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which japanese pen has the most wabi-sabi?


turban1

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Current thought on Tanizaki's In Praise of Shadows favors viewing the work not on face value as extolling Japanese esthetic sensibilities, but rather as an expression of what many of us love in Tanizaki--his twisted perverse sense of irony. Written in a time when Japanese militarism had already given rise to the Manchurian Incident (1931) and the beginning of the 15-year (Pacific) War, Tanizaki steadfastly refused complicity with Japanese militarism (at a time when many prominent Japanese writers served this cause by visiting colonized lands and troops abroad and writing about them in newspapers and journals). The Japanese military government was eager to promote Japanese exceptionalism, and this was especially pronounced in the realm of culture. The quality of In Praise of Shadows as a joke becomes clearer when one reads Tanizaki's other works like "Kawaya no iroiro" (Various Types of Toilets), which remains untranslated.

 

Wabi and sabi have their place, to be sure, but the Japanese themselves have lampooned the concepts over the years in splendid fashion, too. :happyberet:

 

You know, this didn't occur to me AT ALL.

 

This doesn't mean you're right. (I'm in no position to judge.) But I feel like a Janeite, blissfully missing the irony in Austen, while lauding her virtues.

 

Hi,

 

I wanted to raise what has been a fairly recent perspective on Tanizaki's well known work, at least in the field (of humanitistic inquiry re Japan--anthro, lit, etc.), though the question of right or wrong is never absolute, of course. It remains a minority opinion of sorts, in large part because many who use In Praise of Shadows do not or cannot access Tanizaki's untranslated works. But the information about the resoluteness with which he distanced himself from Japanese military wartime authorities, combined with his many playful works that tweak Japanese culture both high and low (while also alternately appreciating Western art and culture--he was crazy about film, for example--and Kansai-based (Osaka-Kyoto area) traditional practices such as bunraku (puppet theater) are well known.

 

:happyberet:

 

Well, you were right to raise it. I'm ashamed it didn't occur to me.

Damon Young

philosopher & author

OUT NOW: The Art of Reading

 

http://content.damonyoung.com.au/aor.jpg

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turban, thanks for posting this thread - it has lead to much education for me in Japanese aesthetic.

 

To my mind, the best way to describe wabi-sabi is an appreciation of things that have grown old gracefully. As wabi to me means unmaterialistic and sabi is the pleasure in old things, I think a wabi-sabi pen would not be something new but rather something simple that does it's job (function over form) and shows the signs of great use (worn). And I would struggle to give an example because all my pens are new and highly polished!

 

I reckon that nakaya comes closest in three regards. its black-red urushi changes colour with the passing of time, rather reminding one of andrew marvell's 'and ever at my back i hear time's winged chariot hurrying near.' their stone-finished pens look unshowy and hardly even man-made, as if one were a natural artifact. a case might even be made for the severe and attractive restraint of the matte-gray urushi pen.

 

being inexpensive, simple or looking used hits slightly wide of the mark, i believe. for as i said before the vintage elvis suit would never qualify. what i think matters is the appearance of same, even if the artifice costs a bundle, because of the effect not the reality. hence i asked my question, since my schooldays FP qualifies as old and shabby but has no character, and japanese pns with unusual character do not come cheap, wabi-sabi or not.

 

I suppose if many Taliban could write we might next discuss wahabi-sabi...but never mind.

unt

Also, what about the fountain pens that use very old artistry - would Maki-e count, or many of the other techniques Nakaya uses on their special pens? I just received a Nakaya Long Cigar Heki Ascending Dragon which consists of a dragon made from silver dust sprinkled on (??) that curls the full length of the pen. The dragon is then covered with many layers of brown urushi, so the dragon is obscured; but over time and with use the dragon will become more and more apparent, thus the "ascending" dragon name. The drawing of the dragon is based on that of an artist in the 17th or 18th century, I forget which. I'm attaching a photo of mine closed and of another from the Nakaya site to illustrate. I think it may be hard to tell from my photo!post-22972-1249003513_thumb.jpg

post-22972-1249003539_thumb.jpg

Nakaya Piccolo Heki Tamenuri 14K XF

Nakaya Ascending Dragon Heki 14K XXF

Sailor Brown Mosaic 21K Saibi Togi XXF

Sailor Maki-e Koi 21K XF

Pilot Namiki Sterling Silver Crane FP

Bexley Dragon XXF

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qVJOiluU9_4/THp4iGeCcpI/AAAAAAAAA2A/xh2FRE0B8p0/s320/InkDropLogoFPN3.jpg

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Wow, this is an interesting thread. I went out and bought the book "Wabi-sabi for artists, designers, poets and philosophers" by Leonard Koren to understand the concept more fully. It seems to me that, as turban1 has commented, that the key is the elicitation of an emotion. Specifically, sadness/acceptance/celebration of the transitory nature of all things. So it's not really about techniques or type of manufacture, nor even visible signs of use. It's about the relationship between the person and the object.

