Page:The Awakening of Japan, by Okakura Kakuzō; 1905.djvu/70

 age. Only in art and literature, essentially the world of freedom, some vitality is to be found. The self-concentration of a nation during that period has given a peculiar charm to Japanese art. The worship of traditions, which is the foundation of style and elegance, has given a subtle refinement to all its expressions. Yet this very classicism was the enemy of the romanticist efforts, for true individuality was subdued under the general trend of formalism. Again, the demarcation of social life and ideals prevented any creative mind from mirroring the whole of national loves and aspirations. Despite a certain cleverness in details, or an occasional dash of wild fancy, no painter of the caliber of Korin, or poet with the strength of