Author: kamys

Celebrate Seattle Art Museum’s 90th Birthday with Flowers

Teaming up with Volunteer Park Conservatory

Volunteer Park is an oasis in a rather busy Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle.

In the 48-acre park overlooking Space Needle to the west, there stand two buildings that have a deep connection with Ikebana.

One is Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM).  It has hosted Ikebana International (I.I.) Seattle Chapter #19’s annual exhibition for years. On a weekend in May, we I.I. members would display various Ikebana arrangements as well as perform Ikebana demonstrations at the auditorium.  Members of I.I. would take turns demonstrating arrangements.  When was the last time I took turns?    The pandemic has halted our annual rituals, but hopefully we can return to this wonderful venue.

Another one is Conservatory.  This unique building hosts so many tropical plants and flowers.     And it’s a pleasure for us Mercer Island Sogetsu Group members to display Ikebana every fall.

This year we had a bonus opportunity at Conservatory… to celebrate SAAM’s 90th anniversary, Conservatory invited our group to display Ikebana arrangements this week!

Since Conservatory has abundant green foliages, they always supply us with green materials.  We are to bring our own flowers. 

The temperature inside the building is kept warmer to fit tropical plants.  The exhibition lasts for a week, so I had to be careful in selecting flowers, to choose hardy ones. 

Alstroemeria is always a safe bet.  This flower lasts long, normally longer than its leaves.  When using this flower, I trim most of the leaves first.  In order to create more volume, I sometimes weave the stems to make a cluster of flowers. 

I chose bright yellow alstroemeria for this arrangement to create a high contrast with the shiny, wide-green foliage of tropical plants.  To give it a soft image, I added solidago flowers, also taking out most of the little leaves.  In the front I placed lacy foliage of mugwort.

Another simplistic arrangement.  Another simple joy of Ikebana. Congratulations, SAAM!

How Kimono Used to be Sold

It was not sold off the rack

I still remember the day my mother and I chose my first kimono and obi. Over 40 years ago.  I was in junior high.   The process was totally different from the way I buy a sweater today.

Once my father gave my mother a go for purchasing my first kimono, my mother called the kimono retailer that she had known for a long time.  The person was working in Namba Store of Takashimaya, a major department store.  

Over the long history, many different types of kimonos emerged with various dying and weaving techniques.  Conventions and unwritten social rules of what type of kimono and obi to wear for what kind of occasions developed as well.  Not everyone was knowledgeable about such dos and don’ts of kimono protocol.  Especially my mother, who grew up in a backward country village, didn’t consider herself sophisticated enough. Consulting an experienced kimono retailer in a big city like Osaka was a safe bet.

The retailer first asked questions like for what occasion and in which season I would be wearing my kimono.  The retailer then asked more personal questions like how tall I was or what my favorite color was. 

A few days later, the retailer came to our house (by taxi!) with several roles of kimonos and obis.  None of them had been sewn yet.  Based on our previous conversation, she had picked candidates for me, taking various factors into consideration. 

By spreading each kimono and obi fabric in front of me and my mother, the retailer explained how formal it was ranked and how the fabric was dyed or woven.  Out of all the kimonos, this black one with colorful patterns of flowers and leaves stood out.  “This one!” I said.  Why I picked black? Maybe others looked too girlish to me. 

“Nice choice!” said the retailer.  “With this kimono, you first have long sleeves.  When you get older, you can cut the sleeves shorter and still wear it.”  Cut the sleeves and keep on wearing it for years? I felt the concept intriguing.

So we selected the kimono fabric.  The next step was to pick an obi to go with it.  The retailer again laid out several candidates. “The obi is Nishijin,” she said. “Good!” said my mother.  The word “Nishijin 西陣” was a stamp of approval for her.  (What is Nishijin?  I will write about it soon later.)

After putting the kimono fabric onto my shoulder and obi around my belly to see how it looked on me, finally my mother and I selected the one in the picture.  The retailer took the measurement of my body so that the fabric would be sewn to fit me perfectly, then left.

In about a month or so, the retailer came back with the sewn kimono and obi.  The Kimono had lining in matching color.  The retailer picked matching accessories such as sandals also.    

This was the typical process of having a kimono made back then.  No kimono off the rack.  Every kimono was custom-made. 

How to Enjoy Kimono Coordination

Enjoy various combinations of Kimono and Obi!

What differentiates Kimono most from any other clothing is its rather standard shape.

 An open front, a long, narrow collar, a straight body, and long sleeves.   The length of the sleeves might vary, but even the shortest ones are still considerably longer, or I should say wider, than any Western clothing.

