“In the West, the most powerful ally of beauty was always light; in traditional Japanese aesthetics, the essential thing is to capture the enigma of the shadow ”. Thus begins Junichiro Tanizaki’s essay which affirms that there is no beauty separate from the effect of shadows. This relevant Japanese writer from the last century, considered by many the cornerstone of the contemporary Japanese novel, speaks to us of light, from the ac-ceptance of the imperfect. But how can the imperfect be perfect?