Hiroshige, The Moon Over A Waterfall - woodblock print

 

The sage has three treasures

simplicity
patience
compassion

-Basho

Maple Kanji Zen Alarm Clock, progressive chime alarm clock

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Paeonia Suffruticosa

Peonies scattering,

two or three petals

lie on one another.

-buson-

Zen Chime Clock with Maple Leaves in Honey Finish, progressive awakening clock

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Yoshida, "Plum" woodblock print

Moon, plum blossoms,

this, that,

and the day goes.

-Issa-

Zen Alarm Clock with Chime and Dream Kanji Dial Face

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Hasui, "Torri in Tawaza Lake, Akita" Ukiyo-e Print

A petal shower

of mountain roses,

and the sound of the rapids.

-basho-

Bamboo Digital Chime Clock, for a progressive awakening

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Hasui, "Spring Evening, Ueno Toshogu Shrine" Ukiyo-e

I don’t know

which tree it comes from,

that fragrance.

      -basho-

Zen Clock with Chime for a progressive awakening

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

chrysthanthemum

A symbol of the sun, the Japanese consider the orderly unfolding of the chrysanthemum’s petals to represent perfection, and Confucius once suggested they be used as an object of meditation.  It’s said that a single petal of this celebrated flower placed at the bottom of a wine glass will encourage a long and healthy life.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Meditation & Yoga Timers and Clocks

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO  80302

Ocean Women Ukiyo-e by Suzuki Harunobu

Suzuki Harunobu (1724 – 1770) was a Japanese woodblock print artist, one of the most famous in the Ukiyo-e style.  He was an innovator, the first to produce full-color prints (nishiki-e) in 1765, rendering obsolete the former modes of two- and three-color prints.  Harunobu used many special techniques, and depicted a wide variety of subjects, from classical poems to contemporary beauties.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Timer for meditation by Now & Zen Inc.

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO  80302

Kitagawa Utamaro Ukiyo-e, wabi-cha

Wabi-cha, or wabi-tea, is a style of Japanese Tea Ceremony particularly associated with Sen no Rikyu and Takeno Joo before him.  Wabi-cha emphasizes simplicity.  The term came into use in the Edo era (1603 to 1868), prior to which it was known as wabi-suki, suki generally referring to the concept of “artistic inclination,” and “wabi” literally meaning ‘forelorn’.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Zen Chime Clock with Japanese Maple Leaves in Honey Finish

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO  80302

Ukiyo-e by Ippitsusai Buncho of the actor Segawa Kikunojo

Iki is a traditional aesthetic ideal in Japan.  Iki, having emerged from the worldly Japanese merchant class, may appear in some ways a more contemporary expression of Japanese aesthetics than concepts such as wabi-sabi.  The term is commonly used in conversation and writing, but is not necessarily exclusive of other categories of beauty.

Iki is an expression of simplicity, sophistication, spontaneity, and originality.  It is ephemeral, romantic, straight forward, measured, audacious, smart, and unselfconscious.

Iki is not overly refined, pretentious, complicated, showy, slick, coquettish, or, generally, cute.  At the same time, iki may exhibit any of those traits in a smart, direct, and unabashed manner.

Iki may signify a personal trait, or artificial phenomena exhibiting human will or consciousness.

Iki is not used to describe natural phenomena, but may be expressed in human appreciation of natural beauty, or in the nature of human beings. 

Murakami Haruki (b.1949), who writes in a clear, unflinching style–at turns sentimental, fantastic, and surreal–is described as embodying iki.  In contrast, Kawabata Yasunari (1899-1972) writes in a more poetic vein, with a closer focus on the interior “complex” of his characters, while situations and surroundings exhibit a kind of wabi-sabi.  That said, stylistic differences may tend to distract from a similar emotional subjectivity.  Indeed, iki is strongly tied to stylistic tendencies.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Bamboo Digital Chime Clock, for a progressive awakening

 Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

plum blossoms, one of the four noble gentlemen

The “Four Gentlemen”, also called the Four Noble Ones or Four Friends, in Chinese art refers to four plants: the orchid, or ran; the bamboo; the chrysanthemum, or kiku; and the plum blossom, or ume (italics are in Japanese).  The term compares the four plants to Confucianist junzi, or “gentlemen”.  A painting or decoration incorporating all four plants is also known as the “Four Gentlemen”.  They are most typically depicted in traditional ink and wash painting.  The “Four Gentlemen” belong to the category of bird-and-flower painting in Chinese art.

The Four Gentlemen have been used in Chinese painting since the time of the Chinese Song Dynasty (960–1279) because of their refined beauty, and were later adopted by artists in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.  As they represent the four different seasons (the plum blossom for winter, the orchid for spring, the Chrysanthemum for autumn, and the bamboo for summer), the four are used to depict the unfolding of the seasons through the year.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Zen Alarm Clock with Chime and Dream Kanji Dial Face

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302