Early summer wind
Fukuko Kako, 68, from Obu city, Aichi Prefecture, talks about how she enjoys Noh no Ikebana.
“I use fruits and vegetables that I grow and the most interesting part of Noh no Ikebana for me is that I can make unique arrangements. Moreover, I can do this without spending any on materials.
The happiest moment comes when I watch someone get excited to see things which are not familiar to nonfarmers. They often get excited to see purple spring onions and blueberry flowers and say happily, “Oh, I’ve never seen this before!” I once received a letter from a person from Kyoto, which tells that she was “so moved” to see my arrangement at an event.
Kako (right) and her friends started a local No no Ikebana group in 1975. They often make arrangements for local agricultural cooperatives and administration offices.
The arrangement here uses a lot of different vernal plants. The center piece is a branch of a blueberry tree. I put bamboo shoots on one side and a piece of a pear tree and brussel sprouts in front to hide the lower end of the branch. This way, all the materials join together.
I didn’t cut the roots of the bamboos and the bamboo shoots on purpose so that my audience can enjoy looking at them which are usually under the ground. I used a hemp sack as a container because its color is close to the soil.”
＜Containers＞ a bamboo basket, a hemp sack, and an umbrella stand
＜Materials＞ blueberry branches, bamboos, bamboo shoots, a pear branch, Japanese silver leaf, wheat, spring onions, Japanese honewort, a purple cabbage, udo, brussel sprouts and a radish