In Praisal Of Shadows Summary

Why does Jun'ichirō Tanizaki label his compilation of essays as an appraisal of shadows? What influenced his writing choices and inspired his word choice? The title is originally 陰翳礼讃 which in Japanese translates to Shadow of Praise and in Chinese translates to Shine. However, when one explores into the anatomy of those original words in Chinese; 陰 translates to Yin which is a Chinese philosophy characterized as feminine, sustaining, earthly, dark, cold, and opposite to the Yang philosophy; 翳 translates to shade; 礼 translates to ceremony for the confirmation of religion; and 讃 translates to praise. Although appropriate, the title In Praise of Shadows does not reach to emphasis that Tanizaki’s original title displayed. Tanizaki’s original title
He shows the audience a famous Japanese author agrees with the idea of appreciating shadows, “No words can describe that sensation as one sits in the dim light, basking in the faint glow...novelist Natsume Soseki counted his morning trips to the toilet a great pleasure, ‘ a physiological delight’ he called it”(4). Showing the audience that a popular, respected, or well-known person believes that the “dim light” of a toilet room is “delightful” is definitely a persuasive successful technique. He would not leave persuading this point to the impact of his opinion alone if he is striving to be effective with his audience. Furthermore, in his constant comparison to western culture, he elevates the Japanese shadow adoration while pushing lower the brightness of Western culture. He says while discussing light, “Western flood lamps merge on a vulgarity of which one quickly tires”(24), and then later describes Japanese stage lighting, “The darkness in which the Nō is shrouded and the beauty that emerges from it make a distinct world of Shadows”(26). By leading his audience away from one type of lighting he leads one closer to his form of lighting. Showing the contrast of what lighting would be without shadows allows Tanizaki to argue the appeal of shadow producing
One example that Tanizaki uses to show this belief is gold; he states, “modern man, in his well-lit house, knows nothing of the beauty of gold...gold retains its brilliance indefinitely to light the darkness of the room”(22). Tanizaki expresses the beauty of shadows over and over through countless examples. In this example, shadows make an environment the true power of gold can be reflected from within. Furthermore, he pulls an example from his childhood where darkness was internalized in an intensified form. Tanizaki shares, “when I think back to my own youth in the old downtown section of Tokyo, and I see my mother at work on her sewing in the dim light from the garden...man still lived in a dusky house...most women of their age, still blackened their teeth,”(28) He explains in further depth, “One thinks of the practice of blackening the teeth. Might it not have been an attempt to push everything except the face into the dark? Today this ideal of beauty has quite disappeared from everyday life,”(28). In this flashback into his past, he reveals the value of dark qualities was immense and common. For the audience, this develops an in-depth understanding of why he longs for these qualities to continue into progressing lifestyles and generations. Tanizaki was a part of a time and culture where shadows and darkness were infused into every aspect.