Soetsu Yanagi (author)

Hello everyone, this is Shoji Shimura from Atelier Shimura. This time, I would like to talk about Soetsu Yanagi's "The Law of Beauty." This will be a three-part series.

Yanagi Muneyoshi (author) "The Law of Beauty"
publisher: Iwanami Shoten (1995)

【table of contents】
"The Law of Beauty"
"A Wish for No Good or Ugly"
"A Pure Land of Beauty"
"Law and Beauty" and two other stories

"The Law of Beauty" has been published by Iwanami Bunko as "New Edition: The Law of Beauty," but it may be out of stock at present. Another book published by Chikuma Gakugei Bunko, "The Yanagi Muneyoshi Collection 3: Kokoro" (supervised by the Japan Folk Crafts Museum), also contains essays with almost the same content as the Iwanami Bunko edition. This one should be relatively easy to obtain.

The Iwanami Bunko edition (new edition) comes with an excellent commentary by the editor, Hiroshi Mizuo. If you would like to read Mizuo's commentary, I recommend looking for the Iwanami Bunko edition.

 

Yanagi Muneyoshi: From Mingei Theory to Buddhist Aesthetics

"The Law of Beauty" is a book that occupies an important position in the development of Yanagi Muneyoshi's thought. His "early" period of activity saw him launch the Mingei movement, discover various Japanese folk art objects, and give them words. His "late" period of thought can be seen as an attempt to further support the folk art theory he had built up up to that point from a religious dimension, a foundation of faith.

Yanagi originally began his research into religious philosophy, and he likely always had a desire to integrate religious issues with the idea of beauty. This led him to focus on Buddhist Pure Land thought (especially the idea of relying on others) in his later years after the war. The unique aesthetic theory he developed in this way is also known as "late Buddhist aesthetics," and the central book that served as its starting point was "The Dharma Gate of Beauty."

What is the "tetralogy" of Buddhist aesthetics?

Today, I will give an overview of Yanagi's Buddhist aesthetics. Yanagi Soetsu's Buddhist aesthetics is generally summarized in the following four major essays, known as the "tetralogy."

The Law of Beauty (1949)
"The Wish for No Good or Ugly" (1957)
"The Pure Land of Beauty" (1960)
Law and Beauty (1961)

Although there is much overlap in the content, it is clear that his thoughts were gradually deepening. Yanagi Muneyoshi passed away in 1961, so "Law and Beauty" is literally one of his final essays.

1. The Gate of Beauty: Birth through Revelation

Let's start with the first of the four-part series, "The Dharma Gate of Beauty," which has a dramatic story behind its creation. In the summer of 1948, while Yanagi was staying at Johana Betsuin, a Jodo Shinshu temple in Toyama Prefecture, he was rereading the "Amitabha Sutra" when he received something like a revelation at the section on the "Fourth Vow." From there, he is said to have written the treatise "The Dharma Gate of Beauty" in one go. (We'll talk more about this Fourth Vow later.)

In any case, it can be said that the ideas that had been building up inside Yanagi blossomed all at once when he reunited with the "Amitabha Sutra." What Yanagi developed here was the idea that the basis of traditional folk art theory was found in Buddhist scriptures, and that the beauty created by ordinary people was in fact originally achieved through the "compassion" of the Buddha.

The Buddha's "compassion" here does not simply refer to loving-kindness or compassion. Rather, it refers to the Buddha's "active will" to save all living beings. The basic premise is that the Buddha has a universal will to save all living beings, and that this will has already been fulfilled.

From this point on, Yanagi goes on to explain the important idea of "beauty and faith are the same," that is, that the theory of beauty and faith (religious truth) are the same.

The word "homon" in "The Dharma Gate of Beauty" originally meant "the entrance (gate) to the Buddhist teachings (dharma)." In other words, "The Dharma Gate of Beauty" means "the Buddhist teachings about beauty," making it a truly fitting title for the book's contents.

The commemorative lecture for the publication of "The Dharma of Beauty" was held in Kyoto. As soon as the presentation finished, the printmaker Munakata Shiko, then 45 years old, ran up to Yanagi and cried tears of joy, so great was the impact this essay had on members of the Mingei movement at the time. This marked the memorable start of Yanagi's Buddhist aesthetics.

