7.4 /10 1 Votes
Original title Iki no kōzō Subject Iki Published 1930 | 3.7/5 Goodreads Translator John Clark ISBN 978-0909952303 Genre Non-fiction Country Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Media type Print (Hardcover and Paperback) Pages 168 (2011 Power Publications edition) Page count 168 (2011 Power Publications edition) Similar On the way to language, Kuki Shūzō, The Book of Tea | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Structure of Iki (「いき」の構造, Iki no kōzō) is a 1930 book about the aesthetics of Japanese taste by Shūzō Kuki.
Contents
Summary
Kuki argues that the Edo ideal of iki or "chic" has a threefold structure representing the fusion of the "amorousness" (bitai) of the Geisha, the "valor" (ikuji) of the samurai, and the "resignation" (akirame) of the Buddhist priest.
Scholarly reception
The work for which Kuki is best known, The Structure of Iki is often regarded as the most creative work in modern Japanese aesthetics. Graham Parkes has praised the work for its subtlety.
References
The Structure of Iki Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA