The Beauty of Everyday Things (Penguin Modern Classics)

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My favourite bits of his essays were when the author elaborated in the meaning of beauty and how it is manifested in Japanese folk craft. But this is his very personal opinion and doesn't reflect the general understanding of aesthetics in Japan - as he himself points that out! Radical and inspiring . . . Yanagi’s vision puts the connection between heart and hand before the transient and commercial.” —Edmund de Waal, OBE, author of The Hare with Amber Eyes Users and the used have exchanged a vow: the more an object is used the more beautiful it will become and the more the user uses an object, the more the object will be used. The powerful influence of Zen Buddhism on Japanese aesthetics is exemplified through the medium of the tea ceremony (leading to the phrase “Zen and tea are one”). Absence of attachment, escaping duality and an emphasis on simplicity were made manifest in the tangible elements required for the tea ceremony such as the garden, the teahouse and the necessary utensils. These elements might appear rustic, rough, or imperfect to the untrained eye, but in their creation, a true imitation of nature and its rhythms was expressed through the acceptance of an unforced asymmetry or deformity — an artistic freedom untethered from the ego. Our lives are filled with objects. Everyday things used in everyday settings, they are our constant companions. As such, writes Soetsu Yanagi, they should be made with care and built to last, treated with respect and even affection. They should be natural and simple, sturdy and safe - an aesthetic fulfilment of our practical needs. They should, in short, be things of beauty.

Soetsu Yanagi (1889 - 1961) was a philosopher, art historian, aesthete and poet. He evolved a theory of why certain objects made by unknown craftsmen were so beautiful, and became the founding father of the Japanese folk crafts ('mingei') movement. He helped establish, and was the first director of, the Japanese Folk Crafts Museum. Radical and inspiring ... Yanagi's vision puts the connection between heart and hand before the transient and commercial Edmund de Waal Mention must also be made of the Japanese concept of the “Void,” which can be understood as existing as a pluripotent hypostasis from whence all creation issues. Yanagi defines this using Buddhist terminology, with the Void ( Mu) containing limitless existence ( Yu) and all things being empty of any intrinsic existence of their own ( Ku). The latter itself is strikingly similar to Ibn Arabi’s concept of Wahdat Al-Wujud (Oneness of Existence), where the only reality that really exists is God.Over several days of collaboration, the musicians also recorded ten more songs for the album. Like ‘The Beauty of Everyday Things,’ these songs were written by Bloom at his County Clare home over the past two years. There was once a man, poor and uneducated, who was a person of deep faith. Although he found it difficult to explain what he believed in or why, in his simple words there was something luminous, something surprisingly brilliant arising from his experience. He had no personal belongings worth mentioning, but he possessed a deep understanding of what it meant to believe. Without knowing it, he knew God. As a result, he possessed unwavering strength. PDF / EPUB File Name: The_Beauty_of_everyday_things_-_Soetsu_Yanagi.pdf, The_Beauty_of_everyday_things_-_Soetsu_Yanagi.epub He also talks about how Japanese perspective should be valued just like Western one – no need to imitate, but value your own (he put tea ceremony details as an example). Here in this chapter might be something of an interest (chapter V of the text) for Muji-brand fans, at least for me the information was very fascinating.

the litmus test of a country’s cultural level should be the lives led by ordinary people. this level is most apparent in the utilitarian objects used on a daily basis.”Today, the perception of beauty often relies on an object being made by someone famous or having a high price tag. But an object should not be beautiful because it embodies perfection or is particularly artful. It should be designed for its purpose rather than to look really good. It should be natural and simple. Sturdy and safe – it should stand the test of reality. Many well written pieces but the most resounding quote to me comes from “A Letter To My Korean Friends” (1920)