 

2. "A Wish for No Good or Ugly" - "Unique Beauty" that Transcends Beauty and Ugliness

Following "The Dharma Gate of Beauty," "The Vow to Abstain from Good and Ugly" was published in 1957. This work delves deeper into the content of the fourth vow in the "Amitabha Sutra" mentioned earlier, namely, "The Vow to Abstain from Good and Ugly."

Based on this wish, Yanagi reexamines the concept of beauty. He explains that beauty is originally a state in which beauty and ugliness are inseparable, that is, a fundamental state before the dualistic opposition between beauty and ugliness arises. Beauty in this world, he argues, is a reflection of that fundamental state.

Yanagi also calls this state, where beauty and ugliness have not yet been separated, "Funi no Bi (beauty of the unified)." As the word "funi" (not two) suggests, it refers to a state before beauty and ugliness are separated, or absolute beauty that transcends such dualism. Incidentally, Shimura Fukumi has a work called "Funi," a title that is premised on Yanagi's Buddhist aesthetics.

In this way, the idea that true beauty lies in a state that transcends beauty and ugliness points to a certain "origin of beauty." Beauty is not something special that can be created by a particular talented person; anyone can experience beauty if we return to our true, natural state (relying on others). This leads to the logic of folk art, which holds that nameless people can create beauty. "A Vow to Eliminate Good and Ugliness" deepens this argument based on the sutras.

3. "The Pure Land of Beauty" - A world where all existence is affirmed

Next is "The Pure Land of Beauty," published in 1960. This is a discussion of what a Pure Land of Beauty would be like and what the relationship between this world and the Pure Land should be.

In this essay, Yanagi describes the "Pure Land of Beauty" as a world transcending all discrimination, distinction, and conflict. It is "the way things are" (shinnyo), a state in which all existence is ultimately affirmed. A world in which individual differences and individuality are affirmed as they are and recognized as inherently beautiful. Yanagi also describes this as a "world of complex beauty," and a world in which various forms of beauty can coexist without conflict is precisely what the "Pure Land of Beauty" is.

Yanagi believes that the concrete manifestation of this is the folk art objects that were born through the power of others. The important point about Yanagi's argument is that it is not merely idealism, but is actually put into practice in the form of the "Mingei Movement," and that he attempts to connect the "Pure Land of Beauty" with concrete aspects of daily life. The fact that idea and practice are not separate is extremely important.

4. "Law and Beauty" - The Inseparability of Beauty and Religious Truth

The final part of the tetralogy, "Law and Beauty," published in 1961, quotes passages from various Buddhist scriptures and uses them as a starting point for considering the essence of beauty. Here, the inseparable relationship between "Law" and "Beauty" in Buddhism, that is, the inseparability of beauty and religious truth (faith) ("Beauty and faith are one and the same"), is specifically discussed, again citing Buddhist scriptures.

Now, let's change perspective and consider the background and impetus for the birth of Yanagi's Buddhist aesthetics. Yanagi's Buddhist aesthetics was not simply a personal declaration of faith. Rather, it can be considered a manifesto, a spiritual statement, that confronted the "modern" era in which Yanagi lived.

Modernization has led to the loss of spiritual values and handicrafts, and in exchange for convenience and the development of capitalism, we are losing what is fundamentally important to human beings. In such an era, how can we achieve spiritual transformation? What is the method for regaining what has been lost? Buddhist aesthetics is one response to such compelling questions.

There are four main aspects to the background.

① The unity of other power and beauty and faith: A warning against the modern ego

The first is the perspective of "other power" and "beauty and faith in oneness." After the Meiji era, Japan encountered the West and established a "modern self." This encounter with modern thought gave rise to the independent "individual," detached from community and religion.

The modern ego has brought about "freedom" from medieval ties and religious constraints. However, the flip side of this is that the ego has become too central, causing us to forget the greater existence that supports us. Yanagi sounded a strong warning about this point.

Originally, Japan's spiritual climate was home to the concept of "other power," which is central to Pure Land Buddhism. This is the idea that, through Amida Buddha's absolute compassion and the power of his original vow (the power of the fundamental wish to save all living beings), we are "already saved" if we simply take refuge in Amida Buddha. This idea has been neglected in the process of modernization, but Yanagi believes that since it is originally part of the Japanese culture, we should return to it.

