Thoughts on Japanese Aesthetics: Control & Acquiescence
M. Bogen, Garden at Katsura Imperial Villa, Kyoto There are many dichotomies to be negotiated in life, some mundane — shall I choose ice coffee or hot, position the toilet paper under or over? — while others are existential and get at questions of how to live life well and in as propitious a manner as possible. These include, for example, the balance between optimism and cynicism. If you don’t maintain any confidence in the future a good one will never manifest, but if you don’t expect to encounter any stupid and/or unjust obstacles, you will be too easily be knocked off balance. What are some others? The balance of fearlessness and caution. The equilibrium between concern for self and other. And so on. In engaging with Japanese aesthetics during our recent journey around this indelible island nation, it strikes me that there is a very critical dichotomy at the heart of their artistic ethos, namely the balance between control of one’s environment and acquiescence or surrender to the fo...
