Perfectly Imperfect trail - Yūgen

Yūgen

Yūgen is a concept which invites us to find the beauty beyond what is visible. It’s the idea of a beauty that isn’t obvious, where we can find elegance in the unseen, or the implication of what lies before us.

Life in decay

Autumn is the perfect time to experience yūgen: on a misty day, beauty is literally left open to the imagination. It’s also a season of decay, heralding the arrival of fungi: weird and wonderful life forms that speak of loss, but also quietly promise renewal. 

As leaves fall, fungal fruiting bodies are a reminder of nature’s beautiful symbiosis. Without them, we would be buried beneath layers of leaves and fallen wood! Saprotrophic fungi feed on dead organic matter, breaking it down into nutrients that will sustain the soil and therefore support new life.