In Praise of Shadows
Layered
Contemplative
Comforting

In Praise of Shadows

A fully illustrated, beautifully produced edition of Junichiro Tanizaki's wise and evocative essay on Japanese culture. ‘We find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates... Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty.’ This book is in fact a portal. Reading it, you will be led by Junichiro Tanizaki’s light touch into a mysterious and tranquil world of darkness and shadows, where gold flashes in the gloom and a deep stillness reigns. If you are accustomed to equate light with clarity, the faded with the worthless and the dim with the dreary, prepare for a courteous but powerful realignment of your ideas. In Praise of Shadows is a poetic paean to traditional Japanese aesthetics – in a free-ranging style that moves from architecture to No theatre, and from cookery to lighting, Tanizaki teaches us to see the beauty in tarnished metal, the sombre dignity in unglazed pottery, the primacy of organic materials that bear witness to the regular touch of human hands. It is also astonishingly prescient, offering a gentle warning against the quest for airbrushed perfection, and reminding us that too much light can pollute and obscure our natural world. In this special edition, the text is accompanied by specially selected images to complement Tanizaki’s reflections and further illustrate the pattern and beauty of shadows.
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Reviews

Photo of kuuri
kuuri@kuuri
3.5 stars
Sep 28, 2024
Layered
Eloquent
Remarkable
Fascinating
Contemplative
Photo of Kevin Wammer
Kevin Wammer@cliophate
4 stars
Jul 18, 2024
Photo of Anton
Anton@tonyv
4 stars
Feb 12, 2024
Photo of Jeremy Wang
Jeremy Wang@stratified_jeremy
5 stars
May 15, 2023
Photo of charisa
charisa@charisa
4 stars
May 15, 2023
Photo of Eduardo Sanchez
Eduardo Sanchez@esmp
3 stars
Jan 24, 2023
Photo of Adrian Mato
Adrian Mato@adrianmg
4 stars
Dec 30, 2022
Photo of baelgia
baelgia@baelgia
3 stars
Mar 12, 2022
Photo of Alexandria Wilkie
Alexandria Wilkie@sandrylene
2 stars
Jan 5, 2022
Photo of Raya
Raya @raya
4 stars
Aug 27, 2021
Photo of Hugo Ahlberg
Hugo Ahlberg@hugo
5 stars
Aug 17, 2021
Photo of Alberto
Alberto@a55555
4 stars
Sep 16, 2024
Delightful
Insightful
Meaningful
Photo of Bastien Vaucher
Bastien Vaucher@bastien
4 stars
Jul 25, 2024
Photo of Jiji
Jiji@notparanoid
3.5 stars
Jul 14, 2024
Photo of jess
jess@visceralreverie
3 stars
Jan 7, 2024
Photo of Lena
Lena@heliois
3 stars
Jan 6, 2024
Photo of AnjB
AnjB@aster
4.5 stars
Jun 23, 2023
Timeless
Comforting
Refreshing
Photo of Jason Long
Jason Long@jasonlong
3 stars
Dec 8, 2022
Photo of Antonia Folch
Antonia Folch@sneakydragon
4 stars
Nov 6, 2022
Cerebral
Contemplative
Photo of Matilde Oliveira
Matilde Oliveira@leetilde
4 stars
Sep 18, 2022
Photo of Anh Nguyen
Anh Nguyen@anhs
2 stars
May 1, 2024
Photo of ephe
ephe@etlahaine
3 stars
Apr 13, 2024
Photo of 𓆨
𓆨@viridiantre
3 stars
Mar 14, 2024
Photo of drill
drill@drillbit
3 stars
Feb 6, 2024

Highlights

Photo of Bastien Vaucher
Bastien Vaucher@bastien
Page 97
Photo of Bastien Vaucher
Bastien Vaucher@bastien
Page 36
Photo of Bastien Vaucher
Bastien Vaucher@bastien
Page 36
Photo of Bastien Vaucher
Bastien Vaucher@bastien
Page 17
Photo of Jason Parkyn
Jason Parkyn@jp
Photo of Jason Parkyn
Jason Parkyn@jp