Nageire -- Flowers "thrown in" a Vase

An arrangement in a vase is called nageire, literally "thrown in".

In the Ohara School of Ikebana, there are many techniques used to place the materials in a vase. Because there is no kenzan to support the stems, the way the stems are cut, how they are bound with vertical or horizontal stays, and the way they cross over each other to lend support is very important. To be proficient in these techniques takes many years of study.

When I first began to do arrangements in vases, some 13 years ago, I didn't like it. You could even go so far as to say I hated/dreaded it! Why? Because it was so difficult to make the materials stay in the place you wanted in the vase. I would go to my lesson, excited to do an arrangement; and then, my teacher would say we were going to do nageire. I would immediately want to go home and forget my lesson for the day. But, as I did more arrangements in vases, I learned the techniques and methods used to support the materials in the containers. Gradually, I began to like doing nageire. Now, I love it. It is one of my favorite types of arrangements to do.

In this summer arrangement, I used only two materials -- cherry plum and calla lily. There are five branches of the cherry plum, and only one calla lily. So, in the whole arrangement, there are only six stems. From the front, you see a tall rising line that has a nice curve, supported by smaller branches of the cherry plum. A single calla lily rises from the branches and helps to bring a focal point to the space created by the curving branch.

When looked at from the side, you can see how far it reaches out in front of the vase. This helps to pull the viewer into the arrangement, but it is not noticeable unless you look at it from the side. One of the magic points of ikebana.

I hope you enjoy the video of how the arrangement was made.  

As always, feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below!

Spring Ikebana Exhibit -- scouring rush in a cool summer breeze

Recently, I have been very interested in zokei ikebana. Being able to create a totally unique and creative work is exciting to me. Trying to find new materials to work with, show a material in a new way, or creating an expressive work are what I most enjoy when creating a zokei arrangement.

This year, for the spring exhibit, I wanted to use just one material, to really showcase the beauty of it. I chose scouring rush. They are often found near the waters edge of a lake, stream, or river, but can also be found in moist, dense forests. They can grow to be quite tall, and when a cool summer breeze hits them, they bend playfully in the wind.

I went to the local hardware store/DIY center to look for something I could use as a base for the piece. I chose a plastic fencing material in a black color. I thought the black would go well with the green of the scouring rush, but it could also be painted if I wanted to change the color or finish (I was thinking a metal finish would also be interesting). The mesh of the fence was also the perfect size for each frond of the rush to fit into. I used some black zip ties to hold the fencing together and made a tall column. I had my base for the piece.

I played with the fronds for several hours, trying different ways of arranging them in the mesh. Some were very planned out, and others were more organic. "Playing" with the materials is an important step in creating a zokei work; it enables you to find the best way to show off the natural beauty of the material in a new and interesting manner. I finally chose on a combination of planned and organic. I arranged the fronds along one line of the fencing, extending out to the right, but the angles and length of the scouring rush were arranged in an organic way, making them look as if they were being blown in the wind.



scouring rush




slightly from the left



looking into the fronds, from the right



Can you feel the cool summer breeze?

Let me know what you think of the piece in the comment section below!

Mother's Day Flowers

It has been over 15 years since I have had the pleasure to wish my mom a "Happy Mother's Day" in person.

I always call to wish her well on Mother's Day, but it just isn't the same -- being able to give her a big hug and see her smile. I know she feels the same way. I usually get on the Internet and try to find something interesting to send her. This year, I couldn't find anything that I thought she would like. I got a card in the mail to her, but I didn't send a gift.

Instead, I thought I would make an arrangement for her. Ideally, I would love to make it for her in person, but being across the ocean on the other side of the earth makes that a bit difficult!

I chose her favorite color, yellow, as the base of the arrangement, and mixed in a little orange and red -- all happy, vibrant, strong colors, just like my mom. I also added a couple of white anthurium thinking they would like nice in the mix of colors. Of course, I also had to mix in some green to give it a fresh feeling.

I know that she will love it, and immediately download the picture to use as her screen saver. She can enjoy the arrangement for weeks to come, which is just what I wanted!

It was such a beautiful day that I decided to take a few pictures outside.

Happy Mother's Day to an amazing woman who inspires everyone around her with her strength and love for family and friends! You inspire me to be a better person, and I am thankful and proud to be your son.

Spring Landscape Arrangement

Spring has finally started to show herself here where I live in Japan. It has been a long, cold winter, and I am ready for the beautiful spring colors that abound everywhere here -- plum and cherry trees, tulips and daffodils, the greening grass, mother nature bringing forth all of her glory!

To help usher in spring, a couple of weeks ago, I created a spring landscape using Japanese cornel. It was arranged in the Traditional Method in the Landscape Arrangement form -- meaning a prescribed way to arrange the materials to express the beauty of a natural scene.

To create the natural scene, I have, in a way, created a sketch of the scene in the limited space of the suiban.

Japanese cornel grows to be a towering tree, so the rules prescribed say I have to do the arrangement in the Far-View Depiction. For this method, I arrange the Japanese cornel in the one-tree method, making it look as if all of the branches are a large tree seen off in the distance.

