In Praise of Shadows

Aesthetics refers to a philosophical tradition of studying the nature of taste and beauty, and it is often highly connected with the study and critique of visual art. Aesthetics, thus, engages the qualities that different cultural forms possess to achieve the status of art and/or beauty. This also includes thinking about how and why artists make the work that they do. In addition, aesthetics involves an analysis of how viewers of art engage with and enjoy these cultural forms. In this essay, Tanizaki focuses on the elements that shape Japanese people’s sense of beauty and the threat Westernization poses to this sensibility.

Kabuki is a form of classical Japanese theater that emerged in the early 17th century, about 300 years after Noh theater. It is highly stylized and often includes actors in incredibly bright costumes and heavy white makeup. Though women originally participated in Kabuki performances, they were quickly banned, making this an all-male theater form. Tanizaki feels that a sense of reality and connection to Japan’s past is lost due to the visible masculine qualities of the actors who play women in Kabuki theater. The use of electric lights further highlights the male actors’ gender.