A Japanese artist is helping to improve relations with China
through the art of flowers.
Japanese ikebana master Kosen Ohtsubo wrapped up a stack of
branches with cortex-like paper and then attached a flower on the
top. "This kind of ikebana design is suitable for a hotel's
entrance," he said. Standing next to this two-metre high work,
Ohtsubo was explaining his craft of arranging flowers to students
attending his lecture at Beijing Forestry University (BJFU). The
young Chinese were fascinated by his creation and many wanted to
know how to do it.
Since he arrived in China in September, Ohtsubo has held 12
lectures at universities in Beijing, Nanjing, Qiangdao and
Changsha.
Lecturing across China is one of Ohtsubo's main duties next
year. Although in his late 60s, he is energetic and eager. He said:
"There is no retiring age for me. I guess I'll be most busy around
my 70s."
He was appointed as a special advisor for cultural exchange to
China by Japanese Government, and will spend another 12 months
raising awareness about ikebana.
The Japanese Government has appointed 11 advisors to assist in
spreading its national culture. Another advisor for China is Etsuo
Genda, a visual communication design professor with Kyushu
University in Japan.
As the leading master of Ryusei-ha, an ikebana school with
120-year history, Ohtsubo is an expert at the classical style of
this art, however many of his works are free and modern.
He uses vegetables, fruits, irons, and even stones and garbage
to create his art works. Some of the pieces look like sculptures
rather than bonsai.
"I could be the first artist in Japan that uses vegetables and
fruits in ikebana," Ohtsubo said.
During an exhibition held in India, his vegetable-made design
obtained acclaims.
Many of his counterparts preferred his simple creation to that
of another artist's design, which was made up of expensive
flowers.
This public response encouraged him to think in a different way
and he has used more cheap vegetables, such as cabbages, potatoes
and watermelons ever since. He holds an exhibition of these types
of works every two years.
Ohtsubo advocates artistic reform in ikebana. "It's no good only
following the traditions without any change," he said. He believed
that artists should search within and something new would always
pop up. Being a pioneer, he once wrapped himself up with bandages
and attached branches on his own head.
"Ikebana should be a way to express yourself, and a way to
deliver your cognition about the world and the universe," he
said.
Cultural ambassador
Ohtsubo has planned more than 50 lectures for China next year.
His lectures often last about two hours and a half. It always
includes an ikebana performance. He usually spends four days
getting ready for a single lecture.
"My neighbours are curious about it, too," said Ohtsubo.
Many people are attracted by the bonsai on his office
windowsills. He settled down with his family in an apartment near
Sihuidong subway station, with his office downstairs on the first
floor.
Ohtsubo put up a notice outside of his office window, saying
that free ikebana teaching is available from 2pm to 5pm every
Sunday afternoon. It caused a rush.
"Now I'm always busy on Sundays so I had to put up another
notice, calling off the teaching," he said with pity, "But I will
stay home, and wait for more learners and visitors in future."
In his office places a high bookshelf, on which he puts books
and materials on ikebana.
These materials including some old Chinese versions are
collected in two years. "I have many more in Japan and I hope I can
bring them here, to enlarge this small reference room into the
biggest ikebana museum in China."
There are more things that Ohtsubo wish to do in Beijing.
He has 100-plus bronze vases in Japan, all of which are quite
precious and are almost never seen in China.
Ohtsubo wants to carry them to China and place them in Beijing
Forestry University for visiting and set up a research centre in
the university.
"BJFU is one of the biggest and most famed universities in this
field. I hope it would promote the academic research and
popularization of ikebana in China."
He also plans to offer lessons on television and in magazines,
hoping the direct visual aid would help people understand tips and
cultures in ikebana.
Chinese style
Ohtsubo decided to stay in Beijing for the following 10 years,
doing some in-depth research in Chinese ikebana.
As China is the headstream of Japanese ikebana, Chinese
classical style is appealing to him.
"Chinese classical ikebana is quite good in artistic conception
and is irradiative to Japanese art," he said.
According to Ohtsubo, ikebana is now developing better in Japan
than in China and a many obstacles stand in the way of a Chinese
ikebana vocation.
The first problem is that few people know the excellence of
Chinese ikebana and the artists. "There are many talented masters
in China. Their works are of high artistic level but they are
seldom known," he said.
Most people turn to Japanese masters at the thought of ikebana
art and they easily ignore Chinese artists. "Disciples ought to
know learning from a good Chinese master is much better than
learning from a second-rate Japanese teacher."
He worries about the commercialization in ikebana field.
"Chinese ikebana has less genres and is not as various as
Japanese, and it is developed greatly through business trade."
Ohtsubo does not approve this solving way.
"Businessmen rarely know excellent artists and that reduces the
mainstream of Chinese ikebana to poor quality," he said.
Ohtsubo wanted to develop a passel of flower masters in the next
10 years. He said doing ikebana is risky: one may be quite
successful, yet probably one devotes all he has but gets nothing
back. He hopes more people would like to take this career. "I won't
necessarily teach them my Ryusei-ha school styles; I just want them
to learn more about the cultures of ikebana, both Chinese and
Japanese," he said.
Ohtsubo pictures a scheme for himself during his stay in China.
Apart from lectures and performances, he will make publicities on
ikebana via media and try to make it known to more people. He has
some plan for himself, too.
"I wish I can decorate the Olympic venues," Ohtsubo said with
smile, "and I wish to do flower arrangement in the meeting room
where Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Hu
Jintao meet."
(China Daily December 22, 2006)