Wabi-sabi is the most conspicuous and characteristic feature of what we think of as traditional Japanese beauty. . . .
The closest English word to wabi-sabi is probably "rustic." Webster's defines "rustic" as "simple, artless, or unsophisticated . . . [with] surfaces rough or irregular." . . .
Wabi-sabi does share some characteristics with what we commonly call "primitive art," that is, objects that are earthy, simple, unpretentious, and fashioned out of natural materials.
— Leonard Koren, Wabi-Sabi