Coming of spring
One of the members of the Tokyo group of Noh no Ikebana invited me to join the activity. I’m thoroughly moved by the way they appreciate the uniqueness of each piece of vegetables, even those in irregular sizes and shapes, and use all of them effectively as part of their arrangements. So I launched the club in Tanashi city to let more people know about Noh no Ikebana.
The club in Tanashi started holding exhibitions in 2011 at an open space at the entrance of Nishi-Tokyo City Hall. From those who saw the displays, we have feedbacks like “It’s nice to see those classic farm tools,” and “I haven’t seen such unique vegetables before.”
The arrangement today uses an agrichemical speed sprayer as a symbol of modern agriculture. The machine is surrounded by two-legged Japanese radishes, large Chinese cabbages with open leaves, and black rice. I also placed bamboo lakes to harmonize old and new agricultural methods. I put flowers and plants in the opening of the sprayer to make it look that they are growing in the machine. The vivid red of the sprayer adds spice to the entire picture, going very well with other tools and agricultural products.
＜Container＞ A speed sprayer, ittomasu (wooden bucket to measure rice), bamboo rakes, bamboos, a wooden bench, a wooden bucket, straw raincoats, a basket, a sedge hat, a steamer, a treasure boat for decoration, etc.
＜Materials＞ black rice, red rice, millets, Japanese radishes, red radishes, carrots, broccoli, etc.