Kazari (the 'decorative') in Japanese Art

The “decorative” can be said to lie at the very core of Japanese art. Unlike in the West, which often privileges the “fine arts” (painting and sculpture) over the applied arts, in Japan no such distinction is made. Nobuo Tsuji has introduced to art historical discourse the concept of kazari, the indigenous word for the “will to decorate.” For him, it involves not just the physical adornment of an object, but also the transformation of an object or space into something extraordinary—something that can put its viewers into contact with the transcendent.

Fantasy and surprise are important parts of the kazari aesthetic, as are asymmetry, exaggeration, stylization, and improvisation. Unlike Chinese artisans, the Japanese have not restricted themselves to a fixed set of authoritative or auspicious motifs such as the dragon and phoenix. Rather, since the 11th or 12th century they have drawn upon familiar things close at hand, in particular motifs from the natural world—not only flowers and trees, but insects and shells. Nobuo Tsuji believes that decorative imagery of this type has the potential to join the emotions of the viewer with the spirituality of nature.