Zen Buddhism, Wabi-Sabi and the Japanese tea ceremony

Abstract

In this paper, we shall be considering the branch of Japanese aesthetics that is termed Wabi-Sabi, as well as various examples of its embodiment, one of which is the ceremony of tea. Both Wabi and Sabi, amongst others, are distinct aesthetic principles in themselves, and before examining their coming together we shall discuss them individually. This treatment, cursory as it might be, would nonetheless be incomplete without a short exposition of the guiding principles that underpin Wabi-Sabi and Japanese aesthetic sensibilities in general, namely those of Zen Buddhism. We shall conclude by examining the position that Wabi-Sabi occupies in the lives of the contemporary Japanese.