Supplies:
One Japanese home
One ohana sensei (means flower teacher)
One traditional Japanese flower arranging tray
One large kimzon which means sword mountain. Or if you cannot find in American – use a standard flower arranging frog
Pruning sheers
One large main branch – sanshu is best
One sub branch – sanshu
One main flower – camillia is best
Two branches of sunflowers of different colors
One branch of berries
Directions:
Put your kimzon on the left side. The left side is best. It would be an insult to put it on the right because all flowers must be on the left and light must be on the right in homes.
Fill the tray with water.
Start with your main branch and cut off a piece for your smaller branch.
Push the large main branch in to the top left of the kimzon. Put it at a 15 degree slant.
Push the smaller branch on the left middle of the kimzon at a 45 degree angle. Cut off a smaller branch from the large one if you need to.
Your main flower should be half the length of the large main branch. Push it in at an 80 degree angle on the right bottom of the kimzon.
Choose the two sub flowers to build in height above the main flower and up to the main branch. Push them both into the right side of the kimzon. One in the middle and one on the top. The flower on the top should be taller.
Put the berries in between the large and small branches.
My ohana sensei says, "Trim the loud." She means that in traditional Japanese flower arrangement the art is all about subtraction, taking away and leaving space for the flowers. American flower arranging is filling the space.
Basically the idea is "Less is More".
So go ahead and trim that loud!
The people I've met while in Japan have been ironically simple and detailed. Great thought and care is put into everything they do. Quality is better than quantity in Japan. When you do something, do it well. Less IS more.
