In Praise of Shadows

Contrast is the main rhetorical device employed throughout Tanizaki’s essay, as the significance of his argument hinges on the differences that he draws out between Japan and the West. There is no universal understanding of darkness and light, as they are employed differently across different cultural contexts and can produce vastly conflicting meanings. Indeed, Tanizaki continually marks contrasts between Japan and the West that show how the former built productive relationships with darkness and shadows, while the latter constantly worked to eradicate darkness and move toward increasing levels of light. This contrast is shown across multiple examples, such as the architecture of homes and the use of everyday objects. He also expands it to a series of other contrasts: grime versus cleanliness; loudness versus quietude; and an embrace versus a rejection of the past.

This essay rests on a strong use of imagery that employs expressive and figurative language to connect the mundane to the spiritual. There is a highly subjective quality to many of Tanizaki’s arguments that relies on imagery to help the reader fully grasp the significance of shadows to Japanese culture. While one can clearly notice the basic aesthetic difference between