So what is Yū|Mono? Mono, in Japanese, simply means “things,” but the Yū is a little more complicated.

The Yū refers to the Japanese aesthetic principle yūgen; a graceful, mysterious quality with a subtle tinge of melancholy. It is vast and deep, and nearly impossible to sum up neatly in a few succinct words. In fact, one could probably write an entire novel on yūgen and still struggle to clearly define it. Despite the difficulty nailing down a definition, it is something we feel intuitively. The experience of yūgen transcends the need for words. The emotions it evokes need no clear explanation; one simply feels.