Nemawashi

Nemawashi

An introduction to Japanese
design aesthetics

˙ ˙Studio Sabi

2

Nemawashi

An introduction to Japanese
design aesthetics

˙ ˙Studio Sabi

4 | Imprint

BEHIND THE PAGES

Devina Pagay Gayathri Sumod

Delhi, India Abu Dhabi, UAE
[email protected] [email protected]
+91 8826926749 +91 9567860408

Mahima Mahiyaria Riya Tripathi

Rajasthan, India Delhi, India
[email protected] [email protected]
+91 8890895458 +91 7490002624

Shtakshi Chawla Shuchi Singh

Haryana, India Delhi, India
[email protected] [email protected]
+91 8930007034 +91 965007197

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CONTENTS

P SB W MS
R HU A IH
E ID B YI
F ND I AB
A TH
COI BU
ES S II

M A

B

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08 10 18 26 36 44

I J YG EB

K O UE NI

I GI SB

H ED OL

A NO I

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KG

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54 60 66 72 76 84

8 | Content

Ikebana by Nishiyama Hayato PREFACE Japanese Interior Design Concepts

Have you ever enjoyed the warm season of cherry blossoms? Sipped
tea in a tea ceremony, arranged seasonal flowers, contemplated
your zen garden from inside your house or maybe appreciated the
elegance of a slightly crooked old vase? Finding everyday experiences
aesthetically pleasing makes Japanese aesthetics different from
Western aesthetics, for which lack of practical purpose in an object
is often necessary to appreciate its beauty. It is about making many
aspects of your life an aesthetic experience.

When people think of Japanese design, they envision minimal,
uncluttered spaces with few well-designed products kept in
designated areas. Sliding doors, natural materials and low lying
furniture are all synonymous with the country’s interior design.

Whether consciously or not, contemporary Japanese designers have
carried on the legacy of Japanese arts and crafts, which have enabled
them to create their particular system — simple, white, delicate and
meticulous — now recognised by the world as Japanese design.

Closely tied to the principles derived from its ancient crafts, many
products in Japan are made from natural materials and tend to feature
traditional elements and pared-back forms. Japanese design is more
than just an aesthetic – it’s a philosophy rooted in ancient ideas and
schools of thought. Japanese aesthetics have a variety of categories,
and each has its symbolic meaning. Each aesthetic notion describes
an object and the atmosphere around it, and the mood it
creates in the beholder.



10 | Shinto Itsukushima Shrine’s Floating Gate in Miyajima

Shinto- also termed kami-no-michi, is a religion that originated in Japan, which revolves
around the kami (“gods” or “spirits”). With its emphasis on the wholeness of nature and
character in ethics and its celebration of the landscape, it sets the tone for Japanese aesthetics.
It is a blend of indigenous Japanese folk practices, beliefs, court manners, and spirit worship.



12 | Shinto

Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine

Shinto shrines were mostly The Nachi Shrine is a Shinto/Buddhist multiplex
temporary structures erected
for a particular purpose.
Buddhism brought to Japan
the idea of permanent shrines
and the presence of verandas,
stone lanterns, and
elaborate gates.

Many have a false dormer
(chidorihafu) which looks like
a letter A rising upwards from
the roof above the entrance.
Verandas are a common
feature as the roof extends
beyond the building itself
and the eaves are supported
by brackets, ornate or plain.
Prodigious use of bright red
paint and decorative elements
is also quite common. .

14 | Shinto Shinto is frequently a theme in
Japanese popular culture, including
Spirited Away- Film film, manga, anime, and video games.
Shinto religion is at the core of
Japanese culture and history and as
such greatly affects the outcome of
pop culture in modern Japan.

Dream Saga- Manga

Most of the animations showcase Kami
while some video games showcase
themes such as the sacredness of nature
or the place of magic .in everyday life.
Shinto stories or kami also appear in other
works of popular culture, including work
set in Japan but produced outside
of the country..

Madama Butterly- Opera

Okami- Video Game

Hakama worn by practitioners of Martial Arts

16 | Shinto

Jōe (translated as “pure cloth”)
is a garment worn in Japan
by people attending religious
ceremonies and activities,
including Buddhist and
Shinto-related occasions.
The jōe is essentially a white
kariginu, traditional hunting
robes worn by nobles. The
garment is usually white or
yellow and is made
of linen or silk.

Hakama used to be a required
part of men’s wear, nowadays
typical Japanese men usually
wear hakama only on
extremely formal occasions and
at tea ceremonies, weddings,
and funerals. Hakama are also
regularly worn by practitioners
of a variety of martial arts.

older and younger boy wearing Hamaka

18 | Buddhism The Great Buddha

In the Buddhist tradition, all things are considered as either evolving from or dissolving into
nothingness, it is rather a space of potentiality. Nature is seen as a dynamic whole that is to be
admired and appreciated. This appreciation of nature has been fundamental to many Japanese
aesthetic ideals, “arts,” and other cultural elements.



