Bailey Lowrey
ARCH 2123| Fall 2013
In Praise of Shadows Critical Response
December 10, 2013
Professor Amber Ellett
The modern world, particularly the western world, has become a fast-paced, every minute
counts, technologically driven society that is focused on the growth of itself. It is a society that
wants to be enlightened scientifically with knowledge in as short a period of time as possible.
The western world desires for all parts of the human experience to have light shed upon them so
that a totality of their ideas and concepts can be understood. In the essay, In Praise of Shadows,
Jun’ichiro Tanizaki takes this modern ideology and contrasts it with traditional Japanese beliefs
and how this affects views on beauty and aesthetics. Tanizaki’s essay focuses on elements of
daily life in Japan, from architecture, to tableware, to women’s fashion, and uses these examples
to describe a world that has a different visual experience as well as attitude from what is seen in
Western culture.
Tanizaki forms the foundation of his argument on the overarching theme of light and
dark. For Tanizaki, Western culture represents light or enlightenment. Tanizaki writes, “But the
progressive Westerner is determined always to better his lot. From candle to oil lamp, from oil
lamp to gaslight, gaslight to electric light—his quest for a brighter light never ceases, he spares
no pains to eradicate even the minutest shadow“ (31). In contrast, Tanizaki describes Japanese
culture in as embracing its shadows. He writes, “… darkness causes us no discontent, we resign
ourselves to it as inevitable. If light is scare then light is scarce; we will immerse ourselves in the
darkness and there discover its own particular beauty” (31). Tanizaki’s essay purposes itself on
not only showing a difference in the two cultures, but the true motivation is to reveal his
appreciation of the Oriental ideology and its simplistic manner. Tanizaki sees these traditional
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Japanese ideals fading, as modern society continues to grow and hopes to not lose them as time
continues. Tanizaki’s essay is filled with example after example of the Japanese’s use of
shadows and its relationship to beauty and the ideology that is behind them.
Tanizaki believes this connection with the Japanese and shadows began in the creation of
its architecture. Tanizaki states that the lack of brick, concrete, and glass used in Japanese
architecture led to the deep eaves and low roof that became a staple of the typology. These
elements which were a result of lack of materials and a need to repel the rain and wind, led to
little light found within Japanese structures. This dim light was embraced by traditional Japanese
builders and used to create unique spaces with deeper and darker places within them. Tanizaki
writes, “The quality that we call beauty, however, must always grow from the realities of life,
and our ancestors, forced to live in dark rooms, presently came to discover beauty in shadows,
ultimately to guide shadows towards beauty’s end” (18). Tanizaki finds achievement in the
Japanese way of making due with what one is given. There is beauty in finding surrounding
beauty in things that might not necessarily be considered beautiful.
The fashion of Japanese women was based on this same concept of contrasting light and
dark. Tanizaki writes, “Our ancestors cut of the brightness on the land from above and created a
world of shadows, and far in the depths of it they places woman, marking her the whitest of
beings” (33). The shadows of Japanese interiors, the dark color of oriental hair, the blackened
teeth of women all contrasted with the whiteness of a woman’s skin creating a distinctly
beautiful glow. “I know of nothing whiter than the face of a young girl in the wavering shadow
of a lantern, her teeth now and then as she smiles shining a lacquered black through lips like elfin
fires”(33). Tanizaki writes that women of higher class would rarely leave their house and instead
a woman would live and function predominately indoors. The interiors became a part of her
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appearance. She was seen through darkness and candlelight. Her attire was dark, her hair was
dark, even her teeth were made to be dark to create an iridescent skin that would reflect light and
become the one light element on her person. The one element of beauty became the skin of a
woman’s face. The Japanese amplified beauty by making one thing dominant. The darkness is
beautiful but the one light element is able to distinguish itself and stand out. One can appreciate
the light because there is so much dark.
The significance of the essay, In Praise of Shadows, is to address not only the concept of
contrasting traditional Eastern views with modern Western views, but also the ideas of light and
darkness and how they contribute to the experience of a surrounding space. As an architectural
student, this is a concept that is applicable to every design project I will encounter in my time in
school as well as future career in architecture. It seems that in school, light within a structure is
mentioned almost constantly. Design school seems to focus on the most effective ways to get
light into a space, how light reveals the extent of a space, and light being used as a material
within a space. These are very important ideas to consider in design, but one must not forget that
to know and understand light there must be the contrasting dark. Tanizaki’s description of the
Japanese’s appreciation of shadows and lack of light throughout their spaces shows how
effective darkness can be at creating a specific experience within a space just as much as light.
To consider where there should be light within a space, an architect must never forget the places
of darkness and their own appeal for the person encountering the space. In addition to the
importance of balancing light and dark within spaces, In Praise of Shadows shows the Japanese’s
belief in finding beauty in what a person is naturally surrounded. In design, inspiration should be
found all around, in every aspect of life and seeing the natural beauty in things is something I
desire for myself in relation to my architecture career as well as my overall happiness. The
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Japanese’s passion for their surroundings and their ability to take simple ideas and make them
translate through every aspect of the whole is a skill I wish to acquire throughout my lifetime.
In the essay, In Praise of Shadows, Tanizaki holds some hostility towards the modern
world and its future. Tanizaki sees that his appreciation of a more simple and inconspicuous
time, when the obvious was not the only thing that mattered, is dying in modern Japanese
culture. He writes to remember these times but knows there is little hope for the future of
traditional Japanese ideology because he believes it is being overrun by Western technology and
ideals. It seems that like the Japanese ideology where one appreciates the feint light even more
because there is such quantity of darkness, traditional Japanese culture and thinking can be seen
in this modern world and not be overlooked because it is so different and intriguing. It stands out
and shines through, and even though it is subtle, it cannot be missed in the darkness.