aaaaaaaHHHHH CHOP!
"To cut flowers is murder. Having been murdered, they live on in beauty."
That's flower arranger Toshiro Kawase speaking. "We have heard that remark from him more than once," says journalist Miwako Sato. "At first I was shocked by it, but presently I began to see that it hit its target like an arrow. In Zen Buddhism there is the expression "murder the Buddha". It goes like this: "Having murdered the Buddha and the teacher who conveys his teachings, you are for the first time in repose." When you are no longer preoccupied with the teachings, you have taken the first step toward enlightenment."
"This is not easy for the mind to grasp. But when true Buddha Enlightenment is achieved, new creativity emerges... Sen no Rukyo, the 16th century monk who had the greatest influence on the art of ceremonial tea, said: "Be a distinguished murderer." He cut all the flowers by the roadside, selecting just one for the tokonoma alcove in his tiny tearoom, and invited the shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi to see it.
"Cutting makes for freedom," says Kawase about his state of mind when arranging flowers. "The flowers of Japan become real flowers only through the process of being arranged." And, presumably, murdered.
______
The above is taken from Momus' blog.
It's something I'm always intrigued by. I've been to see a few ikebana shows and I find them perplexing. Having no frame of reference aesthetically in which to judge them, I find them erratic at best. Speaking to Mina (who took a class on it at school) they are in no way supposed to be representative of reality - but rather a representation of the essence of their components. Limited and edited to show whatever 'quality' they possess.
A small part that is indicative of the whole - like fractals.
Still, to my western-designers' eyes, a lot of them seem entirely overblown, overdone, and visually verbose to me.
These were some of the quieter ones.
That's flower arranger Toshiro Kawase speaking. "We have heard that remark from him more than once," says journalist Miwako Sato. "At first I was shocked by it, but presently I began to see that it hit its target like an arrow. In Zen Buddhism there is the expression "murder the Buddha". It goes like this: "Having murdered the Buddha and the teacher who conveys his teachings, you are for the first time in repose." When you are no longer preoccupied with the teachings, you have taken the first step toward enlightenment."
"This is not easy for the mind to grasp. But when true Buddha Enlightenment is achieved, new creativity emerges... Sen no Rukyo, the 16th century monk who had the greatest influence on the art of ceremonial tea, said: "Be a distinguished murderer." He cut all the flowers by the roadside, selecting just one for the tokonoma alcove in his tiny tearoom, and invited the shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi to see it.
"Cutting makes for freedom," says Kawase about his state of mind when arranging flowers. "The flowers of Japan become real flowers only through the process of being arranged." And, presumably, murdered.
______
The above is taken from Momus' blog.
It's something I'm always intrigued by. I've been to see a few ikebana shows and I find them perplexing. Having no frame of reference aesthetically in which to judge them, I find them erratic at best. Speaking to Mina (who took a class on it at school) they are in no way supposed to be representative of reality - but rather a representation of the essence of their components. Limited and edited to show whatever 'quality' they possess.
A small part that is indicative of the whole - like fractals.
Still, to my western-designers' eyes, a lot of them seem entirely overblown, overdone, and visually verbose to me.
These were some of the quieter ones.
posted by Jyon-sensei at 5:57 pm
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