With such a standard shape lacking varieties, you may think Kimono coordination is quite boring.  Far from it!

Kimono is always accompanied by a sash called Obi, a long cloth.  After you wear Kimono, you wrap Obi around your waist, normally twice.  Obi is long enough so that you can tie both ends and create different patterns.  The square shape you see on my back is called Otaiko, the most popular pattern to tie Obi. 

Even in the same shape, Kimono comes in so many different colors and designs.  So does Obi. By mixing and matching Kimono and Obi, you can enjoy a variety of combinations.  The same Kimono looks different by pairing different Obi.  Likewise, the same Obi has a renewed look when matched with different Kimono.

You can purely play with the colors of Kimono and Obi.  You want to give a strong impression?  Use high color contrast.  Or do you want to create a softer impression? Choose similar colors.  If you use high-contrast colors, you may want to choose a transitioning color for Obiage, the soft-fabric cloth you tie to show only slightly between Kimono and Obi.

You may want to choose the design of Kimono and Obi to match the season.  Wearing in the spring?  Match the cherry blossom design on Kimono and a butterfuly on Obi.  In the fall?  Match the yellow color Kimono to reflect the color of turning leaves, and Obi with the chestnut design. 

If you want to impress people with your sophistication, why not combining Kimono with the plum flower and Obi that has a nightingale on its design.  Plum flowers and a nightingale, such a popular theme of classic Waka poetry. 

Here are some examples of Kimono and Obi pairings.  Enjoy!

The same kimono, different obis

The same obi, different kimonos

The Bamboo Magic

I was lucky to see Tanabe Chikuunsai IV’s installation in Osaka

Bamboo.  Such a common plant.  I grew up surrounded by so many things made of bamboos, such as scoops, collators, chopsticks, coasters, baskets, bags, bento boxes, flower vases, benches, brooms,  fences… People have been making practically anything necessary for their everyday lives out of bamboo.

It was rather strange, therefore, to learn that many museums in the world collect objects made of bamboo as work of art. 

Tanabe Chikuunsai IV’s exhibition was held at the art gallery floor in Osaka Takashimaya, a prestegious department store, and I happened to see it while I was visiting Osaka.  The installation in the main gallery space was nothing like what I was familiar with before. 

The two main pillars in the center of the gallery were covered with organic shaped object, comprising so many bamboo sticks, each meticulously, thinly split, about 7 feet long.

Utilizing such common materials and traditional techniques, Chikuunsai transformed the entire space.  What an artist he is!

I felt so lucky to have encountered his exhibition.  And it was free admission!

I would love to see this type of installation and exhibition at the international airports in Japan.

Three Dances with Wisteria Flowers

This is how I enjoyed its short but gorgeous bloom

It’s been a while since I last wrote about the 64th Annual Exhibition of our Ikebana International Seattle Chapter 19.  Did the wisteria flowers last throughout the exhibition?  The trick is to dip the cut stem in alcohol for a while.  Did it work?

Well, not quite.  It got unusually hot on that weekend.  The air condition didn’t work in the venue somehow.  I ended up making a different arrangement every day, using wisteria flowers.

On Friday morning I cut a curvy branch of wisteria and place it in a square container with wavy design.  I liked the combination very much, and was hoping that the arrangement would last through Sunday. 

On Saturday morning I cut out a long branch of wisteria and brought a matching long-neck container to the exhibition venue, just in case.  Well, that just in case became the reality.  The wisteria flowers of the previous arrangement wilted quickly over night.  I had to replace it with my new arrangement. 

On the final day, I ended up arranging a new one again.  I had no more long branches of wisteria flowers.  Short stems were all I had left.  To counter act the shor and bulky wisteria flowers, I chose a longer branch of rhododendron and placed it on the opposite side. 

The vase  needed to be tall enough so that the wisteria flowers would touch the table surface.  I chose this vintage bamboo container with lacqerware. 

I learned that wisteria flowers, no matter how careful you treat them, have short lives once they bloom.  Rather than trying to prolong them forcefully, why not enjoy the short but gorgeous peak to the full? 

Thank you, wisteria, for your company.  See you again next year!

Kurama 鞍馬 : A Mountain Where Tengu 天狗 Lives

A hike in this sacred mountain in Kyoto gave me magical power

The folklore says that Tengu lives in Mt. Kurama.  I didn’t see it, but I definitely felt its magical power when I hiked in the mountain.

