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A Tractate on Japanese Aesthetics

Donald Richie

really liked it 4.00 · Rating details · 250 ratings · 23 reviews

This provocative book is a tractate—a treatise—on beauty in Japanese art, written in the manner of a zuihitsu, a free-ranging assortment of ideas that “follow the brush” wherever it leads. Donald Richie looks at how perceptual values in Japan were drawn from raw nature and then modified by elegant expressions of class and taste. He explains aesthetic concepts like wabi, sa ...more

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Paperback, 80 pages

Published July 1st 2007 by Stone Bridge Press (first published May 1st 2007)

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May 18, 2013 Steve added it

Shelves: asia-history-culture

As Richie explains in his preface, he has deliberately chosen to write A Tractate on Japanese Aesthetics as a zuihitsu , the form in which many influential Japanese chose to address aesthetic matters. Such an essay is not logically organized, not linear, not deductive. The author is supposed to "follow the brush" (I suppose we must say follow the pen, though, now, are we to follow the keyboard?), follow his thoughts as they arise. To heighten this, for him necessary, nonlinearity, he juxtapos ...more

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Apr 13, 2021 Alex Pler rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Texto breve que consigue profundizar en conceptos de la estética japonesa que llegaron a convertirse en una forma de vida para artistas, artesanos y poetas: fûryu, shibui, wabi y sabi, yûgen, aware, iki... Un buen punto de partida.

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Jan 26, 2019 Diletta rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Nocciolo duro dei termini che indicano (quando ciò è possibile) la forma e l'esperienza dell'estetica giapponese. Precisissimo e curato molto bene. ...more

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Oct 08, 2016 Jim rated it really liked it

Shelves: asian-lit, philosophy

This is a useful book explaining what makes Japanese art, literature, and philosophy unique. Donald Richie has lived in Japan since the end of World War II and is responsible for a series of illuminating works, including an early survey on Japanese film. A Tractate on Japanese Aesthetics is a short work with large implications:

Many people everywhere spend their whole lives trying to escape the thought that one day they and all of theirs will be no more. Only a few poets look at the fact, and onl

...more

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Jul 03, 2018 Justin Evans rated it liked it

Shelves: philosophy

Richie claims to have written a zuihitsu; lots of high school students claim to have written haiku, as well, but, you know. They aren't Basho, and Richie is not Chomei. I'm not really the audience for this text, which feels very 'mystical East,' a feeling that is probably more about me than Richie, who obviously knows more about Japan than I will ever know; I'm just very sensitive (i.e., I object) to the idea that there is some impassible barrier between Japanese thinking and everyone else.

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Mar 08, 2013 Powersamurai rated it it was amazing

Shelves: japan-related, language, non-fiction, writing

Dealing with Japanese aesthetic terms in translations is difficult, because the Japanese terms in themselves can be ambiguous depending on the context. Richie in this brief book does an excellent job in explaining where each term fits in the spectrum in relation to others and the world it describes. An invaluable reference for wordsmiths dealing with the word in relation to Japan.

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Aug 17, 2018 Quiver rated it it was amazing

Shelves: a-english, n-non-fiction, t-art, in-translation-ja-ko-zh

When seeking an introduction to an unfamiliar topic, I am wary of two types of books: the highly technical, impenetrable beasts dense with signs and meta-signs aimed at experts in a neighbouring field, and the colloquial, jokey-breezy anecdotal stories filled with mental candyfloss aimed as those seeking educational fairground entertainment. Once in a while, I find myself in either readership, but usually I seek a middle ground, and even then I require a particularly fortuitous opening into a su ...more

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May 09, 2017 Keith Bouchard rated it really liked it

"Taste is an indication of an aesthetically legitimate dominance. Hence its rules and regulations, its complications, and its numerous dicta to be observed."

