1919(Taisho 8), a new style using Western flowers."Sasaoka style Morika"``Mishoryu Sasaoka'' is known for inventing this. The current headmaster, Ryuho Sasaoka, is attracting attention for his activities in a wide range of fields, including not only traditional flower arranging expressions, but also collaborations with other genres such as musicals and Kyogen. Mr. Sasaoka, who lives in Kyoto, talks about the monthly flowers and Kyoto's special features for each month in his series ``Monthly Flowers, Monthly Kyo'', and March is ``Peach'' and ``Hina no Sekku''.

Deep flavor packed into a small box flower

The cherry blossom season has arrived. It seems that the flowers are blooming a little late this year, but when I was a child, they usually bloomed in April, and they rarely bloom in full bloom at the end of March, as they have for the past 4 years or so. was. Is this due to the effects of global warming?

This time I'm going to change things up a bit and use cherry blossom box flowers. I spread moss at the bottom of the box, placed a moss-covered cherry blossom branch, and decorated it with flowers. It looks like a cherry blossom that has bloomed from an old tree, or like a single flower that has just fallen into a moss garden... It's just a small box flower, but it's surprisingly flavorful. It's nice to have gorgeous oversized branches that make spring bloom, but even with these little tricks, you can enjoy the cherry blossoms to the fullest.

“Kadokyo Exhibition” is an ikebana exhibition with a history of more than half a century.

The cherry blossom season is the busiest season of the year for flower arrangers. In particular, a large ikebana exhibition called ``Kadokyo Exhibition'' will be held in Kyoto. This exhibition is a historical and formal ikebana exhibition in which 29 schools belonging to the Kyoto Ikebana Association participate, and the students who have a long history of flower arranging present their works. This year, it will be held from April 4th to 4th at Daimaru Museum <Kyoto> on the XNUMXth floor of Daimaru Kyoto Store.

As the season progresses, there are many works that use cherry blossoms as flower materials, and these exhibitions feature magnificent branches that we call ``main cherry blossoms''. When practicing, we often use early-blooming Higanzakura and Keiozakura, which are about 1.5cm thick and 1m long, but this ``honzakura'' is a majestic tree that is about 3cm thick and XNUMXm long. It's cherry blossoms. The flowers are also particularly large and powerful. This cherry tree was also used for this box flower.

The cherry blossoms in full bloom at the exhibition are thanks to the people who cut them out.

There are actually over several hundred varieties of cherry blossoms, including those that grow naturally and those that have been cultivated as garden varieties, so the reality is that even ``true cherry blossoms'' cannot be identified as a variety.

Flower arrangers ask florists in advance to obtain ``real cherry blossoms,'' but there are middlemen called ``Kiridashi'' who cut out cherry blossoms that grow naturally in the mountains and fields with permission and deliver them to florists. These people put the cut cherry blossoms in greenhouses and refrigerators and control the blooming period, which is why the works at the ikebana exhibition bloom beautifully during the exhibition period. The efforts of these people are hidden behind the gorgeous ikebana exhibition.

Cherry blossoms along the Kamogawa River, bathed in the morning light and in full bloom

There are famous cherry blossom viewing spots all over Kyoto. I am often asked, ``Which cherry blossoms do you recommend?'', but it is difficult to decide on just one spot. The cherry blossoms at Tetsugaku no Michi that bloom as if covering the surface of the river, the night cherry blossoms at Maruyama Park that shine against the bonfire, the weeping cherry blossoms at Taizo-in Temple, which every family visits at least once in the spring, the cherry blossoms at Heian Shrine... There is no end to the list.

Although it is not a famous sightseeing spot, seeing the cherry blossoms blooming along the Kamo River from Kawabata Street is a memorable experience for me every year. The cherry blossom season in Kyoto coincides with the "Kadokyo Exhibition". During the exhibition period, I go to the venue almost every morning to touch up my works.

It is an annual tradition to watch the cherry blossoms in full bloom as the sun rises over Higashiyama from the car on the way to the pre-opening renovations. Looking at the cherry blossoms in the morning while feeling the excitement of the start of the ikebana exhibition season is a special experience. The "Kadokyo Exhibition" will be held soon this year as well. So, what kind of cherry blossoms will greet us this spring?

I have some news for you. A wreath-laying ceremony will be held on April 4th at the auditorium in the main hall of Tsukiji Honganji Temple in Tokyo. The event is scheduled to start at 26:11. It is a rare opportunity to hold a wreath-laying ceremony like this in Tokyo, so please come and see us.