Mark Edward Harris: Wabi-sabi and the Japanese Aesthetic

"From the 6th century until the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1873, Japan used a variation of the lunisolar Chinese calendar that was divided into 24 seasons. These mini-seasons were determined by the phases of the moon, the rise of the tides, and other natural phenomena. Living in constant contact with their surroundings - the mountains, the ocean, and their all-important rice fields - people were acutely aware of even the smallest changes in their environment and often celebrated them with "matsuri" (festivals).

For example, of February at the beginning is "Risshun." It's associated with the ground thawing and fish appearing under the ice. This is followed by "Usui" in mid-February when the snow begins to recede and a mystical mist lingers in the air, then by "keichitsu" when bugs surface from hibernation around the beginning of March. Then comes "shunbun" when sparrows start to nest, and the symbolic cherry blossoms begin to bloom. They begin their northerly march up the country around the third week of March. "Seimei" at the beginning of April comes next, with geese flying north and the first rainbows of the year appearing in the sky, while "koku" sees rice seedlings taking hold around the third week of April. Rice, of course, is the lifeline for Japan as it is for much of Asia.

In an agrarian society, staying in-tune with the seasons was and still is in many places a matter of survival. A bad harvest can prove fatal. When should seeds be planted? When should the yields be harvested? Before modern technology, people practiced mindfulness without knowing it.

One of the appealing aspects of photography is that it evokes this same sense of awareness and being in the present when I'm roaming the streets or in a studio camera-in-hand.

Another concept that has been fully refined over the centuries in Japan that I've found helpful in life and photography is that of wabi-sabi.