Evanescence and Form An Introduction to Japanese Culture [Hardcover]

This book explores the Japanese notion of hakanasa - the evanescence of all things. Responses to this idea have been various and even contradictory: asceticism, fatalism, conformism, hedonism, materialism, and careerism. This book examines the ties between an epistemology of constant change and Japan's formal emphasis on etiquette and visuality.All Things Are Changing Defining the Sacred Flux and Identity Leaving the World Hedonism Sacrifice Fatalism Work Wrapping Materialism The Supremacy of Style The Nature of Etiquette Not One Space but Many If There Were a Holy Book Visual Nature A World Where Nothing Is Special

As I Read Charles Shiro Inouye s Evanescence and Form, a study of Japanese culture from its ancient beginnings to the present, I thought again and again how fortunate his students are to be guided by such an extraordinary teacher. He writes as he might address a class or perhaps a group of friends, using skill and wit to transmit in easy to understand language his exceptional knowledge of the culture of Japan and his perceptions of what makes it distinctive. This discussion of the role of evanescence is the religious life and arts of Japan is in every way outstanding. - Donald Keene, Shincho Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature, Columbia University

Charles Inouye s brilliant study of evanescence guides us through Japan s long and complex cultural and social history. His sensitive, often provocative, readings are rendered in a lucid, accessible style. A great book for anyone beginning an exploration of Japan. - Keiko McDonald, Professor of Japanese Literature and Cinema, University of Pittsburgh

Charles Inouye's intensely personal, indeed eloquent, survey of Japanese culture - from animism to anime - illuminates its paradoxical deepest themes. More than an introduction, it reveals what has so often been obscured by stereotypes. - Howard Hibbett, Victor S. Thomas Professor of Japanese Literature Emeritl#µ