侘寂
Wabi-Sabi
Fine Art
Nature Photography

侘寂 Wabi-Sabi Fine Art Nature Photography侘寂 Wabi-Sabi Fine Art Nature Photography侘寂 Wabi-Sabi Fine Art Nature Photography
  • Concept
  • Portfolio
  • The Photographer
  • Print Inquiries
  • Contact
    • Concept
    • Portfolio
    • The Photographer
    • Print Inquiries
    • Contact

侘寂
Wabi-Sabi
Fine Art
Nature Photography

侘寂 Wabi-Sabi Fine Art Nature Photography侘寂 Wabi-Sabi Fine Art Nature Photography侘寂 Wabi-Sabi Fine Art Nature Photography
  • Concept
  • Portfolio
  • The Photographer
  • Print Inquiries
  • Contact

The Portfolio

The Portfolio is arranged according to the four seasons:  Spring (Haru - 春), Summer (Natsu - 夏), Autumn (Aki - 秋) and Winter (Fuyu - 冬). Each Season includes an explanation of how Wabi-Sabi (侘寂) applies to the season, as well as subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles and seasonal phenomena that occur. 

Winter (Fuyu - 冬)

Wabi-Sabi (侘寂) in Winter

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Winter is the end of the seasonal cycle in the northern hemisphere. This season is associated with death and inactivity. 


Wabi (侘) is expressed in the clarity and simplicity that follow from the harsh conditions of survival that nature imposes in this season.  

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Hie (冷え) - chill beauty. 


Shibui (渋い) - aesthetic of simple, subtle, and unobtrusive beauty.


Yohaku no bi (余白の美) - the beauty of paucity, an aesthetic appreciating the unexpressed portions of a scene. Natural scenes in winter often contain blankness.  

Examples of Seasonal Phenomena Winter

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Examples of Seasonal Phenomena Winter

Kazahana (風花) - Snowflakes (literally "wind-flowers"). 


Mizore (霙) - Sleet. 


Shimo (霜) - Frost. 


Koori (氷) - Ice, frozen water. 


Ochiba (落葉) - fallen leaves. 


Sayuru (冴ゆる) - clear and cold Weather. 


Moya (靄) - Mist/fog. 

Spring (Haru - 春)

Wabi-Sabi (侘寂) in Spring

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Spring is the beginning of the seasonal cycle in the northern hemisphere. This season is associated with birth and growth.


Sabi (寂) is expressed in the delicate, slow materialization (coming-to-life) of flora and fauna in nature. 

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Aware (哀れ) - an emotion felt in response to beauty, especially one of a subtle, ephemeral nature. 


Seijakusei (脆弱性) - Fragility. Especially apparent in the delicate quality of flora in Spring. 

Examples of Seasonal Phenomena Spring

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Examples of Seasonal Phenomena Spring

Shunkō (春光) - Spring sunlight. 


Wakamidori (若緑) - young green plants, fresh green. 


Harusame (春雨) - Spring Rain.


Kageroo (陽炎) - Heat Shimmer. The warm sun of spring heating up cold surfaces, producing a shimmering air. 


 Sakura (桜) - Cherry Blossoms.  

Summer (Natsu - 夏)

Wabi-Sabi (侘寂) in Summer

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Summer is the climax of the seasonal cycle in the northern hemisphere. This season is associated with bloom and abundance. 


Wabi (侘) is expressed in the way Summer facilitates the amnesiac feeling of being in the present moment. 

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Yūgen (幽玄) - subtly profound grace. Describes a beauty in "mystery and depth". In literal translation Yū means "dimness, shadow-filled" and gen means "darkness" - but the meaning transcends the literal translation to encapsulate a beauty that has a hidden, inscrutable element. 

Examples of Seasonal Phenomena Summer

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Examples of Seasonal Phenomena Summer

Hizakari (日盛り) - Heat at Zenith. The heat of a summer day when the sun is at the highest point.  


Samidare (五月雨) - Summer Rain. 


Shigeru (茂) - luxuriance of foliage in Summer. 


Yuuyake (夕焼け) - literally "burnt evening". The Afterglow of sunlight on summer evenings. 


Katakage (片陰) - literally "One-Sided Shadow", a spot with shade from the sun 

Hizakari (日盛り) - Heat at Zenith. The heat of a summer day when the sun is at the highest point.  


Samidare (五月雨) - Summer Rain. 


Shigeru (茂) - luxuriance of foliage in Summer. 


Yuuyake (夕焼け) - literally "burnt evening". The Afterglow of sunlight on summer evenings. 


Katakage (片陰) - literally "One-Sided Shadow", a spot with shade from the sun in summer.  


Hideri (旱) - Drought. A period of prolonged dryness. 


Natsu-Kusa (夏草) - Summer grass. Grasses that grow in warm summer season and lack the winter hardiness of cool-season grasses. 

Autumn (Aki - 秋)

Wabi-Sabi (侘寂) in Autumn

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Autumn in the northern hemisphere is the season of transition, the "descent", from the climax (Summer) to the end (Winter). This season is associated with maturity and incipient decline. 


Sabi (寂) is expressed in the subsiding, declining and dematerializing of flora and fauna in nature.  

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Mujō (無常) - A Japanese word originating in Buddhism, Mujō (無常) means impermanence, transience or mutability.


Kanso (簡素) - Simplicity. The paring back of the rhythms of nature (cooler days and nights, shorter daylight, vegetation passing from bloom etc.) leads to a reduction of stimuli. 


Koko (考古) - Weathered Appearance. Altered in color, texture, composition, or form by exposure to the weather.

Examples of Seasonal Phenomena Autumn

Subsidiary Japanese aesthetic principles

Examples of Seasonal Phenomena Autumn

Shuuki (秋気) - Autumn Air. Gentle, crisp, calm. 


Momiji (紅葉) - colored autumn leaves, especially red and yellow. 


Uragare (末枯れ) - the withered twigs and branches of plants and trees in late autumn. 

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Last updated: 16th January 2021