Shizen (自然, pronounced "shee-zen") is the Japanese word for nature: forests, sea, rivers, lakes, plants and animals. Read literally, though, the two characters say something a little different. They mean "so of itself", the way things are when nobody forces them.
I'm Ryushi Nagata. I was born in Tokyo, I now live by the sea in Chigasaki, and I run the MA walls, where one of our collections is named after this word. This guide explains what shizen means, how it differs from the English word "nature", and how to bring more of it into a home.
Meaning: nature; also naturalness, things as they are by themselves
Japanese: 自然
Pronunciation: shee-zen
Literal reading: "so of itself"
Where you see it: forests and coasts, gardens, the change of seasons, anything done without strain
What does shizen mean?
Shizen is written with two characters.
| Part | Kanji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Shi | 自 | Self, oneself, of itself. |
| Zen | 然 | So, thus, in that way. (This is not the "Zen" of Zen Buddhism, which is written 禅.) |
Put together: "so, of itself". When I hear the word, what comes to mind first is simple. Forest, sea, rivers, lakes, living things. But the same word is in constant use for things that have nothing to do with the outdoors.
- Shizen ni (自然に): naturally, by itself. A cut that heals shizen ni heals on its own.
- Shizen na (自然な): natural, unforced. A shizen na smile is a real one.
- Fushizen (不自然): unnatural, awkward, forced.
- Shizentai (自然体): a relaxed, natural manner. Being yourself.
Is shizen the same as "nature"?
In everyday use, I think the two words are close. English has "nature" for the world that people did not make, and "natural" for something that is just as it is. Japanese shizen covers both.
The history is different, though. For most of its life, shizen was not the name of a place. It described how something happens: by itself, without effort. In old Buddhist texts the same characters are read jinen and carry that meaning. Shizen became the standard word for the natural world only in the late 19th century, when Japan needed a translation for the Western word "nature".
That older meaning is still inside the word. In English, nature is often set against people: somewhere you go, away from the town. Shizen does not draw the line so firmly. People are part of it.
Shizen is not somewhere you visit. It is something you are already inside.
Under the fallen leaves
My strongest childhood memory of nature is from autumn. We went to a large park when the leaves had turned, and the ground was deep in them. I hid in the pile, my parents heaped more on top, and soon I was completely buried.
What I remember is that it was warm. Lying under those leaves, I felt that nature has a warmth of its own.
We also camped a lot when I was small, and I loved it. We went into the mountains, caught crabs in the river, followed streams to see where they went, and hiked.
Living closer to it
Since we moved from Tokyo to Chigasaki, nature has become much nearer. The biggest change is the sea. Tokyo is on the coast too, but it has almost no sandy beaches, and the water is not somewhere you would swim. Chigasaki has a real beach. It is not as clear as Okinawa, but you can get in, and that is enough to feel close to nature.
There are low mountains a short drive away. For camping I usually go to the lakes around Mt Fuji. From Tokyo that meant sitting in traffic, so it was never a casual trip. From here it takes about an hour.
A small piece of nature in the garden
When we built our house, we planted the garden with care. Five years on, it has trees in it that we never planted. A cherry tree came up by itself, from a seed that must have arrived from somewhere. We have left it where it is. It has not flowered yet, and I check every spring. Waiting for it has become one of the things I look forward to each year.
We also made a small biotope in the garden, a pond where medaka, pond snails and loaches live among water plants. I top up the water and otherwise leave it alone. That is not to save myself work. What I wanted was to recreate a piece of nature: a place where the fish, the snails and the plants keep each other alive, and would go on living even if I stopped looking after them. It is a very small piece of nature, and I am fond of it.
I got part of this from my time in the UK. I was struck by how much each household there cared for its garden. In Japan many houses stand on small plots, and plenty have no room for a garden at all. In the UK, even a small yard that was mostly used for drying laundry was looked after properly. That stayed with me, and I want to look after ours in the same way.
What I want my children to know
When I am outdoors with my children, there are two things I hope they pick up. One is that nature is precious, and that we are kept alive inside it. The other is to be gentle with living things, plants as well as animals, whenever they handle them.
