What is the Japanese ‘wabi-sabi’ aesthetic actually about? ‘Miserable tea’ and loneliness, for starters
- Written by Paul S. Atkins, Professor of Japanese, University of Washington
A perfectly imperfect tea bowl.Zen Rial/Moment via Getty ImagesOn a recent visit to New York I stopped at a Japanese bookstore in Manhattan. Among the English-language books about Japan, I encountered a section of a shelf marked “WABI-SABI” and stocked with titles such as “Wabi Sabi Love,” “The Wabi-Sabi Way,”...