Yanagi's keen insight lies in his realization that this "other power," the power of Amida Buddha, actually resides in folk art objects, and that this is evidence of the "beauty of other power." Yanagi extended this idea of other power to the world of beauty. The beauty of crafts made by anonymous artisans is achieved not by the maker's intentionality (self-power), but rather by the power of other power. This is why he believed that we are already saved in the act of making things, and that the possibility of universal salvation for humanity lies here.

In this way, "other power," which is something that is only found in the world of faith, also works in the world of beauty. With "other power" as the nodal point, religious thought (faith) and the thought of beauty are inseparably linked. This is the state of "beauty and faith as one." As Yanagi said, "Even a single vessel is a Bible without words," religious truth resides in even a single vessel.

② The deepening of Nembutsu thought and the reevaluation of Japanese Buddhism

 Secondly, there was the "deepening of the idea of Nembutsu" and the "reevaluation of Japanese Buddhism." Yanagi, who elaborated on this in particular in his book "Namu Amida Butsu," saw Japanese Pure Land thought as a continuation of Honen, Shinran, and Ippen. Yanagi saw them as embodying a single, holistic Pure Land thought (the path of other power), and believed that Japanese Nembutsu thought was complete with these three figures.

Yanagi's achievement lies in not simply explaining Buddhist thought, but in using beauty to demonstrate that this "other power" exists within traditional Japanese thought and is an essential idea for regaining what we have lost in the midst of modernization.

3. Establishment of Eastern aesthetics

The third is the "establishment of Eastern aesthetics." Japanese aesthetics and art since the Meiji period have been based on extremely Western-centered values. When Okakura Tenshin and others founded the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (now Tokyo University of the Arts), there was a trend to view Japanese art through Western standards.

In opposition to this trend, Yanagi argued that there must be a uniquely Eastern aesthetic, a uniquely Japanese beauty. He stressed the need to establish an aesthetic that is rooted in Japan's spiritual climate, rather than simply imitating Western art theory. This is Buddhist aesthetics, and he believed that the aforementioned idea of "other power" was at the heart of Japanese beauty. Conversely, he saw Western beauty as being based on the idea of "self-power," which emphasizes individual talent and awareness.

4. From the Mingei Movement to the "Religion of Beauty"

The fourth is the development of "From the Mingei Movement to a Religion of Beauty." The Mingei Movement was not simply a movement that discovered beauty in the various everyday utensils and household items. Rather, it can be seen as a movement of "spiritual awakening," or in other words, a "spiritual movement." As handicrafts and the spirituality inherent in them were lost with the Industrial Revolution and the advance of capitalism, the theme of the Mingei Movement was how to restore invisible spirituality and "Pure Land" to everyday life.

If we consider the Mingei movement as a spiritual awakening movement, it requires more than just aesthetic theory; it also needs a religious foundation to support it. This is where Buddhist aesthetics came into play. Yanagi focused on the "religious power of beauty" and tried to communicate this to people in an easy-to-understand way by calling it the "religion of beauty."

In summary, the background to the emergence of Buddhist aesthetics was rooted in a sense of crisis over modernization and had four aspects: 1) the idea of other power and the unity of faith in beauty, 2) a reevaluation of the idea of nembutsu (Namu Amida Butsu), 3) the establishment of an Eastern aesthetic to counter Western aesthetics, and 4) a religion of beauty as a movement for spiritual awakening.

Towards the heart of "The Law of Beauty" - A resolution before turning 60

Now, let's get into the specifics of "The Law of Beauty." At the end of the essay (afterword), Yanagi writes about how he came up with the idea for this essay and his state of mind.

The year 1949, when the work was published, was the year Yanagi turned 60. The year before his 60th birthday gave him the opportunity to systematize his own theory of aesthetics. Yanagi wrote the following:

"Soon my age will reach one yen and I will have returned to my original age. I would like to take this opportunity to bring my long-held theory of beauty into order. When I think about it, this could be seen as the conclusion of my thoughts up to that point, but rather it is my wish to use this as a new beginning and move forward."

As he approaches 60, Yanagi's work expresses his sincere determination to bring a conclusion to his existing theories and to use this as a "new starting point."

Yanagi's goal was to give folk art aesthetics a solid religious foundation, in other words, to establish Buddhist aesthetics. He hoped that if we could achieve spiritual awakening through Buddhist aesthetics, a "kingdom of beauty (Pure Land)" would be realized in this world.

