The New York herald., 1921-06-12
ARRANGING FLOWER
IS AN ART IN JAPAN
Intricate Principles Used, Re-
quiring Long Training and
Keen Insight.
DELICACY Is FOUNDATION
Harmony Also Striven For,
but Naturalness Is Never
Sacrificed.
From the East aud West Netps.

From the East aud West NeUs.
Nature has its own harmony. and
everything natural cannot but be beau
tiful. But natural beauty is crude. raw
and non-human. Man demands sys-
tenn of beauty that suits him. Art is
the reproduction of nature by man.
Nature is beautiful but. not artistic.
Art is mans creation.
Nothing illustrates this principle so
we'll as the Japanese art of flower ar
rangemenr. Trees and flowers are beau
tiful in their natural state, but they
may be rendered artistic by rearranging
them according to the principle of art.
The Japanese flower arrangement is
the harmonization of natural beauty
with human nature. with its rich con-
tents of morality and ideal.
Like everything real. the art evolved
originally from experience of life. Pious
monks in Buddhist monasteries daily
placed fresh flowers. picked from gar
dens early in the morning before the
image of Buddha. In so doing care
was taken to arrange them in such. n
way as to give them harmonious ef-
fects with the artistic interior of the
monastery.
Flowers were arranged to suit the
Guiet, cosey atmosphere of the Buddhist
temple. This custom spread among the
people and they followed the monks in
placing flowers on the family Buddhist
altar. From this it was but step to
make the flower arrangement an art
for home decoration.
Soon masters of the art appeared, and
through their creative ingenuity 1t was
enriched with principles and forms, so
far elevated in technique above the
ordinary that it would take years to
master it. The art in the course of its
development assimilated a part of the
philosophy of Confucius and the teach
ings of Shinto. uniting in it the doc
trines of the three great doctrines of
the East
Traces of Early Leaders Seen.
1t Is Buddhistc in that it originated
in the monastery. and accordingly came
To possess simplicity and serenity rather
than complexity and gayety. 1t is Con-
fucian in that 1t embodies the philosophy
of the harmony of heaven, man and
earth as expressed in the very arrange
ment of the flowers. Shintoism finds its
expression in the art as the spirit of
purity and reverence of thing natural
both of which are the essence of the
Japanese floral art.
AS the art stands to-day 1t is body
Of intricate principles which requires
long training and keen insight to master
Among the foremost of these principles
are those of harmony, delicacy and
growth 1t Is essential thu. flower5 and
treeS-for the branches of trees are used
as often as flowers-should be sc
arranged as to give linear harmony anc
a certain balance of proportion by mean:
of irregularity.
Harmony is not simplicity or monot
omy. it is a perfect ordering of irreg
ulars. Harmony should also be created
between the flowers so arranged and tn,
general atmosphere of the room. II
color. in size and in form flowers should
add a variety to the beauty of the room
| in a harmonious way. 1t is not con
| forntity or match to the general effect!
of the surroundings, but harmony, which
is quite different thing.
4 Delicacy is the soul of Japanese art
Massiveness, clumsiness and even grand
eur are Stunned as inartistic. Th'
stems of flowers and the boughs mus
be manipulated so as to give them curve
as curve is in itself a delicacy. 1t is IL
the dexterity of bending the branche!
and the stems, and In the judgment o.
curvilinear grace. that the difficulty o
the art is contained. The choice of ma
terial to be used and the trimming o
leaves and twigs are also important IL
producing delicate effects.