Page 230

A FEW FLOWERS
as many of us possess and think necessary
to fill with great masses of blossoms. When
the arrangement is partially complete, the
defective and superfluous parts are clipped
off. The Japanese flower artist exercises
much care in this cutting as, according to
the rules of his art, a flower below a leaf is
considered weaker than one above, and
while it is correct to leave a strong flower
near a weak leaf, a weak or overblown
flower should never be near curled or bent
leaves.
  Although this art is called flower ar-
rangement, many arrangements are made
in which not a single flower occurs.
Branches and foliage of the evergreens are
much, used-pictured arrangements of Jap-
anese pine will occur to everyone-and
even the foliage of deciduous trees, notably
the maple, are much used.
  Some flowers are considered by the Jap-
anese to be very unlucky and are almost
never used in decoration; such are the or-
chid and the lotus. Purple flowers signify
mourning and are seldom used for feasts.
The willow and other drooping plants, sup-
posed to typify lack of constancy, are, of
course, considered unsuitable for weddings.
Flowers having a strong odor are not to be
placed before guests.
  Many combinations of different flowers
are used, but they must be carefully planned
as there are combinations that because of
redundancy of expression-as a grouping of
cherry and peach-or for some other rea-
son such as similarity of form-as in the
case of the iris and orchid-are not consid-
ered fitting. Examples of good combina-
tions are pine and chrysanthemum, camellia
and narcissus, bamboo and morning-glory.
  A harmony must exist between the con-
taining vessel and the flowers, and accord-
ing to an allied principle, there are certain
compositions suitable for use in vases to be
placed on a low stand that must not be used
for hanging vessels or those on a high shelf.
For the latter is appropriate an arrangement
that suggests floral growth on the edge of a
bank or cliff. The favorite form of vase
for a low table or shelf is a broad-mouthed
one that allows of the required stability at
the base of the composition. For water
plants, a low tub-like vessel with sand and
pebbles and rocks is used. Vessels to be
hooked against the wall or a pillar are low
and usually rounded below. The arrange-
ments best suited for them are of a simple
and quaint nature. For suspended vessels,
230
the crescent-shaped vase is a favorite, and
the bamboo tube cut to represent a boat.
Special arrangements have been devised for
these suspended boats-arrangements that
suggest the sails of a boat, and sometimes
having a streamer down the side to repre-
sent the anchor. In this series are arrange-
ments called the "ship becalmed," "ship in
port," "ship outward bound" and "ship
homeward bound." The water in these ves-
sels must not be seen as that would spoil the
illusion by suggesting that the ship was not
seaworthy.
  The part of the Japanese house in which
the flower arrangements are made is the
tokonorna, a little raised recess in the draw-
ing room. It is here that a kakemono, or
perhaps several, hangs, and the flower ar-
rangement is sometimes made to harmonize
with the pictures and placed in the right re-
lation to them, and sometimes it has a small
enclosure of its own in the recess.
  In Japan where there have been for cen-
uries imperial garden parties for the "view-
ing" of the cherry blossoms in season, and
where nearly every tree has a romantic leg-
end handed down through the ages, Ike-
bana is one of the fine arts and a very hon-
orable pursuit. It is surrounded by a cere-
monial and an etiquette all its own and is
practiced by philosophers, priests, men of
rank who have retired from active life, and
ladies of the nobility. Its professors are
considered to belong to an aristocracy of
talent, and are given a rank and social
precedence to which they might not be en-
titled by birth. It is the beautiful belief of
the Japanese that gentleness of spirit, self-
denial and forgetfulness of cares come to
those who practice the art of flower ar-
rangement.
  A knowledge, however slight, of the Jap-
anese art of flower arrangement is of value
to every lover of flowers. For although
America is a land of flowers, still there are
many of us, especially in the.city, who may
only have a few flowers on special occa-
sions. And the art of using these flowers
to the very best advantage so that we get
all the beauty of which they are capable is
one to add greatly to the artistic interest
and personal enjoyment of life. For in-
stance, it is quite possible to take thirty or
forty short-stemmed jonquils or narcissus
and put them in a great brass bowl, and
have a certain delight of color. But if you
know something of Japanese flower arrange-
ment, you will be content with seven.