Imagine you are immersed in the ancient architecture, looking at the traces of time marked on it with the vibration coming from your heart. It’s Wabi Sabi. It is easy for us to see and enjoy the Wabi Sabi style, but explaining Wabi Sabi is difficult, even for the Japanese.

In this Blog, let’s learn about Wabi Sabi style and why Wabi Sabi has become the life philosophy of Japanese people.

What is Wabi Sabi?

Many people mistakenly believe that Wabi Sabi is a single word, but it is actually a combination of two words Wabi and Sabi. Therefore, to understand the true meaning of Wabi Sabi, we need to understand the meaning and nuances of Wabi and Sabi when standing separately.

Wabi

Wabi (Japanese: わび) is a noun derived from the verb Wabu used to indicate disappointment, confusion, suffering, and pessimism during the period when the poor mentioned their stuck and difficult lives. Later, after understanding and accepting the reality of life, people begin to enjoy and feel the beauty of that lack.

Wabi is not always expressed in words; it is also expressed through the aesthetics, feelings, and intuition of people. Different from the flashy Western style, Wabi shows the enjoyment and appreciation of the simple beauty of the Japanese.

Sabi

Sabi (Japanese: さび) is a noun derived from the verb Sabu used to refer to silence, loneliness, oldness, and fading. It even has a negative meaning, expressing the withering away of time.

Later, the word Sabi was understood in a more positive way through expressing love for natural beauty, the aging of things, wear and tear, and traces of time. When going to shrines, temples, historical sites, etc., you will also see the process of formation and development through the timeline. This is also how the Japanese bring Sabi into their lives as a way of showing appreciation for every moment in life. The reason is that the flow of time will never stop but will always continue.

What is Wabi Sabi style?

Wabi Sabi (Japanese: わび・さび) after being put together, will have a completely different meaning from the original meaning of each word. While Wabi expresses feelings from deep within the mind, emotions, and states, Sabi expresses them through external forms.

Wabi Sabi is a word used to describe the beauty of imperfection, impermanence, and incompleteness. We all know that every passing moment is precious and deserves to be cherished, so being content with life and not being obsessed with material things will make people more positive. Since then, Wabi Sabi style has directed people to a way of life that does not depend on ordinary things and truly experiences life’s value.

Wabi Sabi exists everywhere: the fading color of the wood on the old door, the moss growing on the rocks, the image of flowers fading in the sunset, the cracks of the ceramic vase, the smell of old books…

Sobokuya Vietnam respects nature and the aging, old, discolored wood, as well as any changes to the house. Wabi Sabi is “an appreciation of life’s ephemeral beauties, reflecting the eternal flow of life in the spiritual world” (Wabi Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence).

Features of the Wabi Sabi style

Kanso – Simplicity

One of the most important principles of Wabi Sabi is simplicity, and unpretentiousness. People often chase after trends and material obsessions, leading to a life that is always tiring and stressful. Instead of buying unnecessary items, the Japanese choose a minimalist lifestyle that brings a sense of peace and helps to create a better quality of life.

The minimalist design brings a comfortable feeling to a cool space, reducing occult discomfort and being good for health. The simplicity of the Wabi Sabi style is also gradually becoming popular and being applied by many people in daily life, like the Japanese Danshari lifestyle.

Fukinsei –  Asymmetry

Unlike Chinese or Western art that prefers perfection, symmetry, and balance, Wabi Sabi style celebrates the beauty of asymmetry.

It is strange that in Japan, which is always strict with immutable rules, there is a principle that goes against the majority. Asymmetry is a clear expression of the Wabi Sabi philosophy, which loves imperfections.

Shibumi – Understated attractiveness

Shibumi expresses aesthetic value through simplicity, which is unobtrusive but subtle on the whole. Shibumi’s harmonious, balanced combination of contrasting aesthetics creates a distinctive and impressive design.

Shibumi refers to hidden beauty because not everyone feels the Wabi Sabi style at first sight. A work of art with Shibumi will lead viewers to see the beauty hidden deep inside through the feelings of the senses and the heart.

Shizen – Naturalness

Wabi Sabi style always prioritizes the use of natural, human-friendly materials like Japanese Tatami mats woven with Igusa grass, Shoji sliding doors using handmade Washi paper, traditional Japanese ceramic tea sets,…

Wabi Sabi applied in the traditional Japanese wooden house of Sobokuya is not using wood dried by technology, but wood dried naturally for 5-7 years, not painting it colorfully to create gloss, not spraying with preservatives, etc. We always want to create a green and healthy living environment for our clients by using safe and healthy natural wood materials.

