Editing Wabi-sabi (section)

==Description==
{{transliteration|ja|Wabi-sabi}} has been described as "the most conspicuous and characteristic feature of what we think of as traditional Japanese beauty. It occupies roughly the same position in the Japanese [[wiktionary:pantheon|pantheon]] of aesthetic values as do the [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] ideals of [[beauty]] and perfection in the West."{{sfn|Koren|1994}} Andrew Juniper writes that, "If an object or expression can bring about, within us, a sense of serene melancholy and a spiritual longing, then that object could be said to be {{transliteration|ja|wabi-sabi}}."{{sfn|Juniper|2003}} According to Richard Powell, "{{transliteration|ja|Wabi-sabi}} nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect."<ref name="Powell2">{{cite book |last=Powell |first=Richard R. |title=Wabi Sabi Simple |publisher=Adams Media |year=2004 |isbn=1-59337-178-0}}</ref>

When considering an English translation of the words ''wabi'' and ''sabi'', Juniper explains that "they have been used to express a vast range of ideas and emotions, and so their meanings are more open to personal interpretation than almost any other word in the Japanese vocabulary." As a result, attempts to translate ''wabi-sabi'' directly may obscure the ambiguity essential to its meaning.{{sfn|Juniper|2003}}

After centuries of incorporating artistic and Buddhist influences from China, {{transliteration|ja|wabi-sabi}} evolved into a distinctly Japanese ideal. Over time, the meanings of {{transliteration|ja|wabi}} and {{transliteration|ja|sabi}} became more lighthearted and hopeful. Around 700 years ago, particularly among the Japanese nobility, understanding emptiness and imperfection came to be regarded as a first step toward {{transliteration|ja|[[satori]]}} or [[Enlightenment in Buddhism|enlightenment]]. In contemporary Japan, {{transliteration|ja|wabi-sabi}} is often summarized as "wisdom in natural simplicity". In art books, it is typically defined as "flawed beauty".<ref>{{cite book |last=Gold |first=Taro |title=Living Wabi Sabi |publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing |location=Kansas City |year=2004 |isbn=0-7407-3960-3 |pages=20–21}}</ref> Works in the {{transliteration|ja|wabi-sabi}} style often emphasize process, with the piece understood as ultimately incomplete.<ref name=":022">{{cite journal |last=John |first=Joseph D. |date=2007 |title=Experience as Medium: John Dewey and a Traditional Japanese Aesthetic |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/224026 |journal=The Journal of Speculative Philosophy |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=83–90 |doi=10.2307/25670649 |issn=1527-9383 |jstor=25670649}}</ref>

From a design or engineering perspective, {{transliteration|ja|wabi}} may refer to the imperfect quality of an object resulting from inherent limitations in design and manufacture, especially under changing or unpredictable conditions. In this context, {{transliteration|ja|sabi}} could relate to impermanent reliability or the object's finite lifespan. This interpretation is further reflected in a phonological and etymological connection with the Japanese word {{nihongo3|{{lit|to rust}}|錆|sabi}}. Although the [[kanji]] for "rust" differ from {{nihongo||寂|sabi}} in {{transliteration|ja|wabi-sabi}}, the original spoken term (from pre-kanji {{transliteration|ja|[[yamato-kotoba]]}}) is believed to have been the same.<ref>錆びをめぐる話題, 井上勝也, 裳華房, 1994</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=さびの文字 |url=http://www2.memenet.or.jp/kinugawa/sabi/00121.htm |website=Kinugawa Chain Mfg. Co. Ltd |access-date=14 May 2025}}</ref>
[[File:Contemporary_wabi-sabi_tea_bowl.jpg|left|thumb|alt=Handmade ceramic tea bowl with rough texture and asymmetry|Modern tea vessel made in the {{transliteration|ja|wabi-sabi}} style]]
{{transliteration|ja|Wabi}} and {{transliteration|ja|sabi}} both convey feelings of desolation and solitude. Within [[Mahayana Buddhism]], these can be considered positive traits, representing release from the material world and the possibility of [[Transcendence (philosophy)|transcendence]] to a simpler life. As Mahayana philosophy emphasizes direct experience over verbal explanation, {{transliteration|ja|wabi-sabi}} may be best understood in a non-verbal, experiential way.

Although {{transliteration|ja|wabi}} and {{transliteration|ja|sabi}} have religious origins, their usage in contemporary Japanese language is often informal, consistent with the [[syncretic]] nature of [[Religion in Japan|Japanese spiritual practice]].