An analysis of japanese aesthetic values of the Heian period: Miyabi and Mono No Aware

Abstract

This article is devoted to the analysis of traditional Japanese aesthetic values, based on four elements that, according to Donald Keene, pervade several artistic forms in Japan, namely: suggestion, irregularity, simplicity, and perishability. This present study explores the following aesthetic values, which are closely related to the aforementioned four elements and are instrumental in understanding the essential qualities and ideals of beauty in Japan, particularly during the Heian Period: miyabi, which refers to courtly refinement and elegance and is the prevailing tone of the poems in the Kokinshû collection; and mono no aware, or sensitivity to things, which is one of the main aesthetic values in the book The Tale of Genji.