The character for ‘ma‘ is written with the Chinese character for door and the character for sun, giving the impression of sunlight filtering through a doorway. The concept of ma is integral to the Japanese culture and aesthetics, appearing in many different domains – from art to architecture, gardening to interior design, and from conversation…
Tag: Japanese culture
watercolours ep. 2
The Japanese have a concept – a specific word just to describe how colours develop when they’re used. Hasshoku (発色) translates to colour development. What that really refers to is the way colours evolve, and how vivid they become when they’re used. Isn’t that just lovely? That a language has a word just for that…
yutori
I’ve been learning about the Japanese concept of yutori. This word refers to creating space in our lives. According to my Japanese friend, the word itself translates to “spaciousness” or “slack”. Perhaps yutori has to do with creating mental space and also physical space – which in turn makes more mental space. This space allows…
noren
Noren is a traditional divider used in Japanese dwellings. Made from fabric, it can be hung at the entrance of a home or business, between rooms or even as wall decoration. The fabric of the noren is split vertically, which, if hung in an open doorway creates a beautiful fluttering curtain. Cotton and linen are the…