The Golden Hall (kondō) at Yakushi-ji

20 | Buddhism

Early Buddhist temples were Genjō-sanzōin (Xuanzang Hall)
highly ornamental and strictly The two three-story pagodas, Tōtō and Saitō
symmetrical. There are three
types of structures associated
with the religious architecture
of early Buddhism: monasteries
(viharas), places to venerate relics
(stupas), and shrines or prayer
halls (chaityas, also called chaitya
grihas), which later came to be
called temples in some places.

The temple consists not only
of its buildings but also the
surrounding environment. The
Buddhist temples are designed
to symbolize five elements: fire,
air, earth, water, and wisdom.

22 | Buddhism Scroll calligraphy of Bodhidharma, by Hakuin
Ekaku (1686 to 1769)
Buddhist art displays a strikingly
classical style, with ample Hellenistic
dress and realistically rendered body
shape characteristic of
Greco-Buddhist art.

The motifs take artistic inspiration
from Greek floral scrolls which
can be found in the decoration of
Japanese roof tiles, one of the only
remaining elements of wooden
architecture throughout centuries.

These motifs have evolved towards
more symbolic representations but
essentially remain to this day in
many Japanese traditional buildings.

Splashed-ink Landscape (Haboku sansui), Detail of “Reading in a Bamboo Grove”, 1446, Shūbun
Sesshū, 1495, ink on silk, Asuka tiles on the roof of temples

24 | Buddhism

Fashion brands such as Bonuni and
J-Samue have made traditional Buddhist
clothing into something modern, which
combines traditional clothing production
techniques with modern technology.
Brands have also taken inspiration from
nature and four seasons in Japan, to
make their products look quaint, elegant,
sophisticated yet modern.

Samue is the work clothing of Japanese
Zen Buddhist monks, worn when engaged
in samu. In modern times they have
become popular as general casual
or work wear.

Furisode Kimono- a girl wearing a 19th century furisode, with her mother.

Modern Samue Modern Samue
Samue Kaza-Goshi with Kimono style skirt

26 | Wabi- Sabi Axel Vervoordt: Wabi Inspirations
Flammarion, 2010
WABI SABI

Wabi-sabi is the view of finding beauty in all sides of imperfection in nature. It is a concept about the
aesthetic of things that are “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete”. The idea disregards absolute
symmetry and the need for perfection in everything. More than a decorative style, Wabi-Sabi is a
philosophy of life, a way of living and perceiving the world, to peacefully accept the natural cycle of
growth and decay inherent in life.



28 | Wabi- Sabi

This way of thinking has its most
punctual roots in Buddhist lessons,
and follows its conclusive beginning
back to Murata Shukō, a fifteenth
century researcher and designer of
the wabi-cha style of tea service,
which shunned the rich Chinese
ceramics that were stylish at the
time for less complex, more hearty
Japanese earthenware.

By limiting thusly, professionals
of this significant social and social
function could zero in on qualities
like humble respect (family) and
tranquility at the time (Jaku).
Since wabi-sabi’s beginnings, its
exercises of temporariness and
defect have affected numerous
parts of Japanese culture, from
music and verse to Zen gardens
and bloom course of action.

Wabi Sabi tea ceremony
Pinterest

Wabi-Sabi and the japanese tea ceremony
Path of Cha,2019

30 | Wabi- Sabi

Wabi Sabi paint print- Michael Fiorella The wabi-sabi wall-Sean Lee
Fine Art America Flickr

Wabi-sabi reminds us that we are all
transient beings on this planet—that our
bodies, as well as the material world around
us, are in the process of returning to dust.
Through wabi-sabi, we learn to embrace
both the glory and the melancholy found in
these marks of passing time.

Wabi Sabi art print
Kenny Nyugen

32 | Wabi- Sabi

In product design, the concept
of wabi-sabi is seen through the
creation of products that value
originality and antiquity over
perfectionism. The Japanese art
of Kintsugi, of repairing broken
pottery by mending the areas of
breakage with lacquer dusted
or mixed with powdered gold,
treats breakage and repair as
part of an object’s history, rather
than something to disguise.

Similarly, creating a product
that intentionally looks
unfinished or imperfect and
using materials like unsanded,
disproprotional wood to make
them plays a crucial role in
wabi-sabi product design.

Picture on top right- Kintsugi bowl,
Imgur

Picture on bottom right- Wabi sabi
table
ildare.unas.hu

Interiors & design practice
Axel Vervoordt

Living the Japanese wabi- This translates to interior
sabi ethos brings a reassuring design through furniture built
sense of peace. We may from bare knotted timber,
recognize surprising beauty floors of rustic stone, pitted
in weathered artifacts and concrete walls and surfaces,
raw materials we find around woven rugs, and intriguing
us until we embrace life’s hand-made textiles.
transience and imperfection.

34 | Wabi- sabi

When it comes to fashion, many
brands have shifted their focus to
sustainability and slow fashion, and
this can be attained by following
the concept of wabi-sabi. Brands
like houseofwabisabi, Manonik and
Kapital are up and coming brands
that have helped bring the wabi-sabi
aesthetic into the mainstream and help
consumers take pride in imperfections.

