I’d like to talk about the ten virtues of Ikebana. Historically many Ikebana artists have been trying to convince people of the worth of Ikebana. The teaching of the ten virtues of Ikebana is a typical example. One of its original forms can be found in a text called Rikka Imayoo Sugata, written in 1688.
The first of these ten principles is No Discrimination. Ikebana made it possible for people of different classes to meet. This was quite unusual in feudal times where there were few opportunities for ordinary people to meet people in the upper class. The upper class in those days were generally high class monks and aristocrats.
I have personally had many enriching relationship with my students and clients. Ikebana creates opportunities to meet more people from all walks of life and develop a stronger social network.
In this work, I used a ball made of thick wire. Placing the ball at the top of the glass container, I can fix spirea and forsythia branches with no difficulty.
Note: The original essay on the ten virtures of Ikebana can be found in Shoso's site, http://www.shoso.com.au
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