I chose flowers with autumn colours--orange spray mums and alstroemeria plus some pink mums to add a splash of light colour!
The dried branches were ones I picked some time last winter!
SInce there was no need to put the branches in water, I used the space outside of the container. By placing the branches next to the thick body of the metal container, I showed a light vs heavy contrast.
Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. --Miyako
Photos by the ikebana shop. All rights reserved.
We found ourselves with a bunch of old manga books. Discarded. Nobody wanted them anymore. They had one foot in the recycling bin already.
Mottainai -- that was the first thought that came to our minds. Mottainai is a Japanese word that expresses that feeling of regret when things are wasted. So, we thought of another idea. With a bit of cutting and pasting, we turned them into little envelopes!
They're perfect as a "gift wrap" for small items...especially for our little anime mascots!
...and we have lots of them!
The manga envelopes are FREE with any small item purchase....while supply lasts!
We've spent the long Labour Day weekend making new scrunchies!
Each scruchie is lovingly hand-made in-house using fabric and elastics from Japan.
Did you know that the Japanese name for scrunchie is "shu-shu"? It derives from the French chouchou., which could mean a teacher's pet, or ... a scrunchie!
Come by the shop and check out some of the new patterns! Click here to shop online.
In the Sogetsu school of ikebana (we only talk about the Sogetsu school because that is what we are intimate with), the ikebana practitioner is allowed to have her own kanban after she obtains the Teacher's Diploma Fourth Grade. The diploma also means she can now start teaching ikebana. In the old days, many people taught ikebana from their homes. They hung their kanban outside to let people know ikebana was taught in that house. It is similar to the Western practice of a doctor or lawyer hanging out their shingle when they begin their practice. In this age of the Internet search engines, the kanban has probably outlived its usefulness but we imagine most teachers would still want to have one...if only for sentimental reasons! The kanban is not compulsory and you do not need it to start teaching. You can teach as long as you have the diploma and you are registered as a "teaching" member of the Sogetsu Teachers' Association! (Note: You can also register as a "non-teaching" member but this means you cannot take on students.)
Let's take a closer look at the kanban. The big white characters「草月」say "Sogetsu". The square symbol near the top left is the official seal of the Sogetsu school. The smaller characters in black on the middle right「師範」say "shihan" which means "teacher" or "instructor". The characters in light blue on the bottom half「バレステロス虹都」are Miyako's name...or rather her gagoh (雅号). It says "Ballesteros Kouto".
Gagoh can be loosely translated as a "pseudonym". Many people practicing the arts (ikebana, shodo, chado etc) in Japan use a gagoh when they reach a certain level of mastery. In the Sogetsu school, students who have earned the Fourth Certificate* (１級修業証) can start using a gagoh.
*Note: The Fourth Certificate is obtained after successfully completing Curriculum 4. The Fourth Certificate is not yet a teaching diploma. See here for more information about the Sogetsu ranks.
In Sogetsu, the gagoh is a name you can choose for yourself; but more often, it is your teacher who gives the name to you. In Japan, the study of ikebana is a lifelong endeavour for most people. Once a teacher has been chosen, students study under that teacher for the rest of their lives, except when their is a special reason to change. The gagoh is normally given in kanji, where one of the characters is taken from the teacher’s own gagoh. Miyako's teacher’s gagoh is “shikou” (紫虹 “purple rainbow”). Miyako's gagoh is “kouto” (虹都 “rainbow capital”). Incidentally, the character "to" (都) can also be read as "miyako" in Japanese!
Again, the gagoh is not compulsory but most people like to have one. The gagoh gives recognition of accomplishment and also a sense of continuity from teacher to student. If you do elect to have a gagoh, this must be duly registered with the Sogetsu Foundation. The gagoh appears in official documents like the Sogetsu Teachers' Association Membership Card.
It also appears in your diplomas.
Did you know....?
The gagoh of the founder of the Sogetsu school is "Sofu" (蒼風). Therefore, in Sogetsu no one is allowed to use the character「蒼」"so" in their gagoh. Likewise, the use of characters that will be pronounced as "Sofu" is also prohibited.
Sources:
草月流非公式用語辞典
花の情報局
How to Study Sogetsu Ikebana
In the heat of the summer, sometimes we just prefer a cold cup of tea. So we tried cold-brewing some sencha green tea. It's really easy. It's basically just putting the tea in cold water and letting it sit in your refrigerator overnight!
