Poetry blooming in the floating world: The aesthetics of the common people known as Genroku culture
Poetry blooming in the floating world: The aesthetics of the common people known as Genroku culture
Not in front of a gold and silver screen, but in the hustle and bustle of the town.
Not in the silence of a tea room, but in the cheers of a theater.
Genroku culture was an era of "living beauty" woven by the common people with their own hands.
Genroku Culture: A Period in Which Townspeople Became the Main Players
Genroku culture (1688-1704) was born under the reign of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, and was a blossoming of popular culture brought about by peace and economic stability.
• Centers: Kyoto and Osaka (Kamigata), spreading to Edo. • Carriers: Not samurai, but merchants, craftsmen, and commoners. • Characteristics: Perspective on the present world, fusion of entertainment and poetry, development of printing culture.
During this time, people sought beauty in living in the present moment, not in the afterlife.
This is exactly what resonates with the "poetry of everyday life" that WABISUKE depicts.
Literature and Language: Between Laughter and Sadness
• Ihara Saikaku: A master of ukiyo-zoshi (picture books) that portrayed the desires and joys of townspeople, such as in "Amorous Life Man" and "Nihon Eitaigura." • Matsuo Basho: In "Oku no Hosomichi," he sublimated travel, nature, and the transience of life into haiku. • Chikamatsu Monzaemon: A playwright of Bunraku puppet theater that portrayed the love and death of common people, such as in "Sonezaki Shinju."
Their works portray loneliness amid laughter, sadness amid splendor.
This is also in line with the "philosophy behind cuteness" that WABISUKE weaves.
Paintings and Stage: Moving Beauty, Speaking Beauty
• Hishikawa Moronobu: Artist who established the foundations of ukiyo-e with works such as "The Beauty Who Looks Back" • Ichikawa Danjuro: Founder of aragoto (aragoto) and established the dynamic and stylized beauty of kabuki • Ningyo Joruri: A drama of the common people woven together by shamisen and narrators, and exquisite puppets
These arts are a comprehensive art form that combines movement, sound, color and words.
Genroku aesthetics: the power to affirm the present world
At the root of Genroku culture is the idea of "Ukiyo."
It is a gaze that affirms this fleeting yet beautiful world as it is.
• Sadness, laughter, and desire are all part of beauty. • An era in which life itself becomes art.
This idea resonates deeply with WABISUKE's depictions of "poetry in the everyday" and "philosophy behind cuteness."
Genroku Culture and WABISUKE: Between Play and Poetry
Genroku culture was a time when common people depicted the world in their own words and with their own sensibilities.
This is also the prototype for WABISUKE's goal of creating a world where anyone can create beauty.
• Playfulness and philosophy • Cuteness and sadness • A look at the present world and a legacy for the future
The beauty of this era is a poetic everyday life that makes you laugh and cry at the same time.
And it is a story with room for improvement that will quietly remain in someone's heart.