The Structure of Iki

The Structure of Iki

Cover of the Japanese edition
Author	Shūzō Kuki
Original title	Iki no kōzō
Translator	John Clark
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Subject	Japanese taste
Published	1930
Media type	Print (hardcover and paperback)
Pages	168 (2011 Power Publications edition)
ISBN	978-0909952303

The Structure of Iki (「いき」の構造 Iki no kōzō) is a 1930 book about the aesthetics of Japanese taste by Shūzō Kuki.^[1]

Summary

Kuki argues that the Edo ideal of iki or "chic" has a threefold structure representing the fusion of the "amorousness" (bitai) of the Geisha, the "valor" (ikuji) of the samurai, and the "resignation" (akirame) of the Buddhist priest.^[2]

Scholarly reception

The work for which Kuki is best known,^[3] The Structure of Iki is often regarded as the most creative work in modern Japanese aesthetics.^[4] Graham Parkes has praised the work for its subtlety.^[5]

References

Footnotes

1. Parkes 2005. p. 458.
2. Odin 1999. pp. 449-450.
3. Parkes 2005. p. 458.
4. Odin 1999. pp. 449-450.
5. Parkes 2005. p. 458.

Bibliography

Books

• Odin, Steve (1999). Audi, Robert, ed. The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-63722-8.
• Parkes, Graham (2005). Honderich, Ted, ed. The Oxford Companion to Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-926479-1.