Aware, or mono no aware, is a classical Japanese term used to describe the Buddhist notion of the transience of things and is often used in situations where one is moved (aware) upon seeing tangible things (mono) come to an end. Aware was articulated as a term of literary analysis during the Edo period, when critic Motoori Norinaga (1730–1801) noted that aware is the crucial emotion moving readers of Genji monogatari (The Tale of Genji, ca. 1008) and framed it as a particularly Japanese sensibility. Modern writers have often incorporated aware in fiction and poetry, both as an emotion experienced by characters as well as a structuring device; hence the paucity of “happy endings” in modern Japanese literature.
Historical dictionary of modern Japanese literature and theater. J. Scott Miller. 2009.