 

A rather simplistic example is the difference between a diary or notebook at the start of the year and the end. At the beginning it is somewhat lovely, but empty. At the end, it is no loger very lovely, but has acquired a beauty through utility and what it represents.

 

I have a new Pelikan M805. It's a lovely pen, no doubt, but has yet to acquire W-S. Right now it's a lovely pristine tool. The question is whether I have the will to invest the time to give it W-S or would find another pen that inspires me more to do so. And that's where pens like Nakayas come in, IMHO. They make you want to spend time with them and experience them because they are special, so they are more likely to lead to a relationship that results in W-S. It may take a week, or it may take a century, the key is the creation of emotion at the futility and beauty of human desire, artefact and effort.

 

In my experience W-S sneaks up on you. It comes from an everyday thing that you have the opportunity to replace with a newer and a better one and suddenly you think, no, this is the one I want. It's the moment before the grief of loss, suspended.

 

(Sorry to go on- I think the heat in Vancouver is affecting me! :-)

 

R.

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  • 2 weeks later...

My own best candidate is my Platinum black-striped long-short from the '70s. It's something of a frankenpen -- the section snapped in two once when I dropped it, and I had to get a replacement nib/section. Nib creep is routine. The metal is dinged and nicked and scratched here and there, from use in a very wide range of environments -- everything from military exercises to the classroom and the sculpture studio. I use it more often than any other pen -- it sits in a compartment in my wallet (a Levenger International Pocket Briefcase), always on call when needed. it's great. I wouldn't trade it for anything. :)

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  • 1 year later...

Imho I think my oak tanned leather bag, a joy of high quality materials, superb craftsmanship and a good, clean and simple but well thought out design is a good candidate to become an object with a lot of wabi-sabi. Or in plain English, I would say a lot of character or patina.

It was made to be used and if you take care of it, it will last you for decades.

 

Is wabisabi the same as patina?!.

Cacoethes scribendi

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An all wood fountain pen from Hirai Woodworking Plant, Osaka, probably fits the bill of 'Wabi'. As for 'Sabi', I guess it would have to withstand the ravages of time a bit more before achieving that status.

 

http://www.oct.zaq.ne.jp/afara208/

 

I have the striped ebony FP with a gold plated Schmidt nib in F. Since it doesn't have any metal parts except for the nib and internal barrel threads, the pen exudes an air of utter simplicity and humility. It weighs 24g without ink, and is 158mm capped. I love it. The nib writes so well that I don't even find the need to have it upgraded to a 14kt. However, care must be take to avoid the section being stained by ink.

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Phthalo's Yotsubishi is the winner and still champion, I think.

 

Here's an old S.S.S. for consideration:

 

fpn_1309580860__img_1485.jpg

 

It will polish up, but it's just nicer with a bit of tarnish.

Edited by troglokev
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Ok, this is a news flash... I always thought Wabi Sabi was really spicy green sauce! :rolleyes: :roflmho: :P

Gobblecup ~

 

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If absolute age is not a requirement I would think my Parker 75 Cisele fits the bill. It is about 50 years old, still works as it was intended, and has aged quite well, with a few very minor marks and a little tarnish indicating some hard use over time.

Edited to note that it is not a Japanese pen.

Forthat I think my Pilot crosshatch long/short would do.

Edited by Tberry010
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I had a Mitaka 30's era eyedropper that I thought was a bit wabisabi. I think Troglokev had one too he might still have his,

 

On a side note I've just been reading a nice, short biography of Soseki, Tanizaki and Kawabata by Van Gessel. Worth checking out if you're interested.

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I've got two pens that would fit this thread perfectly, if not for both being German. :) A few more if I include my technical pens...but those are also German. I think I need to get a Japanese pen and start using the (bleep) out of it. I'm looking at pens such as I could give myself for my 30th birthday in 6 months, and now I have reason to get serious about a Sailor or other Japanese pen.

