Some art of the Edo period. (Source).

Over at The Heavy Anglo-Orthodox, Matthew Franklin Cooper has an excellent  short post on the history of Edo Japan. I’ve never studied too much Japanese history in any depth, but found Mr. Cooper’s essay a pleasant and enlightening read. However, I did see Silence in January. One of the things about the film that most stood out to me was the simple beauty of 17th century Japan. It is difficult for me to understand how anyone could not find the aesthetics of this period deeply attractive…but de gustibus.