aspects of beauty. The lovely, powerful, the gay, the smart—all belong to the beautiful. Each person according to his

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts

製品は終わらない、よ い決して作るための努 カイゼンのコンセプト 連続」の考え方はまさ れを意味します。。。

より良 努力： トは「 さにそ 。

01 02

T h e a e s t h e t i c a s p e c t s o f Ja p a n’s c u lt u r e w e r s o mu c h a p a r t o f d a i l y t h o u g ht a n d l i f e f o r n e a r l y t w o t h o u sa nd yea rs that they beca me deeply embedded in the psyche of the people.

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts

An Obsession of Improving things 製品は終わらない、より良い決して 作るための努力：カイゼンの

The intensive master-apprentice approach to training in all of the arts and crafts from the sixth and seventh centuries on resulted in all Japanese artists and craftsmen becoming extraordinarily sensitive

コンセプトは「連続」の考え方は、

about quality and striving throughout their lives to achieve perfection came to be known as kaizen,

まさにそれを意味します。

which means “continuous improvement,” and it gradually permeated Japanese culture, resulting in the

カイゼンの概念は、製造プロセスに 限定されるものではない。

striving for perfection in all fields of endeavor. Over the following generations, the quality of virtually everything made in the country achieved the level of fine art. • The idea of “continuous” in the kaizen

また、製品の企画·設計が組み込ま

concept means just that: efforts to make products better never end. The kaizen concept is not limited

れています。それは効率的に

to the manufacturing process. It also incorporates the planning and design of a product. The idea to

製造し、完成したときに欠陥を持た

make the design perfect—or perfect enough that it can be manufactured efficiently and have no flaws

ないことを設計が完璧か、 璧に十分なようにするという考え。

when completed. • When Japan was opened to the West in the mid-1850s and Western products began flooding in, the kaizen-oriented Japanese regarded them as incomplete, and they automatically set about Japanizing them—invariably making improvements in their design and function. This same cultural attribute again came into conspicuous play in the 1960s when American exporters began trying to sell American-made products in Japan. Many of the efforts failed because the quality of the products did not meet Japanese standards. • From the early 1960s on, the traditional Japanese approach to design and manufacturing gave them a significant advantage over Western manufacturers, resulting in products made in Japan taking the world by storm. Their superior design, workmanship, and efficiency in operation spoke for themselves. Western business people did not begin to pick up on the concept of kaizen or its implications until the mid-1970s, and then only after Japanese-made exports began to wipe out many American and European industries.

36 37

All greatness comes from an onvestment in time and the perfection of skills that render you great. — J oh n D a n a h e r

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts

T h e ja pa n e s e v i e w a n d u s e o f s pac e Since the early Japanese believed that all things in nature had spirits and were spiritually connected, they were especially attuned to the appearance, character, and life of natural things. • The climate of the islands was temperate enough that it was conducive to a fairly comfortable lifestyle. And just as important, the scenic beauty of the island was so sublime, so inspiring, that it had a fundamental influence on the sensibilities of the Japanese that was to have far-reaching effects on the culture they developed over the millennia. • Among other things, the spiritual and physical relationship the Japanese had with nature led them to adopt both the outward beauty and the inner essence of nature as guidelines in their earliest arts and crafts. • Artists and craftsmen not only viewed the materials that they shaped into utilitarian objects as having spirits, they also treated their tools with extraordinary respect, not only in keeping them well maintained but also in handling them. • This spiritual attitude and behavior was significantly enhanced from the twelfth century on, when samurai warriors became the ruling class and administered all of the affairs of the country until 1868. • It was no great stretch for the samurai, already culturally instilled with the concept of material things having spirits, to begin regarding their swords as virtually sacred, and to treat them with the kind of respect generally associated with revered religious objects. • The importance of harmony in Japanese life was to have a profound influence on every aspect of the culture, from the nature and use of the language to the daily etiquette of the people.

Eventually, wa became the prime directive in Japanese behavior, often taking precedence over both logic and common sense. • Wa also played an equally important role in Japan’s arts and crafts. An incredible amount of time and effort were expended in making sure that all of the elements of the object—the material, shape, surface, ornamentation, and so on—were absolutely harmonious. • This physical expression of harmony is especially key to the appeal of Japanese gardens and to the interior design and decoration of traditional Japanese style buildings, particularly private homes, ryokan inns, and ryotes restaurants. “harmony the natural

with materials

Traditionally,

the basis for

nature” they

in Japanese

the design

used—

wood, stone, straw, and mud

plaster.