Mt. Kurama is located in the north part of Kyoto City.  It takes about 45 minutes from the city center by train.  I was planning to simply visit the temple with a friend of mine from Tokyo.  Due to the typhoon, the Shinkansen (bullet train) stopped, she didn’t arrive in Kyoto until later in the evening.  Left alone, with the beautiful weather with typhoon already passed, I decided to take a hike from Kurama to Kifune.

I was previously told that the route from Kurama to Kifune is an easy, flat, an hour-long hike.  Dead wrong!  Especially for me who haven’t done even much walking lately.  The trail was either steep uphill or downhill steps.  No flat path. 

So many times I almost gave up moving forward one more step.  But whenever I felt hopeless, fresh breeze came.  The branches of the tall trees swayed, making gentle sounds.  As if the wind was pushing me gently on my back, I made another stride.

Fudodo 不動堂: Photo by Author Akemi Sagawa

After reaching Fudodo, the path became downhill, till I finally heard the stream of Kifune River.  An hour-long hike ended up about two and a half hour.  My right calf was aching.  My left hip was aching.  Walking along the river, I felt exhausted.

The destination was a restaurant called Sagenta 左源太.  The owner and a friend of mine was waiting for me at 2 pm.  I barely made it.

The eating place was literally above the river.  In the summer time, the restaurants in Kibune spread the platform above the river so that the guest can enjoy the meals while feeling the cool breeze.  It’s a great escape from the scorching heat and humidity felt in the city of Kyoto. 

The bento box lunch with a fresh grilled Ayu fish was divine.  By the time I said thank you and goodbye to my friend, the fatigue of my body was completely gone!  I regained so much energy that I felt I could go back hiking the same route that I had barely made it (well, I didn’t). 

My friend said, “There must be a reason for you to come here, hiking, alone.  You may call it serendepity.  The Mountain has chosen you today.” 

I totally believe that.  I simply bow down to Mt. Kurama and Kifune River.   

Cool Breeze – Rare In Japan’s Humid Summer

Four poems about breeze found in Hyakunin Isshu 百人一首

Summer in Japan is unbearably hot and humid.  Now that I’m living in Seattle, where I can enjoy the most comfortable and beautiful summer in the world (in my opinion), I refuse to go back to Japan in the summer. 

It is not surprising, therefore, that I found only 5 poems about summer in Hyakunin Isshu 百人一首, a classical Japanese anthology of one hundred waka poems by one hundred poets compiled in the 13th century. In contrast, there are 20 poems about autumn and 9 about spring.

Out of four poems that read about the wind, only one clearly indicates the season, which is summer.  Was the cool breeze a rarity in the summer in ancient Japan as well as in the present days?

12/100 僧正遍昭 by Sojo Henjo

あまつ風  Amatsu kaze
雲のかよひ路 Kumo no kayoiji
吹きとぢよ  Fuki tojiyo
 をとめの姿Otome no sugata
 しばしとどめむShibashi todomemu.

The following is the English translation by William N. Porter (1909).

OH stormy winds, bring up the clouds,
  And paint the heavens grey;
Lest these fair maids of form divine
  Should angel wings display,
  And fly far far away.

58/100 大弐三位 by Daini no Sammi

ありま山 Arima yama
ゐなの笹原 Ina no sasawara
風吹けば Kaze fukeba
いでそよ人をIde soyo hito wo
忘れやはするWasure yawa suru.

The following is the English translation by William N. Porter (1909).

As fickle as the mountain gusts
  That on the moor I’ve met,
’Twere best to think no more of thee,
  And let thee go. But yet
  I never can forget.

74/100 源俊頼朝臣by Minamoto no Toshiyori Ason

うかりける Ukari keru
人を初瀬の Hito wo Hatsuse no
山おろし Yama-oroshi
激しかれとは Hageshikare to wa
祈らぬものをInoranu mono wo.

The following is the English translation by William N. Porter (1909).

OH! Kwannon, Patron of this hill,
  The maid, for whom I pine,
Is obstinate and wayward, like
  The gusts around thy shrine.
  What of those prayers of mine?

98/100 従二位 家隆 by Junii Ietaka

風そよぐ Kaze soyogu
ならの小川のNara no ogawa no
夕暮は Yūgure wa
みそぎぞ夏のMisogi zo natsu no
しるしなりけるShirushi nari keru.

The following is the English translation by William N. Porter (1909).

THE twilight dim, the gentle breeze
  By Nara’s little stream,
The splash of worshippers who wash
  Before the shrine, all seem
  A perfect summer’s dream.