Yugen – Mysterious Beauty

As Shibumi, Wabi Sabi style often emphasizes subtle beauty, not flashy or unobtrusive. Yugen is used to describe a beauty that is hard to describe in words, not only to see with the naked eye but also to use the heart and mind to feel.

Yugen is also a way to enhance the artistic value of Japanese culture. Sometimes people have to use their imagination to feel the mysterious beauty that Wabi Sabi philosophy conveys.

Datsuzoku – Freedom

Wabi Sabi style goes beyond the category of art expressed by freedom, breaking all rules, standards, and limitations in life. Emphasizing the value of freedom is also a way to show acceptance of imperfections and differences, thereby liberating yourself and changing your life in a positive direction.

Seijaku – Tranquility

It is said that Japan’s Zen style is derived from Zen in Theravada Buddhism, but later Zen developed and changed to suit the culture of each country.

Seijaku is also a way to calm the mind, like meditation. The followers of Wabi Sabi style always focus on creating a quiet space because that is also where people can deeply feel the impermanent beauty in life.

The influence of Wabi Sabi style

Tea Ceremony

The Wabi Sabi style is most evident in the Sen no Rikyu period tea ceremony. In the old days, the nobility and Samurai used to use beautiful, expensive Chinese tea sets to show the luxury of the tea ceremony.

Sen no Rikyu, after learning Tamako’s tea etiquette and rules, discovered the Wabi Sabi philosophy and applied it to the tea ceremony. He used simple, rustic Japanese tools instead of the expensive ones that were prevalent at the time. He was also a pioneer in the use of tea bowls and used the small Japanese tea room (Taian) when organizing the tea ceremony.

Although not the creator of the Wabi Sabi philosophy, Sen no Rikyu was one of the people who contributed to spreading and developing the art of tea ceremony as well as the Wabi Sabi style, which became popular and familiar to Japanese people.

Wabi Sabi in the tea ceremony is the love of imperfections and the imprint of time, thereby expressing the desire to find peace in the process of being in harmony with nature.

Zen garden

Japan is a country famous for Zen style, and Zen gardens are one of the features of this style. Unlike the garden landscape, the Japanese Zen garden is a place for rituals, a sacred place for monks to meditate daily.

The Zen garden uses completely natural materials, including: sand, stones, moss,… The purpose of the Zen garden is not to create an aesthetic place, so there is no Koi pond here, no construction of gazebos, and no colorfulness of flowers and grass. At Zen Garden, the mind is maximally focused, trained to think and find the deep, core essence of humans.

In the Zen garden, we will be able to observe the change of things, feel the time passing by, and understand the meaning of Impermanence – no-self in Wabi Sabi style.

The art of flower arrangement

In a Japanese tea room, one can see the Wabi Sabi philosophy through the art of Chabana flower arrangement, which was formed and flourished during the Sen no Rikyu period. Unlike the art of flower arrangement, Rikka, which strictly requires designs, flower postures, materials, and complex arrangement techniques, Chabana aims for minimalism and naturalness, inherited from the Nageire arrangement.

Features of Chabana flower arrangement art:

• Emphasize nature through the use of seasonal flowers and leaves.
• Not focusing on layout and lines, respecting natural beauty.
• Do not use more than one kind of flower in the same vase.
• Use unscented or lightly scented flowers to avoid overpowering the tea ceremony space.

Wabi Sabi style interior

Japanese interior design is often associated with minimalism. Wabi Sabi style focuses not only on minimalism but also on the imperfections and ephemeral beauty of life.

Features of the Wabi Sabi style interior:

• Simple in design, unobtrusive
• Light, elegant tones
• Smart, subtle furniture
• Using handmade products, natural materials
• Open space, close to nature.

Summary

Wabi Sabi has a great influence on Japanese culture, such as Zen, paintings, gardens, tea ceremony, furniture, etc. Since then, the Wabi Sabi style has gradually become a cultural feature of Japan with a unique point of view.

Wabi Sabi style can be said to be the Japanese frugality philosophy, and Sobokuya has visualized this philosophy into the living space through its projects, helping clients to enjoy the beauty of life.

Contact us if you want to design a house in Japanese style.

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Sobokuya Vietnam – Consulting, design, and construction in Japanese style

Website: https://sobokuya.vn/
Fanpage : Sobokuya Vietnam
Address: R102, 01SH11, Vinhomes Ocean Park, Trau Quy town, Gia Lam, Hanoi.

Tel: (84) 03 8284 2525
Email: info@sobokuya.vn