Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Asia (02/26/09)
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TITLE: The Flower Fairy | Previous Challenge Entry
By Nancy Kaye
02/28/09 -
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When I was living in Sasebo, Japan I was fortunate to have some Japanese friends who ran a small ryokan or hotel. Every week MamaSan Ikebana, her name escapes me, came with armloads of branches and flowers that she would turn into marvelous arrangements for all the rooms in the ryokan. Even though she spoke no English and I spoke little Japanese, I learned much from her. A good pair of cutting shears and strong kenzans, or frogs, are the foundation for a good arrangement. I can still hear her, “Shin, soe, tai,” and her hands sweeping to three different levels, representing heaven, man and earth. There were other styles of flower arranging that she taught me, but today I call almost everything that I do, ‘freeform’. Less is always more in Japanese aesthetics.
Two years later in Okinawa, I can remember an agreement with Maren, my housemate. She would buy the daily newspaper, and I would weekly buy flowers for the house.
When staying with my sister one summer, I would go through her garden, cut some flowers, some greens, look for some sticks or branches, find some vases and put small vases of flowers in everyone’s bedroom, in the bathrooms, and other living spaces. My niece on coming home one day declared, “The Flower Fairy has been here.”
From Japan, til the present, I have made it a priority to have fresh flowers in the house and am grateful for this beautiful Japanese art. The Flower Fairy is alive and well today. Some of her favorite things are curly kiwi branches, driftwood, contorted willow and cedar branches, anything that blooms, some colorful or distinctly shaped bottles, lots of vases, stones and shells, strong kenzans and a good pair of shears. Have you seen her at your house lately?
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