[Joy of Noh no Ikebana] Any vegetable can be a star, says Yuriko Terashima, 66, from Ide Town, Kyoto Prefecture

Daikon radishes busy chatting

Daikon radishes busy chatting

“It was the time that I decided to help my family out on the farm as my kids were big enough. I began reading the Japan Agricultural News and saw some articles about Noh no Ikebana, which I found was very interesting. I decided to take on the challenge as I have the right materials at home.

Each piece of materials looks gorgeous. Simple agricultural products I brought back from the farm are so brilliant in Noh no Ikebana. Vegetables in irregular sizes and shapes are something special to me. I sometimes hide them before somebody discards them.

While I’m walking to the farm, I always look for something beautiful. One day, I found a unique straw man and asked the owner if I can use it for my arrangement. Some of my neighbors and relatives in law offered me old tools and instruments such as mino (a traditional straw raincoat) and furui (a bamboo basket) and asked me if I could use them in my arrangements. That way, Noh no Ikebana brings me some exciting connections with people.

I got a hint for this arrangement on my farm. The radishes in other people’s fields were even and standing upright, but those in my farm were unique. Some are thick, some were lying on the ground, and I thought it was fascinating. It wasn’t very easy to make thick and heavy daikon radishes standstill. I used some blocks to support them and covered the blocks with chaff.”

<Materials> Daikon radishes and chaff

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