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Product Description
Wabi sabi, the quintessential Japanese design aesthetic, is quickly gaining popularity around the world, as evidenced by recent articles in Time, The Chicago Tribune and Kyoto Journal. Taken from the Japanese words wabi, which translates to less is more, and sabi, which means attentive melancholy, wabi sabi refers to an awareness of the transient nature of earthly things and a corresponding pleasure in the things that bear the mark of this impermanence. As a design style, wabi sabi helps us to appreciate the simple beauty in imperfection--of a chipped vase or a rainy day, for example.

Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

he's got it. June 2, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

Writing about wabi-sabi is as vexing as writing about zen, part of its own inspiration. it's hard to write about something that defines itself as antithetical to verbiage, about something that is physically killed off by language. using words to describe zen and its travelling companions are nearly -- nearly -- impossible by definition. the author, who practices wabi-sabi through what seems to be an attractive and successful design company in posh Chichester (UK), occasionally wades into the swamps of verbiage (on this subject every author does, even DT Suzuki) but he never stays damp for long and always emerges to provide more information, while continuously honing and refining his definitions.

this is a very good effort at explaining spirituality and aesthetics in a culture quite different than ours in the West. he writes masterfully, and whether he is uncommonly empathetic all around, or uniquely wired into the Japanese weltanschaung (or both), i don't know. but it is a short, competent and oftentimes beautiful little book. buy this, buy suzuki on zen and japanese art, then save the rest for an unusually fine piece of bizen-yaki or shigaraki-yaki ceramic (knowing that these two books should be enough).

2 out of 5 stars

Pro wabi sabi / Anti modernity March 24, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This book is clearly and carefully presented and easy to read. Juniper firstly provides a history of religion (Taoism and Zen Buddhism) to provide the background for the development of the Wabi Sabi aesthetic and philosophy. He goes on to reveal how wabi sabi is expressed in: culture, art, design and spirit. This author provides an odd mixture of intellectual entry points to understand wabi sabi.

Where the writing is strongest is where it is descriptive and attempts to translate for non-Easterners the principles and philosophy of those that follow this aesthetic in their work or approach to life.

"There is within the Japanese a fascination with death, and unlike the West, which tends to shy away from what might be considered morbid deliberations, the Japanese seek to harness the emotive effect of death to add force and power to their actions. With this force also comes a sense of inconsolable desolation, and it is this feeling to which the term sabi is often applied." (p49)

Where the writing seems somewhat prosaic is where it references practical tips for enthusiasts or would-be artisans to appreciate and recognise the design approach and outcome. However, in describing the method and expression of wabi sabi in artisanship a more realistic appreciation is enabled (even if the reductive listing of design criteria seems somewhat at odds with the subtle and poetic nature of the aesthetic).

"The examples of textures are almost limitless and include the cracked mud walls of a tearoom, the uneven weave of antique mosquito nets, the coarse feel of an unglazed pot, and even the worn contours of a tool handle. Textural complexity and randomness are essential elements in wabi sabi, for without them the piece will not truly suggest the arbitrary nature of evolution and devolution.

Design criteria:
-Rough and uneven
-Variegated and random
-Textures formed by natural sporadic processes" (p110)

Where the writing shifts between the traditional and the modern is where some interesting insights into Japanese culture emerge. Though the author has little to no appreciation of contemporary Japanese culture in except where it seems to satisfy aspects of wabi sabi (or exemplify its superiority in contrast).

"A million miles from the "love hotels" and the uncontrolled urban sprawl, tucked away in the back streets of Kyoto, one can find the Tawaraya Hotel, an oasis for the seeker of the quintessential expression of Japanese hospitality. Once could be forgiven for not even noticing the low-level building, as there is little on the outside to suggest the history contained within." (p62)

"It lives on in the simple clean design of the first Sony Walkman, in the austere and sober Ando architecture, and in the handmade pottery that is still a feature of everyday life." (p65)

Where the writing is weakest is when it veers into the polemic.

"As an art based on a philosophy of disciplined non-materialism and nonrationalism, wabi sabi may be able to inject some perspective on the unrestrained hedonism of today." (p97)

This bundling of insights is both useful and higgle-de-piggledy.

1 out of 5 stars

wabi sabi for the illiterate and unpoetic January 23, 2006
5 out of 15 found this review helpful

Of all the wabi sabi books I've attempted to read, this one is the most poorly written. Same old regurgitated information, but written by someone who must have flunked out of their high school English composition class. Sorry, with so many better books out on the subject-at least three-why subject yourself to this gibberish?

5 out of 5 stars

Wabi Sabi - Beyond Hobby January 19, 2006
20 out of 21 found this review helpful

Although concepts of Wabi Sabi have been around for centuries, it is wryly amusing that no Japanese has ever attempted an analysis. (All the books on this subject seem to be by Westerners with certain orientations.) This is because Zen disdains intellectualism and dismisses rational approaches to satori out of hand. The Japanese logic has always been to avoid the subject, because the very use of prose is to admit one's spiritual failure.

Andrew Juniper has come to satisfy our rational cravings with a cogent, indeed elegant little book. He even attempts a definition of the term on page 51: "Wabi sabi is an intuitive appreciation of transient beauty in the physical world that reflects the irreversible flow of life in the spiritual world. It is an understated beauty that exists in the modest, rustic, imperfect, or even decayed, an aesthetic sensibility that finds a melancholic beauty in the impermanence of all things."

Is not every syllable meaningful? I am very grateful for bi-cultural people who write so well. He explores the nexus between Zen, Japanese culture and wabi sabi in straight forward language that yet remains respectful. He excels at big picture description. "The Universal Spirit of Wabi Sabi" is a short concluding section with prose as jarring as it is graceful.

I am not about to wabi-sabiize my life. Such change is for young radicals. But I do think Westerners as well as Eastern converts to Consumerism should be aware of alternatives that someday may be thrust upon us. There will come a time when planned obsolescence will be regarded as criminal, so you may want to invest a few shares in a good wabi sabi mutual fund. Juniper's book will get you started.

5 out of 5 stars

Just what I was looking for. December 16, 2004
27 out of 34 found this review helpful

I dont know how to put it nicely, but smellpuppies review below couldnt be more off the mark even if he tried.

Wabi Sabi for Artists...etc. is just a teaser compared to this book! W.S. for Artists is a great book to start off with and could be read in a couple of hours.

However Juniper's book delves more into the history of the Tea Ceremony, Zen Buddhism, Modern Art and the philosophy of wabi sabi aesthetics..

Juniper's knowledge is vast and more importantly, insightful. He clearly has a deep understanding of both Western and Eastern worldviews without favoring one or the other.

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