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Ikebana flowers, elegant Nonomiya Shrine, Nara's gardens, Hikone Castle

A contemporary ikebana flower arrangement that also echoes ancient aesthetic principles.

In a language as deliberately vague and notoriously noncommittal as Japanese, there is something refreshing about a word as definite as akan. Kansai dialect for useless, hopeless, or impossible, akan sometimes takes the place of deki-nai (It can't be done, or I can't do it).

As emphatic as the standard Dame! (No!), Akan! is much used by parents as a way of turning down what they deem to be their children's less reasonable requests. I have also heard it on the lips of disgruntled siblings, indicating that they have had enough of being dragged around a department store.

Kansai people often use the phrase Akan ka? to ask if something is acceptable. If the answer they receive is Kama-hen or Kame-hen (Kansai dialect for "I don't mind"), they've been given permission to go ahead. If, on the other hand, the question elicits the response of Akan!, they know it's useless to persist.

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Content by Ian Martin Ropke, owner of Your Japan Private Tours (est. 1990). I have been planning, designing, and making custom Japan private tours on all five Japanese islands since the early 1990s. I work closely with Japan private tour clients and have worked for all kinds of families, companies, and individuals since 1990. Clients find me mostly via organic search, and I advertise my custom Japan private tours & travel services on www.japan-guide.com, which has the best all-Japan English content & maps in Japan! If you are going to Japan and you understand the advantages of private travel, consider my services for your next trip. And thank you for reading my content. I, Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google Search), am also a serious nonfiction and fiction writer, a startup founder (NexussPlus.com), and a spiritual wood sculptor. Learn more!

Ikebana: The way of flowers

Ikebana is the representation of the Japanese love of nature, tranquility and perfection. The beauty of a flower arrangement lies in its asymmetrical balance, respect for the individual flower and harmony with nature as a whole.

The art of arranging flowers began in the 6th century at Rokkakudo Buddhist Temple in central Kyoto, where the Ikenobo headquarters are now located. Rokkakudo Temple was the very center of the original Heian-kyo city we know as Kyoto today. One of the Rokkaku-san priests worked on offerings to the dead using flowers and branches found nearby. Other priests admired his work so much that he began teaching them. As these priests lived in a hut by the side of a pond, which in Japanese is ike no bo, the name became attached to the first school of Ikebana: Ikenobo (today, the headquarters of the Ikenobo school is a small skyscraper on one of Kyoto's biggest commercial streets!).

By the fifteenth century, Ikebana had become a widely appreciated art form free of religious significance. However, it never lost its spiritual origins. To this day, Ikebana remains a philosophical art with rules dictating proper arrangements.

Today, there are hundreds of Ikebana schools that offer classes. Among them, the Ikenobo, Ohara and the Sogetsu schools are the most popular. However, many Kyoto-based schools such as the Saga-goryu are still taught all over Japan. This Eastern Kyoto school holds an important annual Ikebana exhibition in the temples in Arashiyama.

The four main Ikebana styles: Rikka, Nageire, Seika or Shoka style, and Moribana

The Rikka style, which basically means "standing flowers," was the first and the most formal style Ikebana. It originated in Kyoto and used local grown flowers and branches such as pine, cypresses and bamboo. The standing flowers, looking up towards heaven, symbolize faith. This style was created for formal ceremonies by the Ikenobo school. Although it is less popular today, it is the essence and inspiration of today's Ikebana schools.

As time went by, the styles became less strict and allowed more creative freedom. This gave way to the Nage-ire style, which allows the arranger to throw in branches and flowers to create a more natural landscape. The aim of this style is to show the natural beauty of each flower and branch used. As long as the nature of the flower is respected, the arranger is free to choose any material and can position the flowers at will. Nage-ire shows that there is beauty in every thing that is natural.

The Seika or Shoka style gave the artist even more freedom. It started as a simple arrangement with two main components: the positive and the negative. Perhaps in need of more asymmetrical balance, the style added a third component. The three came to represent heaven, the man and the earth which also summarize the principle of the art. Respect for Buddhist traditions of spirituality, humanity and love of the earth is the guide to a beautiful Ikebana creation.

Influenced by Western countries in the late 19th century, Ohara Unshin, a student of the Ikenobo school, created his own style called Moribana. Because it was refused by the Ikenobo school, the student started his own and called it the Ohara school. It allowed even more freedom and included western flowers. Modern schools of Ikebana are inspired by the Moribana style.

