XVII

'It is considered that time, per se, helps to make known the essence of things. The Japanese therefore see a particular charm in the evidence of old age. They are attracted to the darkened tone of an old tree, the ruggedness of a stone, or even the scruffy look of a picture whose edges have been handled by a great many people. To all these signs of age they give the name, saba, which literally means "rust". Saba, then, is a natural rustiness, the charm of olden days, the stamp of time. [--or patina--A.T.]

'Saba, as an element of beauty, embodies the link between art and nature.'

In a sense [we are] trying to master time as the stuff of art.

--Andrey Tarkovsky (quoting & commenting on Soviet journalist Ovchinnikov's account of Japan) in Sculpting in Time: Reflections on the Cinema