CULTURE AND HISTORY
Nihonjin ni totte utsu- kushisa to wa nanika
[trans. The Japanese Sense of Beauty]
Chikumashobō, 2015. 256 pp. ¥1,900. ISBN 978-4-480-87384-2.
Also published in: Chinese (traditional and simplified characters), English, Korean, and Russian
“Curve,” says Takashina, is problematic in describing such a line. In the West, he says, “curve” is juxtaposed with “straight,” and a clear distinction is made between the two. For Japanese, on the other hand, curves are prized as straight lines to which a delicate adjustment has been made; together they are part of a continuum out of which a distinctive concept of beauty arises.
Renowned as a historian of Western art and deeply conversant with Japan’s art and culture, the author draws intriguing comparisons with Western and Chinese art to explain the ideas behind Japanese beauty. With its fascinating examples from ancient waka poetry and screen paintings to today’s manga art and cell phone emoji, his book identifies the core spirit of the Japanese sensibility that he believes is a constant since the Heian period (794–1185). It offers an excellent opportunity for rediscovery of Japanese culture. (NK)