Wrapped in the light of the birch trees, the ideal forest known as the Shirakaba school

Wrapped in the light of birch trees - the ideal forest of the Shirakaba school

Introduction

There is literature that gently touches the heart, just as the autumn wind rustles birch leaves.

This is the Shirakaba School, a forest of words woven by young writers who believed in ideals and humanity from the end of the Meiji period through the Taisho period.

What is Shirakaba-ha?

A literary movement that spread in 1910, centered around the magazine Shirakaba, which was founded by young people who graduated from Gakushuin.

They opposed the dark and harsh nature of naturalistic literature and believed that "human beings are beautiful and capable of growth."

• Main characters: Mushanokoji Saneatsu, Shiga Naoya, Arishima Takeo, etc.

• Keywords: idealism, individualism, humanism, love of art

Their writing is as straight as a birch trunk and has a transparency that allows light to shine through.

Masterpieces and their aftertaste

Author name Representative work A word of lingering impression

Mushanokoji Saneatsu "friendship" The light of youth where ideals and friendship intersect

Naoya Shiga "At Kinosaki" A quiet moment to contemplate life and death

Takeo Arishima "The troubles that arise" A soulful cry depicting the dignity of art and labor

Their works have the delicate emotional fluctuations of seasonal words, and like the names of colors, leave a lingering impression on the reader.

Art and the Shirakaba School

The Shirakaba group had a deep interest not only in literature but also in art.

He actively introduced Western artists such as Rodin, Cezanne, and Van Gogh, and believed that "beauty has the power to elevate people."

Yanagi Soetsu later started the Mingei movement, shedding light on "nameless beauty."

This philosophy is also in line with the aesthetic sense of "tools" and "letters" that Tetsuya explores.

Shirakaba-ha and seasonal words

Shirakaba-ha literature depicts the "intersection of time and emotion" like a seasonal word.

For example, Shiga Naoya's "At Kinosaki" is filled with seasonal auras such as "crabs," "hot springs," and "the stillness of autumn," gently enveloping the reader's heart.

Conclusion: If you're walking through a birch forest now

The words of the Shirakaba group still give us the courage to believe in our ideals.

It is a gaze that affirms humanity, which is also reflected in the world of poetry and color that WABISUKE depicts.