Images courtesy- MANONIK archives

36 | Miyabi ShichiFuku Jin-Flickr

Miyabi is one of the oldest of the traditional Japanese aesthetic ideals, In modern Japanese, the
word is usually translated as “elegance,” “refinement,” or “courtliness” and sometimes referred
to as “heart-breaker”.The aristocratic ideal of Miyabi demanded the elimination of anything
that was absurd or vulgar and the “polishing of manners, diction, and feelings to eliminate all
roughness and crudity so as to achieve the highest grace.”



38 | Content

Miyabi is the appreciation of Adherence to the ideals
beauty thats gradually tinged of miyabi strove to rid the
with sadness.This sensitivity world of crude aesthetics and
to beauty was a hallmark of emotions that were common
the Heian era(794-1185) in in artworks of the period and
Japan. It was said that only the lead to censorship of everyday
members of the upper class metaphors and storytelling.
could truly appreciate miyabi This lead to the brief creation
and its ideals. The aesthetic of artworks, literature and
is closely connected to the architecture that displayed
notion of Mono no aware, a miyabi before being overtaken
bittersweet awareness of the by other aesthetics like Iki,
transience of things, and thus Wabi sabi and Yugen.
it was thought that things in
decline showed a great
sense of miyabi.

Picture on the left- Illustration of the
“Tale of Genji” by Tosa Mitsuokithat
shows noble women beside a lone
cherry blossom tree- a recurrent symbol
in miyabi philosophy.
Wikipedia

Picture on the right-Kinkakuji (the Gold-
en Pavillion) in Kyoto, Japan, architecture
constructed during the Heian Era based
on miyabi
Freepik



40 | Content

Miyabi is the pleasures of the
aristocrat educated to discern the
subtle mix of colors in the kimono,
or the perfume of a rare plant that
bespeak miyabi. In addition to objects
and experiences, people can also be
endowed with miyabi. The miyabi
individual is cultured, dignified, and
strongly adheres to decorum.

Picture on the left: Tools used to practice
miyabi etiquette- chopsticks and hair
accesories
Miyabi Blog
Picture on the right:-Geisha (called “Geiko”
in kyoto, dressed in complete meiko (geisha
apprentice) attire, described “miyabi” or
elegant.
infringe.com

42 | Content

Miyabi is found in
the minutiae of one’s
surroundings, in the gestures
and rituals that mark the
passage of an ordinary day,
and in the expansive sense
of soul that the creation of
beauty evokes. .

In interior design miyabi
would mean having
the finest, cleanest
craftsmanship that is
stripped back to its elegant
bones. The home would be
kept clean and orderly
at all times

Picture on the left: Presence of
Miyabi in interior design- room kept
simple and elegant.
Shichifuku Jin
Flickr

Picture on the right:-Interior design
of a room that follows miyabi eti-
quettes.
Japanese design blog
wooden-blinds-direct



44 | Shibui Colours denoting the aesthetic

Originating in the Muromachi period (1336–1392) as “shibushi,” the term originally referred to a sour
or astringent taste, such as that of an unripe persimmon. Shibui still maintains that literal meaning, and
remains the antonym of “amai,” meaning “sweet”. Shibui can apply to a wide variety of subjects, not just art
or fashion. It is a broad term that can mean irregularity of form, openness to nature, roughness of texture,
and the naturalness of daily life. Also known as Shibusa, it refers as well to the Japanese “Seven aspects of
being” which are simplicity, implicitness, modesty, silence, naturalness, roughness and normalcy.



46 | Shibui

Favors honesty, simple and subtle beauty Aligned with nature

Picture on the left: The Japanese Influence of shibui
discipline of Shibui was adopted for its
celebration of complexity and restraint.
The approach to the house is stripped
of adornment and presents a strong,
minimal composition.

Picture on the right: Constructed to
experience the test of time and embrace
elegance, this home with an unobtrusive
aesthetic and restrained size takes
inspiration from Shibui.

48 | Shibui

Depicting the color palete
of the Shibui`

Japanese pottery is an example of the shibui design aesthetic. Objects often
feature asymmetry and uneven raw textures but they can also include more
refined, glazed surfaces. The objective is to draw attention to the awe inspiring
detail of the natural world.
Objects used in the chanoyu tea ceremony epitomise the unobtrusive
sophistication of shibui – each piece serves a function to the whole experience.
Overall shibui is soothing and fulfilling, it is the highest sense of aesthetic
restraint where showiness is avoided and the use of silver-grey
“muddy” tones prevails.

Ikebana - modern flower arrangement

Ikebana demonstrates the shibui aesthetic by drawing
attention to the everyday life around us that often goes
unnoticed. Familiar materials, presented in unfamiliar
ways, ask us to slow down and look again, closer. Through
observation, intricate details reveal meaning… we begin to
see the world and ourselves as an integral part
of it, with clarity.

50 | Shibui Interesting thing about Shibui is that
many of the modern artists have used
Woman irons” original painting this technique without even
by Claudio Ghirardo knowing about it.

Picasso used to say, “Painting is
stronger than me. It makes me do
things I normally wouldn’t do” and
Matisse once said, “I have done things
I know that I cannot do,” so it seems
that many artists do use this process
as naturally as one breathes.