#175 Less-is-more approach…
| Size： | about 13×18 cm |
|---|---|
| Dressing： | framed |
What kind of words?
| verse: | Hi sure ba hana nari, Hi sezu ba hana naki nari, to nari |
|---|---|
| (imho): | If it is hidden, it is the Flower. If it is not hidden, it is not the Flower. |
| poet: | Zeami |
| in: | early 15 century |
brief comment
When I first read this phrase, I thought it meant, “It’s more beautiful to keep things a secret than to keep everything in the open”. They say that the characteristic Japanese elegant modest is a virtue, and without it there is no elegance.
However, what Zeami wanted to say was different. It is that “keeping something a secret has value in itself”. i.e., what you are hiding is not so valuable if you reveal it, but it is by not letting others know that you are hiding it that it becomes most effective.
For example, when a magician performs an incredible trick without notice, the audience is more surprised and more moved.
This is symbolized by the value of beauty called “Yugen”. Yugen is deep, noble, and graceful.
This aesthetic sense is also common in Japanese calligraphy. In calligraphy, we value the “margins”, the spaces where ink cannot be applied, as much as we value the “lines” on which ink is applied. Text and pictures appear in the margins, and the blank areas emphasize the depth of the work.