SHUNDO AOYAMA 75
evoked an ineffable impression of artlessness. I forgot about bringing
out refreshments and began to talk.
In the words of Murata Juko (1422–1502), known as the founder
of the tea ceremony, “When the line wavers and characters are omit-
ted and sufficient empty white space surrounds the work, the effect
is superior. When there are no missing characters and the lines run
straight, then what results is truly inferior.”
What a paradox! Ordinarily, people who practice calligraphy go
to great pains to achieve perfect alignment and would consider miss-
ing characters inexcusable. At any rate, there is another viewpoint
that regards unaligned and missing characters as interesting and per-
fection as dull. What could be the source of such thinking?
Juko also said, “A moon without clouds is disappointing.” Liv-
ing 150 years earlier than Juko was Yoshida Kenko (1284–1350),
author of Essays in Idleness (in Japanese, Tsurezuregusa), in which
he wrote, “I was impressed to hear the abbot Koyu say, ‘Trying to
have everything in perfect order is the way of inferior persons. It is
better to have some disorder. When everything is carefully regulated,
it’s boring.’” He also wrote, “Are cherry blossoms to be seen only in
full bloom? Is the moon to be seen only without clouds?”
In Japan, when we talk about cherry-blossom viewing, cherry
blossoms must be in full bloom; if we talk about moon-viewing, it is
understood that the moon has to be full. But it is possible to enjoy
buds before they open, or to enjoy the scene of the petals floating
to the ground in the wind or, even more so, to savor the bare trees
in winter, bereft of leaves. Rather than a bright moon in a cloud-
less, clear night sky, what about a moon adorned with clouds? How
about the enjoyment of a crescent moon rather than a full moon, or
anticipation of a moon not yet risen, or the charming thought of a
moon that has just set? All things are in a state of constant flux. Our
attitude toward viewing cherry blossoms or the moon reflects the
enjoyment and savoring of all the vicissitudes of life just as they are.
This discussion does not refer only to the aesthetic world of
the moon, cherry blossoms, calligraphy, and so on. Some children
die even though their parents gave them loving care. A parent,