In Praise of Shadows

Description: 1933 essay by writer Jun’ichiro Tanizaki (“In’ei Raisan” in the original), translated into English in 1977. The author has a critical analysis reaction of the way Japan was making the rapid transition to a Western lifestyle, specific to those years, with implications at an aesthetic level. Although he has no training in this area, being a writer, with the gift of storytelling, he beautifully packages his perspectives on the traditional Japanese “beauty”, threatened by the rapid and indiscriminate import of Western cultural models. It seems that the description of Japanese toilets has become famous, which, put in context, really takes on a special charm. Moreover, let’s be honest, many of those who visit the Land of the Rising Sun for the first time include at least a small fragment dedicated to toilets in their travel impressions. Of course, Tanizaki’s perspective is different, referring to getting closer to nature, not to high-tech, but it is surprising that the topic was still a central theme, defining the Japanese experience 100 years ago (“of all the elements of Japanese architecture, the toilet is by far the most refined creation”). The author insists on the role of shadows in Japanese architecture and culture: the light filtered by paper walls (shoji), the shady alcoves (tokonoma), the dull soup bowls and dishes, the lack of abundant light in Noh theater, the role of silence. Another defining phrase: “beauty is not in the object itself, but in the depth of the shadows between objects, in the play of darkness and light” – which makes me think of the Impressionists’ desire to paint the air between the viewer and the object, not the object itself. There is also a very nice documentary on NHK dedicated to this work (in fact, after that film I decided to look for the book…). I have the book from Meridiane Publishing House, a beautiful print, with a very well-made cover.

Year: 1933

MyRating (1-5): ***