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The Conversation USA

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
imageA perfectly imperfect tea bowl.Zen Rial/Moment via Getty Images

On 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,”...

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