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Japanese Aesthetics Series: #7 Seijaku

( I’m offering a series of posts that describe seven of the most noted Japanese aesthetics and how I feel they are represented in kimono or traditional textiles. )

Seijaku (静寂) is the quality of tranquility or calmness. It is very much a principle of Japanese garden design, but I would suggest that is an overarching theme to traditional elegant, formal kimono design. The pivotal word there is “traditional”.

In more contemporary kimono styling -- and especially in the “kimono street style” trend that is bringing kimono and obi combinations into modern fashion -- I see much less tranquility and much more razzle-dazzle. Consider this collage of images from our Pinterest Board for Kimono Fashions Today:

The vibe is much more dramatic and “loud” than the more traditional kimono and obi combinations below.

Seijaku is more readily “felt” in the traditional iromuji kimono combinations. Iromuji is a single color kimono often paired with an understated obi to achieve a balanced, subtle elegance. These solid color kimono are traditionally worn by practitioners of tea ceremony (cha-do), and it’s easy to see why “calming” would be a desired effect. In fact, seijaku is one of the four principles of tea ceremony:

Wa (harmony)

Kei (respect)

Sei (purity)

Jaku (tranquility)

These principles are not only evident in the movements of the host but also in his or her kimono ensemble.

Search our blog for the other posts we’ve done on Japanese aesthetics. There will be six in all once they’re posted over the course of August 2019.

#seijaku #japanese tea ceremony #japanese aesthetics #tranquility #calmness #chado #old and new kimono

#Repost for @irisvanherpen ・・・ @seeshevydance, principal dancer at @abtofficial, in symmetry with #irisvanherpen #seijaku for the @nycdanceproject Hair and makeup by @julietjane

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