is a
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
term describing something that is unaesthetic or unappealing. ''Yabo'' is the antonym of ''
iki
IKI may refer to:
* Internationales Kulturinstitut in Vienna
* Iodine potassium-iodide, a chemical compound
* Russian Space Research Institute originally known as IKI RAN
* Iki Airport, IATA code
Iki or iki may refer to:
* Iki Island, a Japanese ...
''. ''Busui'' (無粋), literally "non-''iki''", is synonymous with ''yabo''. A non-''iki'' thing is not necessarily ''yabo'' but probably is. Something that is ''yabo'' is usually unrefined, gigantic, coarse, childish, colorful, self-conscious, permanent, loud, superficial, vulgar, snobbish, boorish, etc.
The word ''yabo'' was often used by city dwellers, or ''
Chōnin
was a social class that emerged in Japan during the early years of the Tokugawa period. In the social hierarchy, it was considered subordinate to the samurai warrior class.
Social Class
The ''chōnin'' emerged in ''joka-machi'' or castle ...
'' (especially those of
Edo). It often refers to
samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...
and farmers (''
nomin)'' from outside Edo, but could also be applied to another ''chonin''. The city dwellers of Edo sometimes called themselves ''
Edokko
is a Japanese term referring to a person born and raised in Edo (renamed Tokyo in 1868). The term is believed to have been coined in the late 18th century in Edo. Being an Edokko also implied that the person had certain personality traits differe ...
'' (similar to ''New Yorker'' or ''Parisian''). Proud of having been born and raised in Edo, they had a tendency to despise outsiders. However, the origins of many chonin could be traced back to other areas and backgrounds.
The meaning of the term has expanded and generalized through the
modernization of Japan
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...
. Today, the word ''yabo'' is used more frequently than ''
iki
IKI may refer to:
* Internationales Kulturinstitut in Vienna
* Iodine potassium-iodide, a chemical compound
* Russian Space Research Institute originally known as IKI RAN
* Iki Airport, IATA code
Iki or iki may refer to:
* Iki Island, a Japanese ...
''.
References
Further reading
*Cecilia Segawa Seigle. ''Yoshiwara: The Glittering World of the Japanese Courtesan.''
University of Hawaii Press
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
, 1993 pg. 136
Concepts in aesthetics
Japanese words and phrases
Japanese aesthetics
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