Thanks for stopping by and a warm welcome to this journal.
The ensuing short essays archived in Yūgen Today stand to document snapshots of our world, inviting us to build an understanding of that which exists beyond what we know.
Before sharing the reasoning behind the name Yūgen Today, a brief history of yūgen is in order. The written Kanji for yūgen originated from Chinese text, most likely introduced to Japan by Buddhist monks during the 5th century. To understand the meaning of yūgen, the reader inevitably embarks on a journey - a journey filled with shadows, dead ends, hidden passages, and shortcuts, a journey that tests your imagination and proves your grit beyond what’s thought possible. David Kaula, author of “On Noh Drama” described yūgen to be “the sense of the mysterious quiescence beneath all things.” Zeami Motokiyo painted another picture - “To watch the sun sink behind a flower clad hill. To wander on in a huge forest without thought of return. To stand upon the shore and gaze after a boat that disappears behind distant islands. To contemplate the flight of wild geese seen and lost among the clouds…”
This journal was named Yūgen Today, because the essays and photos are an attempt to evoke a dichotomous feeling of emptiness and fulfillment - fleeting moments slipping through our enclosed palms - perhaps you’ve come across this feeling in your travels. Through our readership, we hope to build a seed of understanding from which a place can bloom where we can forget about the past and the future, and appreciate today.