Wabi Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence

Design criteria: Careful and constant observation of the physical balances found in nature No prescribed formulae No regular or uniform shapes Design elements balanced in a way that looks completely natural and unforced

As Rikyu said, “The tea ceremony is no more than boiling water, steeping tea, and drinking it.”

The word wabi 侘 comes from the verb wabu, which means to languish, and the adjective wabishii, which was used to describe sentiments of loneliness, forlornness, and wretchedness.

The term seishintouistu refers to the concentration of the mind and spirit on just one activity, and through this constant mental discipline the person is able to loose the dominance of the ego and become one with the activity.

The original exponents of wabi sabi advocated the use of materials that occur naturally—mud, clay, wood, bamboo, cloth, paper, hemp, grass, and even iron.

While the shoguns and wealthy nobility often favored gold and other ostentatious colors, the Zen monks and the tea masters preferred the more mundane colors such as browns, greens, and grays.

It was said by Japan’s most famous poet, Basho, that “a poem that suggests 70–80 percent of its subject may be good, but a poem that only suggests 50–60 percent of the subject will always retain its intrigue.”

A million miles from the “love hotels” and the uncontrolled urban sprawl, tucked away in the back streets of Kyoto, one can find the Tawaraya Hotel, an oasis for the seeker of the quintessential expression of Japanese hospitality. One could be forgiven for not even noticing the low-level building, as there is little on the outside to suggest the hi

With his Zen sense of restraint he pushed the focus of the tea ceremony away from ostentatious shows of wealth and toward the spiritual communion of two or more people who, in a state of calm and controlled abandon, could meditate on the beauty and transience of life. Although Sen no Rikyu is often credited with being the father of the tea ceremony