Jun’ichiro Tanizaki

When we gaze upon the darkness that fills the space behind the tokonoma’s lintel, around the flower arrangement or under the shelves, even though we know it is nothing but shadow, we get the impression that it is in this space alone that we can be totally submerged in silence, as if gifted by the darkness with an immutable and eternal tranquility. I think when Westerners speak of the “mysteries of the Orient” they are very likely referring to the uncanny silence of these spaces.

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Published by Sopra Books, Los Angeles, 2021. Translation first published in 2017 by Sora Books. Republished here with thanks.