XI Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2019

Japanese aesthetics is a collection of ideas about the canons of beauty in Japanese art: a set of ancient ideals that include wabi (transient and harsh beauty), saby (beauty of natural wilt) and yugen (deep mystery and refinement). These and other ideals are great part of the Japanese cultural and aesthetic norms of what is considered beautiful and tasteful. If Western civilization perceives aesthetics as a philosophy (in its theoretical dimension), then the concept of aesthetics in Japan is regarded as an integral part of everyday life. Modern Japanese aesthetics include many ideals: some of them are traditional while others are modern, including those introduced from other cultures.

Shintoism is considered a phenomenon at the origin of Japanese culture. Emphasizing the integrity of nature and personality in ethics, and also focusing on natural landscapes, he sets the tone for Japanese aesthetics. However, the ideals of Japanese aesthetics largely fell under the influence of Japanese Buddhism. Nature is seen here as a dynamic unity that should be appreciated and respected. Such an assessment of nature is fundamental to many Japanese aesthetic ideals, art, and other cultural elements. In this respect, the Japanese concept of art (as well as this concept itself) also differs from that adopted in the Western tradition.

The principles of wabi and sabi related to a thoughtful approach to everyday life. Over time, their values ​​partially coincided and came together in such a way that they were combined into Wabi-sabi, aesthetics, defined as the imperfect, impermanent and incomplete beauty of things. Becoming or collapsing things, in a certain way, are more arousing thoughts about Wabi-sabi than things in the full bloom of their beauty, since the former suggest the idea of ​​transience of existence. There are 7 aesthetic features that promote Wabi-Sabi discretion:

fuchsain - asymmetry, irregularity;

canso - simplicity;

Coco - poverty, frayed;

shizen - the absence of pretense, being natural;

yugen - subtle deep grace, non-obviousness;

datsudzoku - freedom;

seydzaku - peace of mind.

Miyabi (雅) is one of the oldest traditional Japanese aesthetic ideals, although it may not be as common as wabi-sabi. In modern Japanese, this word is usually translated as «elegance». Miyabi’s aristocratic ideal required the destruction of everything that was absurd or vulgar, as well as refining manners, style, and feelings to eliminate all roughness and achieve the highest grace.

Iki (粋) is a traditional aesthetic ideal in Japan. It is believed that the foundation of Iki formed among the urban merchant class in Edo during the Tokugawa period (1603–1868). Iki expresses simplicity, sophistication, spontaneity and originality, without being, however, too complex. Iki can mean a personality trait or relate to artificial phenomena that manifest human will or consciousness. Iki is not used to describe natural phenomena, but can be expressed in the assessment of natural beauty by a person or in human nature. In Japanese culture, the term Iki, applied to a person, is commonly used to describe particularly aesthetically attractive qualities and is an honorable compliment.

Yugen (幽 玄) is an important concept in traditional Japanese aesthetics. The exact translation of this term depends on the context. In the Chinese philosophical texts from which the term was borrowed, the ugen meant "foggy," "deep," or "mysterious." In a critical analysis of Japanese poetry, the term was used to describe the subtle, elusive depth of things that is only dimly conveyed in verse. In addition, one of the ten styles of poetry is also called yugen. Jugen offers something that remains beyond the scope of verbal expression, but not associating it with any other, otherworldly world.

By its nature, aesthetics for Japan has a wider significance than is usually given to aesthetics in the West. However, researchers note that after the introduction of Western ideals into Japan, the aesthetic ideals of Wabi-Sabi were largely revised. Therefore, recent interpretations of aesthetic ideals inevitably reflect Judeo-Christian perspectives and Western philosophy.