Ikigai The art of living
Mitsuo Aida was a Japanese calligrapher and haikuist, who was one of the most prominent figures of the twentieth century. His life was devoted to a very specific ikigai: communicating emotions with seventeen-syllable poems using a shodo calligraphy brush, and he was yet another example of a Japanese who dedicated himself to a very specific ikigai.
The haikus Aida wrote emphasize the value of the present moment, as well as the passage of time, in many of them. Here is a poem that can perhaps be translated as “In the here and now, the only thing I care about is what you care about.”.
いまここにしかないわたし のいのちあなたのいのち
One of Aida’s poems in this collection simply says, “Here, now.” It is an artwork that portrays a sense of mono no aware (a melancholy appreciation of the ephemeral).
いまここ
It is interesting to note that the following poem touches on one of the secrets of bringing ikigai into our lives: “Happiness is always determined by your heart.”
しあわせはいつも自分の心がきめる
According to Aida, the last one, which is also written by her, means “Keep going; do not change your path.” The last one by Aida means “Keep going; do not change your path.”
そのままでいいがな
In order to make your life meaningful, the pursuit of your ikigai and nurturing it every day are necessary steps to discovering your ikigai. Once you decide that this is what you want to accomplish with your life, you will be in a state of flow in everything you do, just as the calligrapher is in a state of flow as he writes on his canvas or the chef is still preparing sushi for his patrons after half a century.
