Well, since we are using esoteric terms...
IT is a combination of deeply interrelated mechanical and perceptual manipulations illustrated by a number of traditional images or concepts (
juuji,
asagao,
ki,
kokyu, etc.) that in practice form a seamless action. In purely Western terms, IT involves:
1) Asymmetrical, orthogonal & inverse stresses
2) Cusp stability behavior
3) Torsional shear strain conversion/dynamic precession
4) Complex harmonic motion
5) Remote tactile structural sense
6) Ambiguously perceived load paths
7) Resonant oscillatory buckling
8) Induced flexor/extensor reflexes
Or -- IT's the [spoiler]
Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
(Not as much of a joke as you may think, or so says Monsieur Poisson)[/spoiler]