THE ART OF THE NATION
“All that is superfluous is displeasing to God and Nature;
all that is displeasing to God and Nature is bad.”
Dante, “De Monarchia,” bk. i. chap. xiv.
About This Book
A collection of travel sketches and essays portraying Japan's sacred sites, rituals, artistic crafts, seasonal landscapes, and domestic customs. The author moves among Buddhist and Shinto shrines, mausoleums, and village altars, describing temple architecture, ceremonies, and the atmosphere of pilgrimage; travels around a famous volcanic peak and coastal bays; and observes crafts such as cloisonné and flower arranging. Interwoven are portraits of festivals, theatrical performance, and private moments that reveal popular beliefs, everyday piety, and aesthetic sensibilities, with lyrical scene-setting and reflective passages about continuity, impermanence, and the visual arts.