The little hut at the end of the jetty.

As a further teaser before I get immersed in my promised essay on wabi/sabi ( shudder), here's a poem by the very influential poet and critic, Fujiwara no Sadaie ( 1162 ~ 1241 ) . In it we get a glimpse of the Zen Buddhist concept of mu, "nonexistance" or "the void" and it's influence on the developing idea of wabi/sabi. The photo of the little hut at the end of the jetty seems to me to capture the sentiment of the poem remarkably well.

The calligraphy might be by the poet but is more likely only from that period. I hope it adds something to the lightness of the verse.