When it comes to the Japanese art of ikebana, appearances are only part of the point.
We’ve been allocated three branches and been told precisely how we should cut them and where on our biodegradable floral foam we should place them. We’ve talked golden ratios and off-centre focal points. The allure of empty space has been thoroughly dissected. You would think, given how little room Dr Shoso Shimbo is leaving for error, our Japanese flower arrangements would be a sure-fire success.
Shoso Shimbo with one of his ikebana arrangements made from camellias and flowering quince from his gardenMaking an arrangement that feels right can take years of dedication. The triangular “basic” style that Shimbo has us fashion is something he has made hundreds of times. He says he has done it until the form of it has become embedded into his very being.
Shimbo makes his arrangements with fine secateurs that were crafted by a Japanese family who once made samurai swords. He pins his cut stems onto a heavy weight covered in steel needles and, like any other type of florists’ frog, he can insert this kenzan into all manner of vessels. As he demonstrates his construction techniques for the workshop, Shimbo is continually assessing and reassessing, tweaking lengths, angles and spaces.
In this workshop at Beleura House and Garden in Mornington, we are all still thinking about them. We are busy measuring the depth and diameter of our vases to ascertain where to cut our stems, we’re agonising over angles, ruminating on the size of our open spaces. We’re talking to each other.
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