Saratoga, California Since 1955
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Art of Ikebana makes flowers come alive 
Kathy Toy shares her love and knowledge of Ikebana - the ancient Japanese art of flower-arranging - by teaching classes and workshops at Saratoga's Hakone Gardens, 21000 Big Basin Way. By Shari Kaplan 'If Western-style flower arrangement were an 800-page novel, Ikebana would be a haiku." That's how Kathy Toy describes the ancient Japanese art of flower-arranging that has captivated her for so many years. She teaches that art in private and public classes and workshops, including an ongoing series at Saratoga's Hakone Gardens, 21000 Big Basin Way above the Saratoga Village. Toy is a third-term master in the Ohara School of Ikebana, the most naturalistic of three main "schools of thought" on the Japanese art form. The others are Ikenobo, which emphasizes very traditional arrangements; and Sogetsu, where the emphasis is on more contemporary and sculptural arrangements. Within Toy's preferred school, named after its 19th-century founder Unshin Ohara, are two different forms or styles: moribana, in which flowers, bulbs, grasses and tree branches are arranged in low, shallow containers; and heika, in which these materials are arranged in tall vases. Ikebana may sound complicated, but the San Jose resident has a better word to describe it: enchanting. She feels likewise about Japanese culture, which is one of the reasons she's so drawn to Ikebana. She got an early head start in this cultural appreciation - her family lived in Asia during part of her childhood; additionally, her husband William's job sent the couple to Tokyo, Japan, for a year. An interior designer by education, Toy says it fascinated her that although most Japanese people live in close proximity to others and their island country is very urbanized, they still find ways to honor the natural world in simple but significant ways - Ikebana being one example. "Flowers are an expression of the absolute love of nature and all natural things that the Japanese appreciate," she says. "It's interesting to study an art form like this, because there's nothing like it in the Western world. Our society is based on constant movement and sound. In Japan, the message is on finding the quietness of one's soul." Toy also finds it interesting that there are influences of both Shintoism and Buddhism in Ikebana. An important Shinto belief is that there is an element of the divine to be appreciated in all living things, including plants. In Buddhism, fresh offerings of fruits and flowers are placed on altars to honor the Buddha, a practice that was a precursor to Ikebana, Toy says. No religious predilection is necessary to study Ikebana, however - just patience, creativity and an appreciation for aesthetics. Unlike the thing of beauty that John Keats called "a joy forever," Ikebana arrangements usually don't last more than a week before wilting, drying up or fading. But that's OK, says Toy, an avid gardener who knows that although flowers last longer in the ground, they must be picked in order to be shared. "The temporalness - the transience of the moment of most perfect beauty - is important. It's the responsibility of the Ikebana arranger to honor the materials by elevating them to a level of beauty that's higher than how they would be in their natural setting," she explains. "The whole complexity of Ikebana is a fullness of thought, design and appreciation of nature. You can say so much with so very little." At Hakone Gardens, Toy offers a beginners' series as well as special sessions; she schedules them according to demand. She also does customized workshops and group presentations. For more information, call 408-267-4477 or email her at kltoy@aol.com. |
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