Foreign Students (hereinafter, FS): I have heard the word “wabi-sabi.” What does this mean? Teacher (hereinafter, T): Japanese people find beauty in the fleeting nature of physical things. For instance, in cherry blossoms which are regarded as being a symbol of Japan. Needless to say, for their beauty. However, cherry blossoms last for about a week. Japanese people have found beauty in the pathos of the fact that these pretty blossoms are doomed to fall. FS: Is this aesthetic found in people? T: Yes. Renowned beauty HOSOKAWA Garasha, the wife of a military commander during the Warring States period, killed herself for the sake of her husband when she was taken hostage. She left behind a famous farewell poem. “Truthful people are those who, like the flowers, know when to disappear.” Even to this day, Japanese people are moved by the way she disappeared just like a shower of cherry blossoms. Instead of discovering beauty in the disappearance of something beautiful, wabi-sabi takes a different perspective on the search for beauty. Originally “wabi” and “sabi” were separate terms, but these days they are more commonly used as one word. FS: What do you mean by that? Could you please be more precise? T: Take the example of gardens. Beautiful flowers planted in western gardens are generally cultivated artificially and geometrically, while Japanese gardens take inspiration from nature itself. Though they do contain gorgeous flowers, such as cherry blossoms, there are also flowers that bloom modestly. Japanese people appreciate such understated beauty. Even if something doesn’t stand out, is shabby, or simple, there’s something moving about the form of its mute existence. This beauty is wabi. FS: How is sabi different? T: Put simply, you could say that sabi is the beauty of something decaying. For example, curling bark, or moss living at the base of a tree. The beauty that comes from inside something old and austere. This is sabi. FS: I’ve heard that wabi-sabi can be observed at a chanoyu (tea ceremony). Why is this? T: Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591) is said to be a pioneer of the Japanese tea ceremony tradition. He served TOYOTOMI Hideyoshi, who rose to power from a farming background to become the ruler of Japan. Like the salons of the 17th and 18th centuries, at that time chanoyu played an important role in society, and artistic, beautiful, and expensive tea cups became a status symbol among the military elite. Using chanoyu as a means of displaying his political power, Hideyoshi developed a taste for gorgeous tea cups and built himself a golden tea room. Rikyu found beauty in plain misshapen teacups, and preferred small simple tea rooms. In addition, he placed importance on hospitality that came from the heart, rather than being for show. Rikyu’s chanoyu was widely adopted and it is said that Hideyoshi was jealous of him. Hideyoshi ordered him to commit hara-kiri. However, Rikyu’s chanoyu or “wabi-cha” is still popular to this day. FS: How do you explain wabi-sabi in easy to understand terms? T: Wabi might be simple beauty, and sabi old beauty. The combination of wabi and sabi could be said to be the “beauty hidden in things people overlook.”