(Jun’ichirō) Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows—Whenever I see the alcove of a tastefully built Japanese room, I marvel at … the secrets of shadows . … [W]hen we gaze into the darkness … we are overcome with the feeling that … in the darkness immutable tranquility holds sway.
Whenever I see the alcove of a tastefully built Japanese room, I marvel at our comprehension of the secrets of shadows, our sensitive use of shadow and light. For the beauty of the alcove is not the work of some clever device. An empty space is marked off with plain wood and plain walls, so that the light drawn into its forms dim shadows within emptiness. There is nothing more. And yet, when we gaze into the darkness that gathers behind the crossbeam, around the flower vase, beneath the shelves, though we know perfectly well it is mere shadow, we are overcome with the feeling that in this small corner of the atmosphere there reigns complete and utter silence; that here in the darkness immutable tranquility holds sway.
| A. | Vigorous wave? | TSUNAMI |
| B. | How an operator might be situated (3 wds.) | ATTHEWHEEL |
| C. | It's just above the "sea of energy," in acupressure | NAVEL |
| D. | Schoolteacher-turned-whaler of literature | ISHMAEL |
| E. | Enclosed, rock-filled landscape (2 wds.) | ZENGARDEN |
| F. | Publicly states; swears | AVOWS |
| G. | Highly marbled exported delicacy (2 wds.) | KOBEBEEF |
| H. | Suffering from prurigo, e.g. | ITCHY |
| I. | Metaphorical enclave (2 wds.) | IVORYTOWER |
| J. | Raphael and Leonardo, for two | NINJAS |
| K. | Newhart's sitcom co-star of the 1970s | PLESHETTE |
| L. | Classic 1950 film with four narrators | RASHOMON |
| M. | Put on; got to | AFFECTED |
| N. | Backdrop of the 2009 Best Picture winner "The Hurt Locker" (2 wds.) | IRAQWAR |
| O. | Most peachy | SWELLEST |
| P. | Character who opens "Cabaret" with the song "Willkommen" | EMCEE |
| Q. | Missed, as a target; toppled | OVERTHREW |
| R. | Bedding options at a ryokan | FUTONS |
| S. | Long wooden bench; come to rest; square up | SETTLE |
| T. | Woodblock print artist who created "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji" | HOKUSAI |
| U. | Lion, Tiger or Bear | ATHLETE |
| V. | Word in the final book title of the Harry Potter series | DEATHLY |
| W. | In-creasing activity? | ORIGAMI |
| X. | Prominent adjective on some posters | WANTED |
| Y. | Roll whose name means "it is sour" | SUSHI |