Exoticism

…The word originates from the Greek word exōtikos (meaning foreign or exotic), and is translated as exoticism or exoticism. It is thought that it originally started from a vague curiosity about the climate and customs not found in one's own country, but as an artistic taste or a trend of the times, it was a strong emotional interest in a particular region, and in some cases this was combined with a desire to escape reality and escape from one's own environment. For example, the Nanban taste of Japan from the end of the Muromachi period to the Azuchi-Momoyama period seems to have been a simple practical interest in the technologically advanced Western countries, which were difficult trading partners for Japan, which eventually turned into an emotional interest in the customs of Westerners, and furthermore, with the influx of Christianity, it also took on a strong color of longing. …

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "exoticism" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…語源はギリシア語のエクソティコスexōtikos(〈異国の，外来の〉の意)で，異国趣味もしくは異国情緒と訳されている。本来は自国に見られない風土や風俗への漠然たる好奇心から始まったものと思われるが，芸術上の趣味，もしくは時代的風潮としては，それぞれ特定の地方への関心が強く情緒化されたものであり，場合によってはこれに，自国の環境から離脱したいとする現実逃避の気分が結びつく。たとえば日本の室町末期から安土桃山期にかけての南蛮趣味は，困難な貿易の相手国であり技術的先進性をもつ西欧諸国への素朴な現実的関心が，やがて西欧人の風俗への情緒的関心に転じ，さらにキリスト教の流入にともなって強烈なあこがれの色をも帯びるにいたったものと思われる。…

※「エクゾティシズム」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報