"'Simplicity--this was something that Rikyu tried to teach his pupil, Hideyoshi, at hose "court" he was arbiter. One famous anecdote illustrates his method. Rikyu's garden of morning glories was known for its beauty. Hearing of it Hideyoshi demanded that he be invited to visit. So he was, but when eh arrived all the morning glories were no m "Taste is an indication of an aesthetically legitimate dominance. Hence its rules and regulations, its complications, and its numerous dicta to be observed."

"'Simplicity--this was something that Rikyu tried to teach his pupil, Hideyoshi, at hose "court" he was arbiter. One famous anecdote illustrates his method. Rikyu's garden of morning glories was known for its beauty. Hearing of it Hideyoshi demanded that he be invited to visit. So he was, but when eh arrived all the morning glories were no more; they had all be scythed. Perturbed, Hideyoshi retired to the nearby tea house, and there the modest flower arrangement int he alcove was a single morning glory, the only survivor, superb in its focused simplicity. The warlord is supposed to have stared, then nodded, and said that he understood the lesson.'"

"Many people everywhere spend their whole lives trying to escape the thought that one day they and all of theirs will be no more. Only a few pots look at the fact, and only the Japanese, I believe, celebrate it. This commemoration takes many forms but the most common might be looking into a mirror, seeing one more gray hair, discerning one more wrinkle, and then saying to oneself: "Good, all is well with the world--things are proceeding as they must."

"Cherry blossoms are to be preferred not when they are at their fullest but afterward, when the air is thick with their falling petals and with the unavoidable reminder that they too have had their day and must rightly perish."

"Immortality, in that it is considered at all, is to be found through nature's way. The form is kept though the contents evaporate. Permanence through materials ... is seldom attempted. Rather, the claims of immortality are honored in another way. Here the paradigm would be the Shinto shrine of Ise, made of common, razed every twenty years an at the same time identically rebuilt on a neighboring plot."

"Suzuki Daisetz ... described wabi as 'an active aesthetical appreciation of poverty,' adding that it means 'to be satisfied with a little hut, like the log cabin of Thoreau ... with dish of vegetables picked in the neighboring fields, and perhaps listening to the pattering of gentle spring rainfall." ...more

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Oct 08, 2017 Nawfal rated it really liked it

Shelves: asian, japanese, non-fiction

As a rule, I dislike rating non-fiction books. This little work (70 small pages) is pocket-size, which is fine - it only claims to be a tractate. I read this with little knowledge/experience of Japanese aethetics. I have had several helpings of ancient Chinese aesthetics as well as all the Western stuff. So, I read this as a type of introduction/overview. As such, I am giving this four stars.

The author does not come across as one who wants to sound pretentious or supercilious. I do think he is g As a rule, I dislike rating non-fiction books. This little work (70 small pages) is pocket-size, which is fine - it only claims to be a tractate. I read this with little knowledge/experience of Japanese aethetics. I have had several helpings of ancient Chinese aesthetics as well as all the Western stuff. So, I read this as a type of introduction/overview. As such, I am giving this four stars.

The author does not come across as one who wants to sound pretentious or supercilious. I do think he is genuinely trying to teach as opposed to impress. One must be careful of this in nonfiction nowadays. The layout of the book is somewhat akin to free-association... so anyone who needs heavy structure in a learning a new topic might be unhappy. Usually "introduction" and "free-association" means floofy and fluffy. Neither of those terms describe this text. Do not fear that this is some sort of air-headed star-struck-with-Japan nonsense. It isn't laborious, but it certainly isn't a "stocking-stuffer."

For such a short text the Glossary and the Bibliography are relatively extensive and can direct the reader to his next path of inquiry into Japanese aesthetics.

I will most likely re-read this text. On my first reading, I was most intrigued by the concept of shin-gyu-so. In fact, the paragraph on page 63 where the author attempts to use Brad Pitt and Sean Penn as examples is oddly cutely amusing. I think in order to understand this whole concept it will take a lot more study and understanding; so much so that the student would be able to come up with examples of their own. But this was an easy-going introduction.

