asymmetry

"as the art of tea evolved, the aesthetic of wabi emerged which eschews extravagance and wastefulness. it is characterized by simplicity, naturalism, profundity, imperfection, and asymmetry. it emphasizes restrained, unadorned objects and architectural space, and celebrates the natural beauty of materials given expression through skillful craftsmanship"

- from the seattle branch of the urasenke foundation that promotes cha-no-yu the japanese art of tea.

we normally tend to give a lot of weightage to symmetry. it is admired and emulated in art (typically western art). people talk of symmetry in nature but in reality, there is very little symmetry in nature. take the human body- one kidney is higher than the other, one lung smaller, one eye a bit different, the heart is more to the left, the left and right halves of the brain being different is almost a cliche. japanese aesthetics is the only one i know of which emphasises asymmetry and imperfection, probably a zen influence. the japanese tea ceremony as we know today owes its development to two key figures Murata Shuko and Senno Rikyu (15th and 16th c), the latter being the legendary tea master and is often eponymous with the japanese tea ceremony itself. they shifted the focus from lavish gatherings and fine Chinese porcelain to a ceremony that emphasises wabi-sabi and the beauty of the present moment and the imperfection. the host and the guest are almost equals and every small detail, every movement, every swish is important.

finally, the enso, the famous zen circle is never complete. why?