Iki is a traditional aesthetic ideal of human behavior or volition in
JapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, roughly "chic, stylish". The basis of
iki is thought to have formed among urbane commoners (
Chōninwas a social class that emerged in Japan during the early years of the Tokugawa period. The majority of chōnin were merchants, but some were craftsmen, as well. Nōmin were not considered chōnin...
) in
Edo, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
in the Tokugawa period.
Iki is sometimes misunderstood as simply "anything Japanese", but it is actually a specific aesthetic ideal, distinct from more ethereal notions of transcendence or poverty. As such,
samuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
, for example, would typically, as a class, be considered devoid of
iki, (see
yabois a Japanese term to describe certain unaesthetic quality. Yabo is the antonym of iki. Busui , literally "non-iki," is synonymous with yabo. A non-iki thing is not necessarily yabo but probably is...
). At the same time, individual warriors are often depicted in contemporary popular imagination as embodying the
iki ideals of a clear, stylish manner and blunt, unwavering directness. The term became widespread in modern intellectual circles through the book
The Structure of "Iki" (1930) by
Kuki Shūzōwas a prominent Japanese academic, philosopher and university professor.-Early life:Shūzō was the fourth child of Baron Kuki Ryūichi a high bureaucrat in the Meiji Ministry for Culture and Education...
.
Interpretation
Iki, having emerged from the worldly Japanese merchant class, may appear in some ways a more contemporary expression of Japanese aesthetics than concepts such as
wabi-sabirepresents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete"...
. The term is commonly used in conversation and writing, but is not necessarily exclusive of other categories of beauty.
Iki is an expression of simplicity, sophistication, spontaneity, and originality. It is ephemeral, romantic, straightforward, measured, audacious, smart, and unselfconscious.
Iki is not overly refined, pretentious, complicated, showy, slick, coquettish, or, generally,
cuteSince the 1970s, cuteness, in Japanese the noun , has become a prominent aspect of Japanese popular culture, entertainment, clothing, food, toys, personal appearance, behavior, and mannerisms...
. At the same time,
iki may exhibit any of those traits in a smart, direct, and unabashed manner.
Iki may signify a personal trait, or artificial phenomena exhibiting human will or consciousness.
Iki is not used to describe natural phenomena, but may be expressed in human appreciation of natural beauty, or in the nature of human beings. Murakami Haruki (b.1949), who writes in a clear, unflinching style—at turns sentimental, fantastic, and surreal—is described as embodying
iki. In contrast, Kawabata Yasunari (1899-1972) writes in a more poetic vein, with a closer focus on the interior "complex" of his characters, while situations and surroundings exhibit a kind of
wabi-sabirepresents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete"...
. That said, stylistic differences may tend to distract from a similar emotional subjectivity. Indeed,
iki is strongly tied to stylistic tendencies.
Iki and Tsū
The indefinite ideal of
tsū (通) can be said to reference a highly cultivated but not necessarily solemn sensibility. The
iki/
tsu sensibility resists being construed within the context of overly specific rules about what could be considered as vulgar or uncouth.
Iki and
tsu are considered synonymous in some situations, but
tsu exclusively refers to persons, while
iki can also refer to situations/objects. In both ideals, the property of refinement is not academic in nature.
Tsu sometimes involves excessive obsession and cultural (but not academic) pedantry, and in this case, it differs from
iki, which will not be obsessive.
Tsu is used, for example, for knowing how to properly appreciate (eat) Japanese cuisines (
sushiis a Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients . Neta and forms of sushi presentation vary, but the ingredient which all sushi have in common is shari...
,
tempura], is a Japanese dish of seafood or vegetables that have been battered and deep fried.-Batter:A light batter is made of cold water and soft wheat flour . Eggs, baking soda or baking powder, starch, oil, and/or spices may also be added...
,
sobais the Japanese name for buckwheat. It is synonymous with a type of thin noodle made from buckwheat flour, and in Japan can refer to any thin noodle . Soba noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup...
etc.).
Tsu (and some
iki-style) can be transferred from person to person in form of "tips." As
tsu is more focused in knowledge, it may be considered superficial from
iki point of view, since
iki cannot be easily attained by learning.
Iki and Yabo
Yabois a Japanese term to describe certain unaesthetic quality. Yabo is the antonym of iki. Busui , literally "non-iki," is synonymous with yabo. A non-iki thing is not necessarily yabo but probably is...
(野暮) is the antonym of
iki.
Busui (無粋), literally "non-
iki," is synonymous to
yabo.
Iki and Sui
In the
KansaiThe or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included...
area, the ideal of
sui is prevalent.
Sui is also represented by the
kanjiKanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
"粋". The sense of
sui is similar to iki but not identical, reflecting various regional differences. The contexts of their usages are also different.
External links
"An Aesthetics of Everyday Life: Modernism and a Japanese popular aesthetic ideal, Iki" -(A modern approach towards
iki)
九鬼周造『「いき」の構造』 -(A classic theory of
iki)