 

I'm also reminded of a term I know from cycling but that seems relevant here: beausage. A portmanteau of beauty and usage, it accurately describes the nature of a lot of the physical things I find most lovely in everyday life.

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Hmm, I think German pens can have a lot of Wabi-Sabi as well.

My 1931 golden Pelikan, but also a Lamy 2000 is a very honest pen, simple, clean and purpose made in design and materials but in high quality and it will develop very nicely in use.

 

IMHO what Japanese call Wabi-Sabi, is something called patina overhere in metals and leather.

But beausage is also a nice contraction.

Cacoethes scribendi

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  • 12 years later...

I realize that this is an old thread that I found with the keyword search of Meiji.

 

I've long been attracted to Japanese arts because of values like shibui and wabi-sabi. I sort of wonder why so many fellow Americans like maki-e rather than a "piain" tamenuri ... just like people who prefer Imari ceramics over Bizen-yaki. Of course many Japanese also like things that are pika-pika (shiny) and (to me) ostentatious. (Forgive me if that's your cup of tea, it's great that we can all enjoy our pens...) I especially wonder when Americans call maki-e as urushi since I think they differentiate the two (even though maki-e has an urushi base).

 

On the other hand, I admit to being overwhelmed when I visited Inbe (Bizen/Okayama-ken) and saw streets with shops of Bizen-yaki. Perhaps being engulfed in it was too much for one day. Or was it just because I had a tight budget and was amazed by so many wood-fired pieces and especially old Ko-Bizen-yaki in the local museum.

 

In any case, if I have to find one pen along those lines it would be something like a worn black student pen with a steel clip and cap. That's my thought on the topic at the moment. It's nice to be able to reflect on aesthetics and philosophy of pens... their provenance and how we can enjoy them. I'm now wondering if my ideal wabisabi  pen is the one I won, but later lost (several decades ago when I was in high school). It was my EDC, but which escaped my pocket while biking home. It was a Meisterstück, but I can imagine it decaying somewhere ...

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  • 2 weeks later...

The best explanation of wabisabi I heard from the owner of London Gallery in Ropponggi, specialized on Negoro mono (Red and Black Lacquer).

 

A complex aesthetic concept or ideal of beauty that has manifested itself in the art of tea, in connection with dark colors, old patina, rust, transience, darkness, calm, loss, asymmetry, imperfection. The contemplation of things that possess "wabi" awaken "sabi". The "raku" tea bowl represents "wabi" in a narrower sense with its characteristics.

th-2507646586.jpg

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Since I felt a strong discomfort in explaining wabi-sabi with expensive masterpieces, I thought it was necessary to contribute a different perspective.

 

It is not a crude vessel but an already expensive masterpiece.

The antique dealer's explanation sounds less like Zen wabi-sabi and more like an explanation of the simple materialistic concept of wabi-cha (侘び茶), Hyouge-mono (へうげもの), Suki-sha (数寄者), which has been transformed from the Edo period to the present day.

 

The concept of wabi-sabi originated with Zen seekers who lived a simple life and underwent rigorous ascetic training. Values and aesthetics that rely on a frugal spirituality rather than material things are the essence of wabi-sabi.

 

From that perspective I support @Prof Drew's explanation.

 

 

Description by Wikipedia.

Wabi-cha.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-cha

 

Hyouge-mono. (Anime and manga).

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyouge_Mono

 

Suki-sha. only in Japanese.

 https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/数寄者

 

Edited by Number99
Add original language, explanation from Wikipedia.
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Gru∫e or Salut or Ciao @MartinPauli and こんにちは @Number99.

 

I won't take sides on the debate as I don't want to invalidate anyone's understanding or appreciation. I just wanted to say that I'm always pleased to read the interesting discussion on wabi-sabi. Pottery is a good way of appreciating these values, and it's always fun to observe the very different aesthetics and values in each of the different Japanese pottery towns (ancient kilns as well as those that were made for export). I get the feeling that even many Japanese at least will claim that they don't think about such ideas as wabi-sabi, although you certainly see its impact on everything (even fashion, Jascandi interior design... as well as the obvious expressions of traditional culture, like tea house or temples).

 

Happy searching for all those fun values along the fountain pen path. :)

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For those deeply interested in Japanese Aesthetics I can recommend the book "The Theory of Beauty in the Classical Aesthetics of Japan" by Toshihiko and Toyo Izutsu. Available in English and German

th-3028937174.jpg

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Japanese cursive.  Cool :D  Sosho?

Add lightness and simplicate.

 

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