Japanese aesthetics 201: wabi sabi, mono no aware and iki – how are they different from each other?

Traditional Japanese aesthetics at a glance

わびさび (wabi sabi) is probably the most widely known traditional Japanese aesthetic concept. But then came the “Mono no aware” trophy, which you can get in the “Ghost of Tsushima,” a PlayStation game inspired by the Mongolian invasion attempts against Japan in 13th century. もののあわれ (mono no aware) is the oldest traditional Japanese aesthetic that occurred during the Heian era (8th ~12th century). There is also 粋 (iki), yet another well-known traditional Japanese aesthetic concept that became popular during the latter half of Edo era (18th century). All three are important for Japanese culture, but how are they different from each other?

“Mono no aware” can be translated as as “sensitivity” to detect subtle beauty and truth in things. It was established by ancient Japanese social elites who sought their cultural identity vis-a-vis Chinese culture, which dominated Eastern Asia back then. Compared to the Chinese culture, which was logical and robust, Japanese considered their own culture softer, finer and more elusive. Wabi sabi, on the other hand, had more universal and metaphysical principles that can also be found in modern art. It was influenced by Chinese culture and Zen Buddhism. Whereas mono no aware and wabi sabi were created by upper class intellectuals who led cultural endeavors during their times, iki is fundamentally different in that it was led by citizens. By 18th century, Japanese society, especially Tokyo (then called Edo), had become affluent enough to allow the emergence of middle class or rich citizens, who led vibrant and laid-back entertainment-centric people’s culture.

	Period	Cultural center	Main Supporters	Characteristics	Other Cultures with similarities
Mono no aware	Heian (9th~11th century)	Kyoto	Aristocrats	Identify Japanese-ness to counter China (then the cultural center of Eastern Asia)
Wabi sabi	Muromachi (14th~16th century)	Kyoto	High ranking samurai, Aristocrats, Zen priests	Pursue universal, metaphysical aesthetics	Renaissance (Italy)
Iki	Edo (18th century)	Edo	Affluent citizens	Entertainment-oriented popular culture	Belle Epoque (France)

Why is it difficult to understand mono no aware?

Donald Keene (1922 – 2019), an acclaimed American scholar who lived in Japan and researched Japanese literature extensively, translated mono no aware as “a sensitivity to things.” “mono” means “things,” and “aware” is something like an exclamation when your are emotionally moved – could be happiness, sadness or loneliness. It’s important to note that the “aware” was in “mono” (things). We tend to think that our emotions move because of other people around you, but mono no aware keenly focused on your ability to sense something in the surrounding environment. That’s subtle and subjective. Among the three Japanese aesthetics discussed here, mono no aware is the most difficult concept to grasp. It’s partly because it happened more than 1,000 years ago and there aren’t many surviving works (e.g. paintings or buildings) that can help us understand it visually. But it’s not the only reason why mono no aware is elusive. As it was about the sensitivity to notice subtle changes in the surrounding environment, it was literature-oriented. Stories and poems (e.g. waka) were the best tools to express mono no aware. They way ancient Japanese expressed their sensitivities are no longer intuitive because our way of life is totally different from theirs. It takes some studying even for Japanese. Translation is even harder.

GENJI-MONOGATARI-EMAKI published by TOKUGAWA MUSEUM, NAGOYA, Japan, 1937 [Public Domain]
Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji) is world’s oldest surviving novel written by Murasaki Shikibu before 1008.
Murasaki Shikibu, woman from a high ranking aristocrat family, chronicled the love and life of aristocrats.
The Tale of Genji is fill of sensitivities toward the natural environment and people.

Why is wabi sabi more popular than other aesthetics?

On the other hand, you may see the term “wabi sabi” more often, especially in design and architecture.  While it’s kind of odd that a 500 year-old traditional Japanese aesthetic concept is now popular globally, there is probably a reason. One of the biggest factors is its highly crystalized abstractness. For example, karesansui (Zen rock garden) is one of the most well-known wabi sabi art (Ryoanji Sekitei (the photo below) is probably the most popular karesansui.) Although rocks, mounds and other shapes used in karesansui have meanings or represent specific elements (e.g. famous vista places or Buddhism symbols), you don’t necessarily need to know them to enjoy its beauty. Wabi sabi arts are usually reduced to the ultimate essentials, which are so universal that it can overcome cultural/language barriers. Anyone from any region can be inspired by wabi sabi arts even after 500 years. 

Ryoan Ji, Kyoto Zen Garden by Cquest (May 2007), Own work, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5
Probably as the most well-known karesansui, the mysterious beauty of Ryoanji Sekitei’s minimalist garden
with 15 pieces of rock still attracts tourists all over the world.

Iki as traditional Japanese pop art

Compared to mono no aware and wabi sabi, iki is easier to access because of ukiyo-e, some of which capture the gist of iki.

For Edokko (Edo citizens), iki was their way of life, behaviors and attitudes. Instead of spending lots of money in order to look cool, they tried to be creative using whatever they had by slightly tweaking clothes, accessories, or hair-dos. They also invented slangs, gestures or styles to match their moods.