For Yanagi, the pursuit of beauty was inseparably linked to the fundamental pursuit of human existence. As his fundamental philosophy, "Beauty and Faith are One," indicates, the beauty of crafts is directly connected to the pursuit of human ways of life. Through beauty, Yanagi hoped, we could come face to face with "truth" (religious truth), establish our own way of life, and attain a kind of enlightenment, a spiritual awakening.

When it comes to reaching religious truth through folk crafts, there are two aspects to it: "those who create the objects (makers)" and "those who use them in everyday life (users)." For creators, it is a matter of "other power," meaning that it is important to create things without relying on one's own power, relying on others, and freeing oneself from egocentric attachments. Meanwhile, users are also challenged by whether they can sense the spirituality that resides within folk crafts through their interactions with them. According to Yanagi, we users too can be awakened to religious truth through folk crafts.

The core of folk art aesthetics and the "18th Vow"

In particular, Yanagi states that the core of folk art aesthetics is based on Pure Land thought, which has occupied a large part of Japan's spiritual climate, and the "great vow of Amida Buddha" within that thought.

Yanagi says:

"If the aesthetic theory of folk art is to take shape as a sect, surely it must have an equally supreme authority? As everyone knows, the path of Nembutsu, which was established as a popular religion, bases all of its faith and teachings on the great vows of Amida Buddha, and in particular on his 18th vow, the 'Vow to be reborn in the Pure Land through Nembutsu.'"

Yanagi is referring to the "Eighteenth Vow (the Vow to Reach the Pure Land through Nembutsu)." This is the idea that any person can attain rebirth in the Pure Land (attain Buddhahood) through the absolute power of Amida Buddha, as long as they chant the six characters "Namu Amida Butsu" and have faith in Amida Buddha (ordinary people attain Buddhahood).

(By the way, "Namu Amida Butsu" is a combination of "Namu (Namaste) = I take refuge" and "Amitabha Buddha (Amitayus = one who possesses immeasurable light and lifespan)," meaning "I take refuge in an infinite being.")

This idea that "anyone can attain enlightenment through the power of others" has something in common with the folk art idea that "anyone can create beauty through the power of others."

In this way, Yanagi applied the "logic of salvation for all people" he received from Pure Land Buddhism to the world of beauty. Here, the religious truth that we are saved by the power of Amida Buddha's Other Power coincides with the folk art aesthetic that says that anyone can experience beauty if they create things according to the correct path (= Other Power).

A Moment of Revelation — Encountering the Fourth Vow, "The Vow of No Good or Bad"

Yanagi himself has written about the moment he received his revelation at Johana Betsuin Temple, that is, the moment he encountered the "Fourth Vow (the Vow of No Good or Bad)" in the "Amitabha Sutra." It is likely that it was not the first time he had read it, but the words resonated with him powerfully at the time.

"In the summer of this year (1948), I happened to be reading the Great Sutra of Immeasurable Life, and as I was rereading the main text of its cherished vow, a thought suddenly struck me when I came across the Fourth Vow. Something seemed to come to my mind, and a sense of relief flowed through my mind, as if the ice had melted. It was upon this single vow that the Dharma of beauty could be built. I suddenly came to this realization. I unconsciously developed my thoughts based on this verse, which I call the 'Vow that there is no good or bad.' I have always been a slow writer, so it was a rare experience for me to finish writing an entire sentence in just one day. Of course, it is a short piece, merely summarizing the main points, but I feel that my thoughts, which have gone through many twists and turns over the years, have finally reached a new stage. As I said earlier, I wish to use this as a new beginning to proclaim the Dharma of beauty. The ideas I have embodied are as stated in the main text, but in short, I aspire to seek the foundation of the theory of aesthetic folk art in the great compassion of the Buddha." "The Dharma of Beauty Postscript”

It is very clear that the thoughts that had been building up inside Yanagi up until that point erupted all at once when he encountered the fourth vow of the Sutra of Immeasurable Life - a world of absolute equality where there is no distinction between beauty and ugliness. And he wrote "The Dharma Gate of Beauty" in one night.

Therefore, this treatise, "The Dharma of Beauty," is not merely an academic paper. Rather, it can be said to be a book that embodies Yanagi's soul, written in one go based on the religious experience he had at Johana Betsuin Temple.

That's all for now. Thank you for watching.

Part 2 is here

 

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