The presence of Sabi IS Often Suggested by patina and other signs of age or wear on a treasured antique. Shibui can mean quiet, composed, elegant, understated, reserved, sedate or refined. The quiet and understated elegance of a formal tea ceremony communicates much of the essential meaning of shibui. Finally, yugen can mean obscure and dark, although this darkness is a metaphor for the mysterious, the profound, the uncertain and the subtle. The classic illustrations of yugen are the moon shining behind a veil of clouds, or the morning mist veiling a Mountainside.
Stones possessing wabi, sabi, shibui and yugen tend to be especially subtle in their beauty.
When combined with other aesthetic features of the stone, It is these qualities that distinguish a great suiseki from an ordinary one. The beauty of a great suiseki often lies modestly below the surface and must be uncovered by a discriminating eye. While these qualities arc present in virtually all viewing stones owned by Japanese collectors of classical suiseki, they are seldom found in the Chinese viewing stories preferred by modern day Chinese collectors. It is ironic that while the art of suiseki had its origins in China, the Chinese have developed such different tastes in viewing stones. A detailed and structured comparison is provided.