The principles of Ikebana are difficult to grasp in one lesson. However, the most important principle is that an arrangement must recreate natural growth while flowing along a pre-determined line.

Ikebana requires many years of study to master but it can be enjoyed by beginners. It lets one concentrate on something beautiful and meditate on nature. As part of training, Samurais learned Ikebana to practice concentration.

In the beginning, Ikebana was a man's past time and today most Ikebana teachers are still men. In the recent past, women in Kansai learned to hold tea ceremonies and do Ikebana before getting married because it was considered as an asset in a marriage.

Today, Ikebana isn't confined to the Japanese home. It has made its way to public eye and almost every building, hotel, company and train station exhibits an Ikebana arrangement. The flower arrangements that adorn many Japanese public bathrooms aren't random assortments of flowers but carefully follow the rules of Ikebana. Once you look for Ikebana, you will see it everywhere.

The decorative aspect isn't the main aim. The arrangements add a touch of nature to modern concrete facilities, to help people remember the real Japan. Many places in Kyoto offer flower arrangement classes in English and visitors are always welcomed. There are also small groups lessons usually taught in a home by a Japanese lady. This last option is for the more adventurous flower lovers who can take the opportunity to practice their Japanese conversational skills. Most of these ladies also hold tea ceremonies and teach classes so you might be lucky and witness two of Japan' most important traditions.

For your first Ikebana lesson, you will be taught the basic rules of cutting, positioning the flowers and the different zones of the arrangement. You will then watch your teacher arrange the flowers so naturally that you may think it's not so difficult after all. But once you undo her arrangement and create your own, you will understand why there are many rules in this art. In what some might call a Japanese moment, you will understand that harmony can only be achieved by following the rules. That's when your Ikebana experience really starts!

Nonomiya Shrine: Heian love & Zen tea

One way to spend a memorable day in Kyoto is to visit and explore and ponder the truths behind Nonomiya Shrine in at the east end of the Bamboo Forest, in the heart of Arashiyama.

Nonomiya Shrine itself is little more than the usual perfunctory wooden structure which enshrines a local deity, but its history and connection with the Ise Grand Shrine give it a distinguished reputation.

In the days of Hikaru Genji, the hero of the Heian romance The Tale of Genji, a daughter of the Emperor was chosen and installed as the High Virgin Priestess of the Ise Grand Shrine, the Vatican, or Mecca, of Japanese Shintoism. To prepare for this role, the chosen virgin spent a year of purification at Nonomiya Shrine.

In The Tale of Genji, Lady Rokujo, Genji's long-neglected lover, has a daughter who is chosen for this sacred role, and Lady Rokujo accompanies her to Nonomiya Shrine. In the fall of the daughter's year of purification, Genji comes to Nonomiya Shrine, desiring to renew his affair with Lady Rokujo. Caught between her dignity as mother of the High Virgin Priestess, and the flames of rekindled passion, Lady Rokujo, swept away by the crashing waves of time and fate, sees herself as the pawn of heaven and earth.

This moment is indelibly captured in Zeami's Noh play, Nonomiya. At its powerful climax Lady Rokujo stands frozen in mid-step as she debates whether or not to pass through the shine gate and into the arms of her scandalous lover. You probably won't feel this way at Nonomiya Shrine, but it is a great Noh play and wonderful story.

The gardens of Nara: ancient living treasures

The vast park area the core remains of Nara’s classic period (752-777) is the first thing that strikes visitors to Nara. Apart from this natural woodland, where deer roam about posing for photographs and beg for rice crackers, the city has many classic Japanese gardens which are worth a visit. Here are a few of the most interesting ones.

Isui-en, a garden of the shakkei, or borrowed scenery type, skillfully incorporates views of the Wakakusa and Kasuga mountains. Dating from the Meiji period, this garden affords an excellent view of Todai-ji Temple, and is particularly well-known for its fine collection of rocks.

Imanishi Garden, a moss garden which serves as a backdrop for the Imanishi House, built in the Muromachi period (1333-1576) in the so-called shoin style, and designated an Important Cultural Property, features cleverly-positioned stepping stones which form a cross from one side of the garden to the other.

Kyu Daijo-in Garden. Designed by the famous fifteenth century gardener Zenami, this is a garden in the shinden-zukuri style, originally designed around a Shinden, or centrally-positioned main building. The vermilion-painted wooden bridge that enables strollers to cross from one side of the natural lake to the other, is one of the garden's most attractive features.

