Japanese Culture: The Religious and Philosophical Foundations
It is felt that traditional Japanese homes at their most artistic, for example, should have plenty of spare room and too little rather than too much furniture, illustrating the “less is more” preference for simplicity.
Davies,Roger J. • Japanese Culture: The Religious and Philosophical Foundations
Zen had a great impact on the people, and during this period it exerted a formative influence on the arts of ink painting (sumi-e), Noh drama, the tea ceremony, flower arrangement, landscaping, and so forth. “The aesthetics nurtured in these arts was to remain a definitive force in Japanese culture during the following centuries” (ibid.).3
Davies,Roger J. • Japanese Culture: The Religious and Philosophical Foundations
famous analogy to describe Japanese religious practices (see Appendix D): • Shinto: the roots of a tree; imbedded in the very heart of the Japanese people • Confucianism: the trunk and branches; politics, morality, and education • Buddhism: the flowers; religious feelings bloom as flowers