“Light” and “shadow,” which breathe life into Grand Seiko, are the founding stones of the Japanese sense of aesthetics. Opposite yet reliant on each other to exist, how do Japanese people look upon them, and how have they elevated them to the status of beauty? This column will try to elucidate this sense of aesthetics toward “light” and “shadow,” which have taken root in Japan, through the words of experts in various fields.
Ikebana is the Japanese term for the art of arranging flowers, leaves, whips and thin stalks of grass in low-profile, earthen vases that enhance the natural forms and beauty of plant life. The Japanese culture of arranging live flowers originated in the Muromachi Era (1336-1573 A.D.). Flowers began to be used as offerings before the tablets of the deceased after Buddhism was introduced to Japan from China. Later the ikebana culture was eventually adopted by the populace who started to apply and enjoy flowers as part of the residential architecture style at the time called shoin zukuri.
Viewers are normally attracted to the crowns of flowers at the peak spots of ikebana displays; however, the most noteworthy portion of the ikebana arrangement is mizugiwa – a position just a few centimeters above water surface. One example of such beautiful mizugiwa is the spot where each plant exhibits strong, lively and stable shoots jutting up from the water surface, looking just as if it were a naturally grown tree implanted on solid ground. One may find different styles of presentation in which plants are slightly canted or leaning against the inside of vase mouth. Either way, true ikebana plants are not cramped or loosely positioned inside vase mouths, but are properly arranged and vividly display their own liveliness.
In the world of ikebana, mizugiwa is the light. And yet, a critical factor to differentiate a discerning and more beautiful mizugiwa is what is inside the vase – in other words, the shadow, which is not to be exposed to viewers’ eyes. When actually “doing flowers,” hananofu spend the most amount of time on organizing the inside of vases by using a tool so-called hanadome to stabilize plants and form a sturdy foundation of the entire presentation through precise preparation and application. In the preparation process of flower vase contents, human hands are used to cut and whittle branches and stems which are to be inserted into hanadome. Without well prepared foundations, no one can bring out the full value and allure of flowers regardless of how naturally beautiful they are. So, the presence of shadow accentuates the existence of light. Neither can subsist by itself. Ikebana portrays life and death, and I always consciously try to convey that light and shadow, or life and death, coexist simultaneously as they are naturally present in the world of ikebana by filling up the vase with water and highlighting the boundary between visible and invisible worlds.
When “doing flowers,” preparations are done by following a formula of regularity normalized during the Muromachi Era. Shoin kazari, the interior decoration methods of the Muromachi Era, dictated that house owners display fine paintings and artifacts to present the utmost respect and hospitality when receiving visitors of high standing. Visits by such prestigious guests were very meaningful events for samurai families, and, as a result, helped nurture experts in fields like interior decoration, flower arrangements and art appraisal. Similarly, today, we consciously purpose our living spaces for displaying flowers and choose carefully where and why we compose them. Then, we start figuring out which items best suit the selected spaces, one detail of which is the vase itself. The final step is to find the best fitting flowers. Flower positions are determined based on the existing architectural style. The same thought processes are applied when decorating outdoors. In any event, the most important elements remain light and shadow, from where and how the light flows into the space, and where viewers would be seated in order to appreciate flowers. Locations to place flowers will be decided through consideration of viewers’ eye levels, traffic lines and other aspects.
My life work is flower offering. I always “do flowers” live, but am unfailing in making preparations by consistently following a commitment to determinate regularity. I often experience or witness surreal phenomena which surpass human conceivability, or events which appear to me as if the Mother Nature were favoring me. One day, when I was about to complete a flower presentation, the light of the setting sun suddenly reflected off a nearby building into our room, glided onto the presentation’s mizugiwa like a spotlight which then projected a dramatic silhouette of the flowers and vase on an alcove’s wall. I recall that those who were present at the site were profoundly moved by nature’s unexpected rendition. Flowers, light and shadow are all nature’s creations, and lest we may forget, humans are also part of this natural order as are all living creatures progressing toward the end of our lives. Harmony is the most crucial element of ikebana. One can only recognize light and shadow when, as flowers, you and I become one.