The garden of Futai-ji Temple is renowned for the abundance of its flowers. Founded by Ariwara Narihira, this temple is also known as Narihira-dera. This month hagi (bush clover) and kiku (chrysanthemums) will be in bloom.

Heijo-kyo Sakyo Sanjo Nibo Kyuseki Garden, a garden featuring an s-shaped man-made pond, is to be found in the area once occupied by Heijo-kyo. It is thought that in Heian times the pond was sometimes the venue for an elegant poetry game.

Hikone Castle, one of Japan's finest medieval survivors!

Hikone, the second largest city in Shiga Prefecture, is dominated by the imposing presence of its fine castle, a magnificent structure that, faring somewhat better than a lot of its counterparts, somehow managed to escape the wholesale destruction of castles in 1867. Although Hikone is justly famous as a castle city, the castle is by no means the only attraction that the city has to offer.

Since the middle of the seventeenth century, when peaceful times forced armor and weapon makers to turn their skills in another direction, Hikone has been a major center for the production of Buddhist family altars known as butsudan. The street that runs parallel to the Seri River is lined on both sides with shops selling these elaborate structures, and Hikone butsudan are reputed to be the among the best in the country.

Perhaps the most interesting of Hikone's many temples is Ryotan-ji, popularly known as Niwa-no-Tera, or the garden temple, because of its three beautiful gardens. This month, the russets and reds of the maple trees that line the approach should be especially spectacular. Of particular interest are the paintings by Kyoriku Morikawa, a disciple of the famous poet Matsuo Basho, that adorn many of the temple's sliding wooden doors. Ryotan-ji is about a twenty-minute walk from the castle. It is open daily from 9:00 to 17:00.

Northeast of the castle is the beautiful garden of Genkyu-en. Laid out in 1677 by Ii Nao'oki, the forth lord of Hikone, the garden features a series of meandering paths that wind their way around a large central pond. Reminiscent of Kanazawa's famous Kenroku-en, this peaceful garden is more intimate and compact than its illustrious counterpart. Beautiful in any season, Genkyu-en should be particularly spectacular this month, when autumn colors are at their best. Sit in the teahouse overlooking the pond, and enjoy a sweet followed by a bowl of bracingly-bitter green tea. The garden is open from 8:30 to 17:00.

At the foot of the castle stands the Castle Museum, an accurate reconstruction of the Omote Goten hall, one of the main castle buildings. The extensive collection includes arms and armor, folding screens, tea utensils, traditional musical instruments, and a breathtaking array of Noh masks and costumes, some of which date back to the sixteenth century. The museum also has a magnificent Edo period (1603-1868) Noh stage, where performances of Noh and Kyogen are periodically given. The museum is open daily from 9:00 to 17:00.

The highlight of a day in Hikone is a visit to the castle. The wide steps that lead up to it wind eccentrically this way and that, slowing down the progress of the uninvited, and making it difficult to arrive unannounced. The approach is lined with trees, planted to provide sustenance in the forms of both food and medicine in the event of siege. Built by the Ii family in the early seventeenth century, Hikone Castle commands a spectacular view of Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake. From the upper reaches, the island of Chikubu-jima, home to Chikubu-jima Hogon-ji, the thirtieth temple on the thirty-three temple pilgrimage of western Japan, is clearly visible, as is the tiny unpopulated island of Take-shima.

The castle interior is a celebration of wood. Walking on wooden boards that millions of feet have rendered wonderfully smooth, one looks up to discover a ceiling of magnificent wooden beams. Cleverly-concealed rectangular and triangular openings, through which arrows and bullets could have been dispatched, are also in evidence. The heady smell of perfectly-seasoned timber which permeates the castle is more in keeping with a rustic retreat than a bastion of defense, and reminds the visitor that this is a castle that was never attacked. The castle is open from 8:30 to 17:00.

Getting there: Hikone is a 45 minute ride from JR Kyoto Station and trains are frequent. Tourist Information Center: (0749) 22-2954.

Content by Japan travel specialist & designer Ian Martin Ropke, founder & owner of Your Japan Private Tours (YJPT, est. 1990). I have been planning, designing, and making custom Japan private tours on all five Japanese islands since the early 1990s. I work closely with all of YJPT's Japan private tour clients and have a great team behind me. I promote YJPT through this content and only advertise at www.japan-guide.com, which has the best all-Japan English content & maps! If you are going to Japan and you understand the advantages of private travel, consider my services for your next trip to save time & have a better time. Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google Search) is also a serious nonfiction and fiction writer, a startup founder (NexussPlus.com), and a spiritual wood sculptor. Learn more!