Overall, this would interest anyone who needs to learn a bit about Japanese aesthetics (obviously). The reason that this did not get five stars from me is that I felt there was a little too much comparative aesthetics - comparisons/contrasts with Western art and understanding. And maybe the author leaned just a wee tiny bit too much on Thorstein Veblen. But this is me being very picky. ...more

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Jun 01, 2018 Patrick McCoy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: japan, non-fiction

Donald Richie has always wrote elegantly about Japanese culture and in A Tractate On Japanese Aesthetics (2007), he looks at Japanese concepts of beauty. As a result, I found the analysis of concepts like wabi sabi, mono aware, sibui, and the others interesting. However, this slim volumes is more akin to an introduction-it is only 80 pages long and interspersed throughout the essay are inserts with parallel discussion about western aesthetics. Essentially it is a long essay rather than a book, t ...more

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Mar 19, 2018 Margaryta rated it really liked it

Shelves: amazing-after-feeling, art-design-or-pastries, books-you-should-read-at-least-once, culture-related, essays, read-in-one-sitting, thought-provoking, worthy-of-being-ny-bestseller, non-fiction

A quick but thoughtful look at Japanese aesthetics, conveniently compiled for people like myself who have no prior experience with the subject. While I didn't find the writing style of the essay itself to be as daring as some have described it, it was the ending that made me sit back and think for a while about Richie's words and wondering to what extent they are true. ...more

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Sep 10, 2018 Jake Bell rated it really liked it

Shelves: asian-studies

Interesting comparisons between western aesthetics and the aesthetic discipline of Japan (or lack thereof) Not crazy in depth but a nice primer on concepts that will get one thinking about the difference in standards of taste and beauty between the east and the west

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Aug 11, 2017 Karl Hallbjörnsson rated it liked it

A very informative book on the japanese conception of aesthetics. Recommended to anyone interested.

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Jun 13, 2017 Bernardo Kaiser rated it it was ok

Just a plain glossary which concludes that japanese aesthetics is dead. Japanesa cinema never existed, it seems. You could do better with wikipedia.

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Feb 01, 2020 RustyShack rated it really liked it

Near vertical learning curve but many fascinating ideas and implications.

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May 02, 2013 Arjun Ravichandran rated it liked it

Not really a 'book', more of a free-flowing essay on the peculiar nature of the Japanese aesthetic sense. I had been interested in how the Japanese view beauty, because I found that some of their concepts(iki, wabi-sabi etc) accorded to omething close to my own tastes, and was eager to find out more. On that account, the book did not disappoint. The author (an expat living and observing Japanese life for more than 50 years) has a good grasp of the subtlety of the Japanese mind, and brings it out ...more

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Jul 20, 2016 Lauren rated it really liked it

I wish it had been a little longer; I would have liked a bit more information on some of the concepts. Also, pictures!!! If you are describing a special ceramic tea caddy with the glaze dripping down it just so, PLEASE include a photo so I can see what you are talking about. So this book could really have used a few pictures to show some of the concepts. Other than that, I found this a great intro to a subject that I am not familiar with, and his theory of the Japanese people internalizing aesth ...more

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May 31, 2014 Finlay rated it liked it

Shelves: art, japan

Turns out seventeenth-century tea masters were the original hipsters, elevating the old and ordinary to a refined aesthetic (complicated simplicity). Of course Japan has compartmentalized and codified aesthetics to an extreme (unique?) level -- this essay also reminds us that these concepts have complex histories, in which they were redefined and repurposed to suit elite political and class distinctions. It was an interesting but not inspiring read.

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Oct 09, 2016 Richard Anderson rated it really liked it

I liked it a lot, yet it seemed like the outline of a larger work.

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Mar 21, 2016 Leonard rated it really liked it

Brief but eminently readable - highly recommended

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Jan 12, 2016 Jake Staples rated it really liked it

brief but with a good outlining of components of the Japanese aesthetic.

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Sep 26, 2014 Bernie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Wonderful reading and worth every minute spent on it.

