 Every plant has its own essential character, which determines the way it grows. For example, the vine of the morning glory never fails to grow counterclockwise. Even if it is placed to grow in a clockwise direction, it will soon return to its counterclockwise habit. If there is nothing to support the vine so that it can grow in its accustomed way, and if it cannot grow upward, it will bend down. While bending down, however, its tip always tries to extend upward. This inherent nature of plants is called shussho .
 |
 |
In practicing ikebana, most important is not the outer appearance of plants, but rather expressing their inner character, paying attention to each plant's shussho.
In ikebana, therefore, nature (shizen) is defined differently from shussho. Nature refers to characteristics that all plants have in common, such as branches and leaves extending towards the light, and blooming and growth in response to environmental and seasonal change. In the bending vines of the morning glory mentioned above, the outer appearance is nature , while the inner character is shussho.
Grasping the difference between nature and shussho is the first step, the key to success in arranging a beautiful ikebana. The second step is for the arranger to express his or her impressions by the best use of the nature and shussho of the materials. Eventually, a stage is reached where symbolic meaning is expressed in the simplified figure of the materials. Shoka is the simplest style expressing shussho, while rikka expresses the sublimeness of the whole of nature in a more complex composition.
|
