O'Furyu" is a word introduced from China. In classic Chinese, it meant a "beautiful style made by forerunners". When this Chinese word came into use in Japan, the meaning changed to "being elegant and sophisticated".
The word furyu, as it is read now, often appeared in "Man'yoshii", a waka poem collection, however, at time it was read as miyabi meaning elegance.
Over the course of time, the word furyu had two meanings.
In the Muromachi period, furyu meant "dancing in a costume of bright colors with musical accompaniments". Even in the present day, furyu dances remain as a legacy.
On the other hand, furyu came to describe elegance.
It was not a showy elegance but a quiet and composed refinement which is very different from that of the furyu meaning dance. furyu, in this meaning passed from tea ceremony to haiku. Matsuo Bashocomposed a haiku which said: "The first furyu I met in this travel is the rice planting song in the unsophisticated northeast dialect".
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