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Nov 29, 2019 Netts rated it it was ok

More of a glossary and even so, not remotely extensive nor focused and definitely not an engaging one. This isn't Tanikazi waxing poetic (though nationalistic) about toilets... ...more

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About Donald Richie

Donald Richie

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Donald Richie is an American-born author who has written about the Japanese people and Japanese cinema. Although he considers himself only a writer, Richie has directed many experimental films, the first when he was 17. Although Richie speaks Japanese fluently, he can neither read nor write it.

During World War II, he served aboard Liberty ships as a purser and medical officer. By then he had alrea Donald Richie is an American-born author who has written about the Japanese people and Japanese cinema. Although he considers himself only a writer, Richie has directed many experimental films, the first when he was 17. Although Richie speaks Japanese fluently, he can neither read nor write it.

During World War II, he served aboard Liberty ships as a purser and medical officer. By then he had already published his first work, "Tumblebugs" (1942), a short story.

In 1947, Richie first visited Japan with the American occupation force, a job he saw as an opportunity to escape from Lima, Ohio. He first worked as a typist, and then as a civilian staff writer for the Pacific Stars and Stripes. While in Tokyo, he became fascinated with Japanese culture, particularly Japanese cinema. He was soon writing movie reviews in the Stars and Stripes. In 1948 he met Kashiko Kawakita who introduced him to Yasujiro Ozu. During their long friendship, Richie and Kawakita collaborated closely in promoting Japanese film in the West.

After returning to the United States, he enrolled at Columbia University's School of General Studies in 1949, and received his Bachelor's Degree in English in 1953. Richie then returned to Japan as film critic for the The Japan Times and spent much of the second half of the twentieth century living there. In 1959, he published his first book, The Japanese Film: Art and Industry, coauthored with Joseph Anderson. In this work, the authors gave the first English language account of Japanese film. Richie served as Curator of Film at the New York Museum of Modern Art from 1969 to 1972. In 1988, he was invited to become the first guest director at the Telluride Film Festival.

Among his most noted works on Japan are The Inland Sea, a travel classic, and Public People, Private People, a look at some of Japan's most significant and most mundane people. He has compiled two collections of essays on Japan: A Lateral View and Partial Views. A collection of his writings has been published to commemorate fifty years of writing about Japan: The Donald Richie Reader. The Japan Journals: 1947-2004 consists of extended excerpts from his diaries.

In 1991, filmmakers Lucille Carra and Brian Cotnoir produced a film version of The Inland Sea, which Richie narrated. Produced by Travelfilm Company, the film won numerous awards, including Best Documentary at the Hawaii International Film Festival (1991) and the Earthwatch Film Award. It screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 1992.

Author Tom Wolfe describes Richie as: "the Lafcadio Hearn of our time, a subtle, stylish, and deceptively lucid medium between two cultures that confuse one another: the Japanese and the American."

Richie's most widely recognized accomplishment has been his analysis of Japanese cinema. From his first published book, Richie has revised not only the library of films he discusses, but the way he analyzes them. With each subsequent book, he has focused less on film theory and more on the conditions in which the films were made. One thing that has emerged in his works is an emphasis on the "presentational" nature of Japan's cinema, in contrast to the "representational" films of the West. His book, A Hundred Years Of Japanese Film includes a helpful guide to the availability of the films on home video and DVD mentioned in the main text. In the foreword to this book, Paul Schrader says: "Whatever we in the West know about Japanese film, and how we know it, we most likely owe to Donald Richie." Richie also has written analyses of two of Japan's best known filmmakers: Yasujiro Ozu and Akira Kurosawa.

Richie has written the English subtitles for Akira Kurosawa's films Kagemusha (1980) and Dreams (1990)[8].

In the 21st century, Richie has become noted for his erudite audio commentaries for The Criterion Collection on DVDs of various classic Japanese films, notably those of Ozu (A Story of Floating Weeds, Early Summer), Mikio Naruse (When a Woman Ascend ...more