okashi おかし

1　Charming, or delightful. An approach to the aesthetic indicating a carefree appreciation of objects and events, thus in contrast with the deeper emotionality of *aware あわれ. A prominent Heian ideal of courtly beauty, it does not ignore the intellect, but emphasises shape, color, sound or scent in the comprehension of life and nature. The term appears in early Heian period prose tales such as Ochikubo monogatari 落窪物語 (late 10th century) and Utsubo monogatari 宇津保物語 (late 10th century), but found its ultimate expression in Sei Shōnagon's 清少納言 mid-11th century Makura no sōshi 枕草紙 (trans. Ivan Morris, The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon). Okashi also appears as a critical judgement hanshi 半詞 on poetry contests utaawase 歌合 (see *utaawase-e 歌合絵), where it can mean either courtly refinement in theme or diction or cleverness.
2　Beginning in the Kamakura period okashi came to indicate humor. The word also appears in writing on *Noh 能 drama by Zeami 世阿弥 (1363-1445) and it was often used to describe the amusing or outright comic elements of kyōgen 狂言. This humorous quality of okashi had significant ramifications for some Heian art, providing the aesthetic background for *oko-e 鳴呼絵 such as the handscrolls of Chōjū jinbutsu giga 鳥獣人物戯画 (Frolicking Animals and Humans, 12th century) at Kōzanji 高山寺, Kyoto. Moreover, the spirit of okashi can be felt in the entire history of *giga 戯画.