In-ei Raisan (陰翳礼讃) literally translates to ‘In Praise of Shadows.’ It is a seminal essay by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki, exploring how traditional Japanese aesthetics find beauty in darkness, patina, and ambiguity, contrasting with the Western obsession for bright, sterile clarity.
When I first moved into a traditional minka in the countryside of Kyoto, the first thing I wanted to do was install brighter LED lights. The kitchen felt dim, the corners were swallowed by murky gray, and I felt like I was living in a historical drama. My landlord, an elderly man with a sharp eye for detail, politely stopped me. ‘In this house,’ he said, ‘the shadows are the furniture.’ It took me years to truly understand what he meant by that.
I used to think my apartment was just poorly lit. But after reading Tanizaki, I realized that the flickering light of a candle on a gold-lacquer tray creates a depth that a floodlight could never replicate.
In the modern world, we are conditioned to illuminate everything. We want high-definition, high-contrast, and absolute visibility. In-ei Raisan asks us to pause and consider what we lose when we banish the shadows. It is the aesthetic of the alcove (tokonoma), where a scroll hangs in a dim recess, its beauty emerging only as your eyes adjust to the low light. This is not about being ‘dark’ or ‘gloomy’; it is about creating a sacred space where the imagination can breathe.
Common Mistakes Foreigners Make
The most common mistake is equating ‘dim’ with ‘dirty’ or ‘unfinished.’ I have seen many tourists complain that a high-end ryokan (traditional inn) is ‘cheap’ because the lighting is too soft. They struggle to find their light switches or try to adjust their surroundings to match a hospital-bright aesthetic. Instead of fighting the dimness, lean into it. The shadows are intentional design choices meant to evoke a sense of mystery and peace, which connects deeply with other concepts like Ma (間): The Japanese Art of Empty Space and Silence.
Slang Variations and Cultural Nuance
While In-ei Raisan is a high-brow literary term, you might hear young Japanese designers or photographers use the phrase ‘In-ei wo ikasu’ (活かす – to bring the shadows to life). In professional photography or interior design circles, this is the ultimate compliment—it means that the person understands how to use darkness to highlight the soul of an object, rather than just its surface. If you want to dive deeper into how this nuance impacts social interactions, look at how we navigate the ‘unsaid’ in daily life, often explored alongside the balance of Wa (和): The Invisible Social Glue of Japanese Culture.
Ultimately, embracing the shadows is a practice in humility. It reminds us that not everything in life needs to be fully revealed to be understood or appreciated. Sometimes, the most beautiful parts of our experiences are the ones that linger just out of sight.
