The structure of detachment : the aesthetic vision of Kuki Shūzō ; with a translation of Iki no kōzō

Published when Japan was struggling to define and assert its national and cultural identity, ""The Structure of Iki"" re-introduced a sophisticated tradition of urbane and spirited stylishness (iki) that was forged in the Edo period. This text offers an annotated translation of this seminal work of one of modern Japan's most prominent philosophers. "The Structure of Detachment offers a finely crafted, reliable, and thoroughly annotated translation of this seminal work of one of modern Japan's most prominent philosophers. Because of its impact on the modern Japanese understanding of traditional culture and character, The Structure of Iki has inspired great interest and debate among scholars examining Kuki's role in the formation of a national aesthetics in the years prior to World War II. The three critical essays that accompany the translation look at various aspects of Kuki, his work, and the historical context that influenced his thinking. Hiroshi Nara first traces Kuki's interest in a philosophy of life through his exposure to Husserl, Heidegger, and Bergson. In the second essay, J. Thomas Rimer compels readers to reexamine The Structure of Iki as a work in the celebrated tradition of zuihitsu (stream-of-consciousness writings) and takes into account French literary influences on Kuki. The philosopher's controversial link with Heidegger is explored by Jon Mark Mikkelsen in the final essay, which concludes that, although Heidegger's view of art is consistent, both historically and conceptually, with his political involvement with fascism, the same cannot be said of Kuki." "The Structure of Detachment: The Aesthetic Vision of Kuki Shuzo at last makes broadly available to English readers one of Japan's major philosophical texts of the twentieth century."--BOOK JACKET Published in 1930, when Japan was struggling to define and assert its national and cultural identity, The Structure of Iki (Iki no kz) re-introduced the Japanese to a sophisticated tradition of urbane and spirited stylishness (iki) that was forged in the Edo period. Upon his return from Europe, Kuki Shz (18881941) made use of the new theoretical frameworks based on Western Continental methodology to redefine the significance of iki in Japanese society and culture. By applying Heideggers hermeneutics to this cultural phenomenon, he attempted to recast traditional understanding in the context of Western aesthetic theory and reestablish the centrality of a purely Japanese sense of "taste." The three critical essays that accompany this new translation of The Structure of Iki look at various aspects of Kuki, his work, and the historical context that influenced his thinking. Hiroshi Nara first traces Kukis interest in a philosophy of life through his exposure to Husserl, Heidegger, and Bergson. In the second essay, J. Thomas Rimer compels readers to reexamine The Structure of Iki as a work in the celebrated tradition of zuihitsu (stream-of-consciousness writings) and takes into account French literary influences on Kuki. The philosophers controversial link with Heidegger is explored by Jon Mark Mikkelsen in the final essay. Contents Acknowledgments Introduction PART I Iki no kōzō (The structure of iki) Translator’s Preface The Structure of Iki PART II Essays Capturing the Shudders and Palpitations: Kuki’s Quest for a Philosophy of Life Literary Stances: The Structure of Iki Reading Kuki Shūzō’s The Structure of Iki in the Shadow of L’affaire Heidegger Kuki Shūzō Chronology Information Contributors Translation Index Essay Index Part I: Translation The structure of Iki Part II : Essays Capturing shudders and palpitations : Kukis quest for a philosophy of life / Hiroshi Nara Literary stances : the structure of Iki / J. Thomas Rimer Reading Kuki Shuzo's The Structure of Iki in the shadow of L'affaire Heidegger / J. Mark Mikkelsen.