Unjo-ryu Muraoka Shokado, Artificial flower

The history of artificial flower-making in Japan goes back to the 8th century, when a poem in the Man yoshu anthology contains a poem apparently referring to such flowers. In the Heian period (794-1 1 85) artificial flowers were made of thread and cloth as a part of seasonal court events. The head of the Unjo-ryu； the final school to carry on this tradition, is located in Kyoto.
Muraoka Toshiichi, the last successor of the Unjo-ryu line, says that "one should always be aware that one is making an imitation."One is not attempting to make something that is an exact replica of the real thing, but a flower that is more beautiful than the original and never withers.