Behind the screens of the Heian-Kyo imperial palace, the latticework, the delicate fans, the rubbing of heavy costumes with twelve layers of silk, we hear the freedom of a woman who writes with the flow of the brush with the alphabet of emotion.
In the detail of his gaze, we glimpse the meaning of the great journey: that of the fleeting nature of phenomena and their immediate resonance, the mono no aware — the poignant melancholy of things.
On each sky, a written memory. This pallor, this inner dawn. A garden under the morning dew, or at night, when the moonbeams lengthen the shadows of the trees on the ground; a port in the evening at the hour when the lights of the ships shine like the stars; the sound, like rain, of leaves falling in autumn.
Each written memoir reveals a life of sorrow and joy within the vast, confined palace. The evil spirit tormenting a sick woman. The woman reading a love letter by the glow of a burning ember, waiting. The empress's grace. Tenderness for little ones. Love, in all its forms, the only salvation.
Our gaze wanders. We hear a song we weren't expecting. These things, so distant yet so close, find an echo in our hearts.
Sei Shonagon. A Japanese writer from the year 1000. Lady-in-waiting to Empress Teishi at the court of ancient Kyoto. Her Pillow Book—a fragmented list where terror mingles with beauty, court splendor with wonder at small things, and the impermanence of life with life—inspires us every day. Sei Shonagon: a single age, alive.
What things evoke the word "beauty" for you?
The voice of the crane rising above the clouds. Magic spells: the one spoken at dawn. A woman adorning her face for the one who finds his joy in her.
Things that give you confidence?
The consolation one feels in sending a letter in which one has confided one's thoughts, without being certain it will reach its destination. The joy one experiences when receiving a reply. All of this seems capable of lengthening life.
Things that recharge you and maintain your inspiration and serenity?
The waterfalls, and when I think of them, my heart is charmed. The dawn in spring. A vine-colored fabric. A learned monk who, in a low voice, links sacred words from memory.
Things that would guide a young person starting out in life?
Accept what comes your way, without predetermining one thing over another. These were the last instructions left by my father.
Things that make you happy?
To go to bed alone in a room deliciously scented with incense.
Noticing that your Chinese mirror is a little tarnished… Washing your hair, putting on makeup, and wearing clothes redolent of perfume. Even when no one is watching, you feel happy, deep down.
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Hokusai prints. Thank you for the beauty.