To help balance the scale depiction, small budding azalea branches are used low in the front of the container, and a few taller branches next to the base of the Japanese cornel. They should appear small in contrast to the towering tree.

Finally, a material is used to establish the undergrowth of the scene. In a far-view depiction, club moss is used. The moss is arranged in small clumps and covers about 3/4 of the surface of the suiban. It is still the beginning of spring, so only a small amount of water is showcased in the container.

When all of the above elements are combined, a little piece of nature is captured in the confined space of the suiban. The budding tree and budding azalea help to usher in spring and all of her beauty.




Japanese cornel, azalea, club moss
Far View, Upright Style



The club moss covers about 3/4 of the surface of the container, and the azalea are used low and small
to help create the look of a grand tree. I also took off some of the buds of azalea because there were
too many for this early in the spring.

When viewed from the side, you can see the "tree trunk" in the center of the Japanese cornel branches.

A natural scene captured in the confined space of the suiban.

As always, please feel free to leave comments or questions in the comment section.

Radial Form Ikebana Explained

Recently, in one of my classes, I have been teaching some of my students how to create a Radial Form ikebana arrangement.

The Radial Form is part of Advanced Hana-isho. It is a kind of ikebana that brings out the unique characteristics of the materials in a highly decorative work. They are created for the spaces where people live and work. Some of the forms can be viewed from the front only, and others can be created to be viewed from all sides.

The forms of Advanced Hana-isho have some special characteristics:

1. They can be created to decorate any kind of space, and the container used can be anything, including articles used in daily life, like cups, bowls, or plates.

2. The beauty of color is central to creating Hana-isho; however, combinations of materials that express the beauty of the season or their formal, sculptural beauty are also possible.

3. The length of the main stems and auxiliary stems, their angles, and the positions at which they are inserted are free.

4. There are three main stems, the Subject, the Secondary, and the Object.

5. The Radial Form can be arranged either in a shallow container or in a tall vase.

With all that said, I know it may sound complicated, but it is easy if you follow the guidelines and look at the materials carefully!



Radial Form (front view only)
Anthurium, prairie gentian, Dracaena godseffiana "gold dust"



In the Radial Form, the materials spread out from a central axis along the midway line of the container. I like to think of it as the spokes of a bicycle wheel.



From the central axis, all of the spokes of the wheel radiate out, creating lines of symmetry.

Here, anthurium is used as the Subject and the Secondary of the arrangement. Prairie gentian is used as the Object. And the "gold dust" is used as the green of the arrangement, which helps to meld all of the materials together.

 

When viewed from above, the lines of symmetry can be seen. The Subject can be on the left or right side, depending on the characteristics of the materials. Here, the Subject is on the right and the Secondary is on the left.

Here is the view from above with the lines of symmetry outlined. The Subject is the longest stem in the arrangement. The length is free, but it should have balance with the container. It is placed on the midway line of the container and extends out, giving full play the horizontal beauty of the anthurium. The Secondary is placed on the opposite side -- here on the left -- also along the midway line of the container. The length of the Secondary can be from 1/2 to the same length of the Subject. My personal taste is to make it a little shorter than the Subject, but that's just me! Next, the object, which can be from 1/3 to 1/2 the length of the subject, is placed at the center of the axis of symmetry (the green dot in the middle), with a variation also extending forward on the axis of symmetry. These are the three principal stems of the arrangement.

The Subject side should be the stronger side, so I have used two additional stems of anthurium. They are variations of the Subject and should be arranged within 30 degrees on either side of the Subject. The Secondary side uses one additional anthurium. It can be placed on either side of the Secondary, but must also be within 30 degrees of the Secondary stem. Here, I have placed it in the front.

 

Additional stems of prairie gentian are arranged with interesting variations to give the Object group a bit more weight to balance out the arrangement. The "gold dust" is also placed on either side of the Object group, helping to connect all three principal stems and make a cohesive arrangement. Some of the "gold dust" is low in the arrangement, and some is high in the arrangement. One side is also short, with the other side a little longer. This unbalance helps to balance out the arrangement -- the magic of ikebana!

You may be thinking, "What is going on with this picture?" There is meaning in the madness!

Here you can see the pink line goes through the middle of the arrangement -- the axis of symmetry. The tall Object leans slightly to the left of the line, creating some movement within the Object group. However, the Object that extends to the front must be on the axis of symmetry. This helps to unify the work with a central starting point for all other branches.

As you can see, all of the Subject and Secondary materials are placed at varying heights within the arrangement -- no two branches are at the same height (the red dots and red lines). The length of the branches are also all different. This makes the arrangement more interesting and creates points of interest throughout the linear form of the arrangement.

With this arrangement, I have focused on the use of color, but seasonal materials could also be used. An arrangement like this can be placed anywhere within your home or work space. Because of it's linear shape, it is perfect for a low table against a wall or on the mantel of a fireplace. Creating a Radial Form that is multisided would lend itself to be perfect for a table centerpiece. It is a highly decorative form that brings out the beauty of radial symmetry and is perfect for today's modern homes.

Please feel free to leave a comment or a question about the From in the comment section below!