Koryu School – Keep the Natural Beauty of Flowers

Introducing another Ikebana school

The 64th annual exhibition of Ikebana International Seattle Chapter finished the first day with so much excitement.  For the first time in three years, we got together in-person and appreciated the beauty of 27 displays of flower arrangements from different schools.

Two of the arrangements are works of Koryu古流、one of the oldest Ikebana schools. 

Koryu dates back to 1770, when the picture of an Ikebana arrangement by the founder Imai Isshiken Sofu appears in the book published that year. 

Koryu emphasizes the way flowers exist in nature.  Without bending or altering too much, Koryu pursues to follow natural laws as much as possible. 

The photo above is one example of Koryu style.    

Here is another example.  They don’t use too many different kinds of materials.  Simple, yet harmonious beauty is created. I hope you enjoy both of them.

Welcome Spring with Beautiful Flower Arrangements

Ikebana International Seattle Chapter 19’s 64th annual exhibition this weekend

Photo by Author Akemi Sagawa

Among many events held in Seattle, two of them particularly remind me of the joy of spring.  One is Cherry Blossom Festival in April, the other is Annual Exhibition held by Ikebana International Seattle Chapter 19 in May.

At the Cherry Blossom Festival, I enjoyed making five Ikebana arrangements on stage in 45 minutes.  You can see four of the arrangements I had prepared at home the day before the demonstration.  I would say, the demonstration was 80 % successful.  It took longer than I had planned to make the first two arrangements.  Well, happenings were to be expected. 

All the arrangements were to be taken down immediately after the demonstration was over.  At least I didn’t have to worry about stability of the arrangements too much. 

The annual exhibition this weekend, however, has a different challenge.  I have to create only one arrangement, but it will be displayed for two full days.  Many people will come to the event.  There will be “please do not touch” signage, but visitors don’t necessarily follow such signs. They might touch the flowers.  At the exhibition, the stability of each arrangement is a much higher priority than with the demonstration. 

I spent some time this afternoon contemplating what kind of arrangement I should make. I imposed on myself two requirements.  First, do not buy flowers, but cut out whatever is in bloom in the yard. Second, use a container that I haven’t used for a while.

These three flowers are available: azalea, wisteria, and Mexican orange, as shown in the photo above.  How should I combine these three flowers? 

This is what I came up with.  The natural curve of the wisteria branch kind of repeats the surface design of the container. How do you like it?

Wisteria tends to wilt quickly.  After I cut the end of the stem underwater, I dipped it in sake for about 15 seconds.  In addition, I added a little bit of sake to the container of the water.  Use sake to prolong wisteria, is one of the tips I learned from my Ikebana teacher. 

Let’s hope the wisteria flowers will stay fresh!  (I will report to you if the flowers were kept in good shape for two days.)

The Joy of Cooking, like The Joy of Painting

I’m not a good cook.  I can’t taste the difference between good wine and bad.  I don’t have a keen pallet that can discern hidden spices and ingredients in the sauce.  I don’t have the patience of marinating for days and cooking for hours. 

But I still enjoy cooking.  Cooking for me is almost painting… What do I mean by that?  Let me show you an example: This is how I prepared for our dinner tonight!

I start with what I find in the fridge.  Kabocha squash, asparagus, and hakusai (nappa cabbage).  I like the color combination of the three vegetables.  Especially the bright yellow of kabocha and fresh green of asparagus.  How can I let these colors stand out?

Selection of the plates is the key! I pick out bowls and plates that go with the vegetables.  The white plate in the center has an interesting shape. how should I display the veges?  That’s a challenge.

Notice none of the plates and bowls have the same design or color.  Different colors, shapes, and textures.  Yet you want to achieve some kind of harmony. The dark brown bowl is made of wood and coated with Urushi lacquer.  Ideal to keep miso soup warm.

Sesame oil, soy sauce, mirin (sweet sake), salted seaweed, and garlic.  That’s all I use as spices today.

The one on the right is dried seaweed, and the one on the left is dried fish.  I always make broth for miso soup using only these two ingredients.  I simply put them in a pot of water and simmer it (don’t let it boil!) for 10 minutes. 

I normally put dried wakame and also dried tofu (called Koya Tofu) for miso soup. 

Here it is!  The one on the left is rice, 50% white and 50% brown.  Rice and miso soup are must items for a Japanese meal!

As you see, my cooking is 30 % taste and 70% presentation.   Which plate to use? How to place the veggies on the plate?  Thinking about it and executing accordingly is the fun part. Oh, hopefully, everything tastes good enough.