Monday 19 October 2009

Rock and Roll, Martial arts and ikebana 2





The old schools or Koryu schools of ikebana are connected to martial arts.
October in Kenzoji temple in Kita-Kamakura, Ikebana International Kamakura chapter held their meeting. First there was a demonstration in the hall in front of the altar.
The young headmaster, who came from Kyoto, followed the steps of his father and grand father.
A very slight young man but with a lot of force in his dramatic movements during his ikebana performance which can be compared to an exercise in sword fighting. I can imagine young samurais after battle trying to relax by bending flowering branches of cherry blossoms. One slightly slashing a branch closing his eyes and raising the branch above his eyes close to his forehead and with a determine gesture bends a branch.
This is what I was actually seeing, but the samurai was a modern young man with a diamond stud in one ear and a fashionable belt with his sharp ikebana scissors in lieu of a samurai sword.
Everyone was silently watching.
At the end pictures were allowed.


Autumn tinted leaves of a classical arrangement of heaven, earth and man in a diamond shaped bronze container with legs.








Modern arrangement in a black rectangular container.
Material: Iris leaves and antherium flowers


















The arrangement below depicts the dragon painting on the ceiling of one of the biggest wooden buildings in Japan, Kenchoji temple

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