Artificial Flowers According to Courtly Practices
Beautiful Handmade Flowers Produced by the Court Nobility
By Kyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory
Kyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory
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.
The most representative ceremonies featuring courtly artificial flowers are the called Go-sekku. The jinjitsu, Joshi, Tango, Shichiseki, and Choyo originally came from China and were ratified by the shogunate in 1616.
Jinjitsu
On this day a decoration in the shape of legendary Mt. Horai, which is said to be the home of hermits, is displayed. It is based on the pine, bamboo, plum motif. Instead of the traditional club moss, it makes use of hemp fiber in the five propitious colors of
Joshi
From the fact that it occurs during the season when the peach tree blooms, it is also called the Peach Festival. In the past it was a day to pray for the health of children and to ward of evil, but today it has become a girl's festival. In the Heian capital the ceremonial hall called the Shishinden of the Imperial Palace was facing south, and a cherry (sakura) was planted on the eastern, left side, and a tachibana orange tree on the right to the west. Dolls would be displayed in the same way, with the dolls facing south and with cherry and orange trees on either side. The cherry tree was arranged so that it would rise up like the sun in the east, a feature of the Unjo-ryu style.
Tango
During this festival, households with male children display armored warrior dolls or helmets. In the Unjo-ryu style, the iris helmet and cypress helmet have flowers on the top. Since "iris" and "esteeming the military arts" are homonyms in Japanese, they represent a desire for excellence in the martial arts.
Shichiseki/Tanabata
Shichiseki was originally a day to pray for girls to become excellent at handicrafts. Since, in the Heian period, calligraphy written with ink made from the leaves of the kajinoki tree (Broussonetia papyrifera) was held to be impervious to being washed away by water, writing wishes with leaves of the kajinoki became an established custom. For that reason the leaves of the tree became a mandatory decoration during the Shichiseki festival.
Choyo
There is a legend that gumi (silverberry) be worn on the body to ward off misfortune. There is also the custom of praying for longevity while drinking chrysanthemum sake, which is accompanied by an Unjo-ryu bag containing gumi and chrysanthemum flowers.
Kusudama
The "Kusudama" was originally made during the Tango Festival to ward off evil spirits and contagious diseases. It contained medicinal herbs and spices and was decorated with artificial flowers. In the Unjo-ryu style there are three types: Shin (regular), Gyo (semicursive), and So (cursive). Tassels in two sets of six colors hang from the bottom of the ball to represent the twelve months of the year.
Shin
This type is said to be principally used by the Imperial family. The kinds of flowers to be used, the colors, et cetera are all fixed. Here red and white azaleas surround three medicine balls.
Gyo
This type of kusudama is said to have been mostly employed by the court nobility. According to one's preference, a flat hexagonal wooden sheet is affixed with red-dyed silk and studded with flowers of different seasons. The types of flowers and their combinations are a matter of individual choice, and the stylistic variations are many.
So
This type was used by ordinary citizens. It is quite different from the Shin and Gyo types. The medicine ball itself, which should be the main actor, is hidden among the artificial flowers.
Making Courtly Artificial Flowers
Hand-dyed silk is pasted on Japanese paper (washi), and after this has been dozens of times, it is cut into the shapes flower petals. When cutting the petals, care is taken that they are not all the same size, which is another feature of the Unjo-ryu style.
Making Cherry Blossoms
When a cloth that has been dyed a faint cherry pink and cut out in the shape of a flower is heated with a smoothing iron, the result is a beautifully soft petal with a slight swelling. Two types of smoothing iron are available depending on the effect one is striving for.
Making Courtly Artificial Flowers: Cherry blossoms, Artificial flowers (2019) by Unjo-ryu Muraoka ShokadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory
Cherry Blossoms, Artificial flowrs (2020) by Unjo-ryu Muraoka ShokadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory
Making Chrysanthemum
In making the petals for kiku (chrysanthemum), the front edge of the heated smoothing iron is pressed down while moving from the outer side to the inner. If the angle of the iron and amount pressure is right, the shape of the flower remains unchanged for dozens of years.
Chrysanthemum, Artificial flowers (2019) by Unjo-ryu Muraoka ShokadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory
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.
Information provided & Supported by:
Unjo-ryu
Muraoka Toshikazu
Tsuji Hisami
Ibe Toshio
Text and Exhibition created by:
Sun Yanni, Kyoto Women's University
Photography by:
Dr Maezaki Shinya, Associate Professor,Kyoto Women's University
Daisuke Masuda
Project Directors:
Dr Maezaki Shinya, Associate Professor,Kyoto Women's University
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