Spring
My favourite season is a close call between spring and autumn, but I would choose spring. The long winter ends, plants put out new growth, there are suddenly more living things about, and the air turns warm. The cherry trees flower. In Japan the school and business year also starts in April, with graduations in March and entrance ceremonies straight after, so the whole country changes gear at once.
I have hay fever, so spring is also the hardest season for me. I still like it best.
Shizen, shinrin-yoku and Zen design
A few related terms come up alongside shizen.
| Word | What it is | How it relates to shizen |
|---|---|---|
| Shinrin-yoku (森林浴) | "Forest bathing": spending slow, unhurried time among trees | One way of being in shizen. It is an activity. Shizen is the thing itself. |
| Shizen as a Zen principle | One of seven principles often listed in writing on Zen aesthetics | Here it means naturalness: nothing forced, and nothing made to look like something it is not. |
| Biophilic design | A Western design approach that brings plants, daylight and natural materials indoors | Close in practice. Shizen adds the idea of leaving things alone to be what they are. |
Shizen is also one of the ideas behind Japandi interiors. See What Is Japandi?
How to bring shizen into your home
1. Grow something, and let it change
A plant on a windowsill or a tree in the garden is the simplest start. Do not correct it too much. Part of the pleasure is that it does things you did not plan.
2. Keep what arrives by itself
A seedling you did not plant, moss on a stone, a bird that has started visiting. If it is doing no harm, leave it. That is shizen in the old sense of the word.
3. Choose materials close to how they are found
Wood with its grain showing, stone, linen, wool, clay. The less a material has been made to look like something else, the better it fits.
4. Mark the seasons
A branch in a vase in spring, a different cloth in autumn. Small changes are enough to keep a room in step with what is happening outside.
5. Recreate a small piece of nature
A bowl with water plants and a few small fish, a moss terrarium, a small pond. The aim is not something low-maintenance. It is a small world where the living things support each other and keep their own balance. Set it up with care, then watch it more than you manage it.
Choosing shizen wall art
Our Shizen collection has seven pieces, each built around one small thing from the natural world. Morning Fern is a single frond uncurling. Pine Silhouette is a wind-shaped Japanese pine. Wild Grass is one bending stem. Waterdrop is the moment before a drop falls. Pebble Garden looks down on stones in raked sand. Cherry Absence is a branch holding its last petals. Indigo Pilgrimage is a torii gate standing in a lake below a mountain.
In spring, my favourite is Cherry Absence. It is so much a picture of spring, though, that I am not sure I would feel the same way looking at it in summer, autumn or winter.
For the whole year, I would choose Indigo Pilgrimage. A torii rising out of a lake, with Mt Fuji behind it, is not a real place. I made it because it is a view I would like to see if it did exist.
These pieces suit people who care about the natural world and want to feel surrounded by it. I would hang them wherever you go to feel settled.
For more Japanese words that shape how we see the world, read What Is Ma?, What Is Wabi-Sabi? and What Is Komorebi?
Photographs in this article are illustrative images created for the MA walls.
Frequently asked questions
What does shizen mean in Japanese?
Shizen (自然) is the Japanese word for nature: forests, sea, rivers, plants and animals. Read literally, the two characters mean "so of itself", and the word is also used for anything that happens on its own, without being forced.
How do you pronounce shizen?
Say "shee-zen", two even syllables.
What is the kanji for shizen?
Shizen is written 自然. 自 means self or of itself, and 然 means so or in that way. In older Buddhist texts the same two characters are read jinen.
Is shizen the same as the English word nature?
In everyday use, almost. The history differs. Shizen first described how something happens, by itself and without effort, and only became the standard word for the natural world in the late 19th century. Because of that, it does not draw a hard line between people and nature.
What does shizen mean in Zen and design?
In writing on Zen aesthetics, shizen is one of seven often-listed principles. It means naturalness: nothing forced, nothing made to look like something it is not.
How can I bring shizen into my home?
Grow something and let it change, choose materials that are close to how they are found, mark the seasons with small changes, and leave some things in the garden or on the windowsill to look after themselves.