Ikebana, Kenzan & the Flower Frog
Is NOT the name of a 70's Prog album, but words associated with the art of traditional Japanese flower arranging, something that I've been inspired by this month.
ikebana /ē″kĕ-bä′nä, ĭk″ə-/
noun
- The Japanese art of formal flower arrangement with special regard shown to balance, harmony, and form.
- Japanese flower arrangement
A Kenzan is essential, it's variously referred to in Western countries & by florists as a 'Spiky Frog' or a 'Flower Frog' & translates as 'Sword Mountain'. But what is it? I can best describe it as a tiny, heavy, miniature bed of nails (it's sharp, put it this way you wouldn't want to stand on one!) that you poke stems into & it sits in water. Cut botanicals are inserted into the Kenzan in a manner that captures a mood, emotion or idea. Various articles I've read on Ikebana advise selecting just one flower, stem or branch that really speaks to you & working from there. The concept is to be sparing with the botanicals you use, so using just 5 to 8 stems is a guide (I used 4). Ikebana is also not about displaying a bouquet of flowers, so choosing non flowering stems, branches & leaves rather than flowers can also be part of the tradition. I personally find it very beautiful as an idea, a simultaneous celebration of life & it's passing, full of symbolism. Petals will fall, let them...
You can pick up a set of 3 Flower Frogs on eBay (I paid £9) & Japanese gardening brand Niwaki also sells Kenzan. This week I gave it a try with blooms from the garden, for me the beauty isn't coming from my hasty placement but from the gorgeous dahlias themselves. Make it personal to you by using what you own, if you can pick some flowers from the garden or on a walk even better. As with other considered Japanese art forms like Haiku, trying this for yourself, rather than being disrespectful, brings so much awareness to the skill of those who spend a lifetime mastering it. Even that has a beauty in it, perhaps like me you've made something a bit wonky & imperfectly human, but that is ok too...