38 39

seijaku Designs That Exude Silence

was in

and your own common sense. — b u ddh a

said it, unless it agrees with your own reason

it, or who said it, no matter if I have

Believe nothing, no matter where you read

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts

40 41

adding a special qualit y to life Wa, the Japanese word for harmony, is now known by many people around the world, but what most people probably do not know is that the concept of harmony was so important in the traditional culture that it was one of the seventeen articles that are often described as Japan’s first constitution, written in A.D. 604. This law stated that all behavior was to be conducted in a harmonious manner—not only social behavior but business and political behavior as well. • The importance of harmony in Japanese life was to have a profound influence on every aspect of the culture, from the nature and use of the language to the daily etiquette of the people. Eventually, wa became the prime directive in Japanese behavior, often taking precedence over both logic and common sense. • Wa also played an equally important role in Japan’s arts and crafts. An incredible amount of time and effort were expended in making sure that all of the elements of the object—the material, shape, surface, ornamentation, and so on—were absolutely harmonious. • This physical expression of harmony is especially key to the appeal of Japanese gardens and to the interior design and decoration of traditional Japanese style buildings, particularly private homes, ryokan inns, and ryotes restaurants. • This same attention to harmony is one of the secrets of the appeal and success of Japan’s modern commercial products, particularly small consumer items. • Traditionally, the basis for the “harmony with nature” in Japanese design was in the natural materials they used—wood, stone, straw, and mud plaster. Designers, engineers, and other professionals who do not consciously adhere to any of the old Shinto rituals in their day-to-day behavior nevertheless continue to be influenced by Shinto precepts in their work. • The climate of the islands was temperate enough that it was conducive to a fairly comfortable lifestyle. And just as important, the scenic beauty of the island was so sublime, so inspiring, that it had a fundamental influence on the sensibilities of the Japanese that was to have far-reaching effects on the culture they developed over the millennia. • Among other things, the spiritual and physical relationship the Japanese had with nature led them to adopt both the outward beauty and the inner essence of nature as guidelines in their earliest arts and crafts. the

materials

as

that

Artists

they

having

extraordinary

well maintained

and craftsmen

spirits,

respect,

but

also

not

only viewed

shaped

they also

not

treated

only in

in handling

them.

into

utilitarian objects

their

keeping

tools

them

with

and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting for their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free The peace of wild things

by Wendell Berry

be mindful

When despair grows in me

Kotoyuki Temple - Garden Hall

Kotoyuki Temple - Garden Workshop

Kotoyuki Temple - Main Hall

morning yoga & m e d i tat i o n

f r i d ay ( 5 / 19 )

opening ceremony

Magome-Tsumago Trail

Trail Hiking

s at u r d ay ( 5 / 2 0 )

Ik e b a n a W o r k s h o p

Kotoyuki Temple - Main Hall

morning yoga & m e d i tat i o n

s u n d ay ( 5 / 2 1)

12:00 pm

1 1 : 0 0 am

1 0 : 0 0 am

0 9 : 0 0 am

0 8 : 0 0 am

Schedule at a glance

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts

Kotoyuki Temple -Main Hall

closing ceremony

Kotoyuki Temple - Round Room

neville brody Pushing the limit

Kotoyuki Temple - Main Hall

Sibylle hagmann TY p o g r a p h y & c u l t u r e

Kotoyuki Temple - Garden Hall

G o ta i M u m yo M i n d , b o dy, & s o u l

Kotoyuki Temple - Round Room

E va - l o t ta L a m m S k e t c h e s & b u bb l e t a l k s

Kotoyuki Temple - Main Hall

D o k u ta n S h o k e i Beauty in everything

Kotoyuki Temple - Garden Hall

Tea Ceremony

Kotoyuki Temple - Main Hall

Michael bierut Le a r n i n g th e s lo w way

Kotoyuki Temple - Round Room

Lisa Congdon E m b r a c e t h e a b y ss & o t h e r l e ss o n s

Kotoyuki Temple - Main Hall

Chosetsu Shusai u n d e r s ta n d i n g z e n

06:00 pm

05:00 pm

04:00 pm

03:00 pm

02:00 pm

01: 0 0 pm

46 47

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts

A d d i t i o n a l I n f o r m at i o n

1.

Tajimaya lodging is the provided loding for attendees

2.

Lunch is served from 11:00 AM-12:30 PM and dinner

3.

Attendees will meet at Magome-Tsumago trail post

from 06:30 PM-08:00 PM atBonden Restaurant by 07:45 AM on 5/20 4.

Attendees are required to wear badges at all times For more information, visit: www.atypi.org/shibusa

48 49

Map of magome

c

B

a

e

d

a.

Kotoy uk i temple

b.

Ta j i m aya L o d g i n g

c.

B o n d e n r e s tau r a n t

d.

suwa Shrine

e.

M ago m e -t sum ago t r a i l p os t

colophon Title: Shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts Designer: Maya Jahja Typefaces Used: Adobe Garamond Pro Avenir LT Software Used: Adobe InDesgin CS6 Adobe Illustrator CS6 Adobe Photoshop CS6 Printer: Epson Stylus Pro 3880 Paper: Red River Premium Matte 50lbs.

Wood sheets for cover Binding: California Office 989 Howard St San Francisco, CA 94103 Special Thanks to: Jackie Brown for screen printing my cover!

01 02

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts

01 02

shibusa Understanding & Using Japan’s Classic Wabi-Sabi-Shibui Concepts