We used 3 tablespoons (that's like 6 scoops of the wooden spoon you see in the photo) of sencha green tea leaves and 2 litres of water. We used a large teabag so that it doesn't get messy in the pitcher later.
The teabag has a flap that you can fold over so that the contents don't spill out later. (They're good to use for spices in your soup or stew as well!)
Then we added water into the pitcher and left it in the refrigerator overnight (about 8 hours). Unlike when brewing green tea with hot water where steeping time is important, you don't need to worry too much about an extra hour or so! There is no precise recipe for a cold brew. :-)
One sleep later...volia!
Extra tip: Using a pair of chopsticks, shake the teabag up a bit to release more flavour and colour!
The flavour of cold-brewed sencha green tea is a bit subtler and smoother. Cold-brewing also results in less caffeine in your tea. Very refreshing for hot days!
You can use gyokuro tea leaves too!
By the way, if you are wondering where you can get those teabags... We have them right here at the shop! :-) Or purchase online here.
We also have premium grade Japanese green tea, of course!
The kenzan of the 21st century is here! Introducing the resin kenzan!
Hyperbole aside, this is a revolutionary kenzan. The pins are brass but the base is made of a hard polyester resin. It will take the usual heavy branches that a regular kenzan would. It is translucent, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. It contains no lead; therefore, it is quite lightweight.
So how does it stay stable? It works with another revolutionary product, the double-suction kenzan mat!
The mat is made of silicone resin. There are suction cups on both sides of the mat. One side adheres to the container while the other side holds the kenzan steady. It may look like a soap holder, but the suction quality is infinitely better. The kenzan will stay in place!
The mat is available in two colours: black and clear. Choose according to the colour of your container.
The black mat disappears in a black container.
The clear mat disappears in a white container...
...and it looks good in other colours as well.
Of course, you can also use it with the traditional kenzan. The weight of the steel kenzan plus the suction cups will increase the stability. It is the ultimate kenzan mat!
Whether you use it with traditional or resin kenzan, the mat will keep the kenzan solidly (but within limits of course!) in place. To all of you who know the difficulty of moving a moribana arrangement, this now becomes easier to do!
Extra bonus: you can use these mats in the kitchen too. Use it as a base for your mixing bowl while you're whipping up some cream, for example! :-)
Made in Japan.
The resin kenzan and double-suction mats are available for purchase at our online shop. Or, please visit the bricks-and-mortar shop to see the real thing!
Due to the warm weather, this bunch of irises went into full bloom earlier than expected!
For branches, I used what was readily available...
...the ever abundant roadside weeds! :-)
I took most of the leaves out and formed curves out of the branches.
A view from the top. The curls contrasted well with the very straight irises.
Here is the whole arrangement.
I hope you like it. --Miyako
All photos by the ikebana shop. All rights reserved.
On Sunday, Aug. 3rd, we had the opportunity to present a short demonstration of ikebana at The Berkeley (Gladstone St., Halifax), a retirement home for senior citizens.
We would like to thank Pam, one of the residents, for inviting and giving us the opportunity to introduce ikebana to the community at The Berkeley.
There was some animated discussion after the demonstration too. We hope the flowers brought a little extra cheer to the Sunday afternoon.
Afterwards, our gracious host, Pam, showed us around the garden that the residents work on. The flowers beds are set on raised plant boxes so that the ladies would not have to stoop down to tend them. Such wonderful colours there!
We've left the flower arrangements at the residence so that people could enjoy them for a while longer. Thank you everyone for your enthusiastic attention to our demonstration! Thank you to the management and staff at The Berkeley for having us there.
Here is a simple-to-make indulgence for lovers of green tea on hot summer days!
Affogato al caffè is, of course, the Italian treat where a shot of espresso is poured over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The name literally means "drowned in coffee" in Italian!
Now, let's substitute the espresso with thick matcha...
Make koicha (thick matcha) by using only half the amount of water you'd normally use when preparing your matcha drink. If you need to start somewhere, try 1 teaspoon matcha with 35 ml hot water (80℃). This concoction is good for about 3 servings...but it depends on how "drowned" you want your ice cream to be! :-)
Pour some of the koicha over one (or two?) scoops of vanilla ice cream.
That's it! Enjoy!
We are happy to see our work featured in "Sō" (「草」) magazine, the official publication for the Sogetsu Teachers' Association. Thank you!
The event was our exhibit during the Nocturne Halifax Art At Night last October, 2013. Please click here to see more about the exhibit.
