The 50 Principles of Sogetsu from Textbook 5 草月５０則 By Sofu Teshigahara, the founder and first headmaster 初代家元・勅使河原蒼風
- Beautiful flowers do not always make beautiful ikebana. (For Beginners) 花が美しいからと言って、いけばなのどれもが、美しいとは限らない。
- True ikebana is not isolated from the times or our lives.(For Beginners) 正しいいけばなは、時代や生活と、遊離していない。
- The spirit of ikebana applies to all periods while the style of works may change over time.(For Beginners)精神に古今なく、作品は変転自在。
- Emphasize one flower, one branch. Create the arrangement as an essence of Nature.(For Beginners)一輪、一枝の強調。大自然を圧縮したような一瓶。
- Communicate with the flowers as you work with them. (Spirit of Practice)花と語りつついける。
- Do not be over-concerned about the result at the beginning of your studies.(Spirit of Practice)はじめから、結果を心配しすぎぬ稽古。
- Be genuine, serene, and attentive at the practice.(Spirit of Practice)清らかに、静かに、注意深い稽古。
More principles with your progress in studying Sogetsu Ikebana… Sogetsu Books
Sogetsu 30 Self-study Improving Methods 草月流独習上達法３０箇条
- なんでも清らかに仕度すること。花も、道具も、もちろん部屋も。Prepare everything clean. Flowers, tools, and of course the rooms.
- よく花を見ること。花の心がわかるほどに。Look at flowers carefully. To the extent of understanding the heart of flowers.
- 花をたくさん持ってかからぬこと。一輪、一枝をよく尊重して。Don’t bring a lot of flowers. Please respect one flower and one branch.
- 基本練習を馬鹿にせぬこと。はじめのいい加減がいつまでも傷になる。Don’t take basic practice lightly. Half-hearted practice will affect longway.
- 花型法を尊敬すること。花型法は多くの人の体験の集積。Respect the Kakei method. The Kakei method is a collection of many people’s experiences.
- 花の手入れを入念にすること。器にいける前の仕事が肝心。Prepare flowers carefully. The work before going to the container is essential.
- ぞんざいに稽古せぬこと。粗雑に何年習っても無駄。Do not practice carelessly. Careless practice would be ineffective, no matter how many years you learn.
- 花を単純化すること。省略の鋏を入れるときは大胆に。Simplify flowers. Be bold when inserting scissors to eliminate.
- 細部に油断のないこと。一枚の葉裏が大きな邪魔。Be careful of the details. That back of a leaf could be a big hinder.
- 落ち着いていけること。一枝ごとにしっかり止める。Be calm. Fix each branch securely.
- 時々離れて調べること。花と体がだんだんくっつく。Examine from the distance time to time. The flower and your body get too close.
- 横からも下からも見ること．一方だけよくても駄目。Look at it from the sides and from under. It is not good enough if the only one side looks good.
- 花をべた一面に並べぬこと。透いて見える花や、隠れるように使った花の良さ。Don’t spread flowers all over. Flowers in the gap or almost hidden ones look good.
- 器を忘れぬこと。花と器を一緒に見て仕上げる。Don’t forget the container. Finish up your arrangement by looking at both flowers and the container.
- 後で見直すこと。少したって見直すと欠点がわかる。Have an another look at your arrangement after a while. You may find a flaw .
- 枝を減らしてみること。多すぎるので見苦しい場合が多いもの。Try to reduce the number of branches. It is often too many and confusing.
- 有り合わせのものを生かすこと。花も器も高価なほど美しいのではない。Make good use of existing materials. Flowers and containers are beautiful not because they are expensive.
- 批評を参考にすること。心得のない人の批評がとかく一理ある。Listen to the criticism as a reference. The criticism of a person who doesn’t know much often makes sense.
- 人の生け花を見ること．自分勝手は芸道の止まり。See other people’s ikebana. Selfishness is an end barrier on the path of art.
- 休まずに練習すること。ことに技術はすぐには備わらぬ。Practice, practice, practice . You can’t acquire techniques overnight.
- 花屋の花ばかり使わぬこと。路傍の、庭の、山野の花も。Flowers are not only from a florist. There they are in a garden, in a mountains and on a roadside.
- 器を探すこと。がらくたでも使える。自分でも作れる。Look for a container. It may be among junk. You can make it yourself.
- 花型を創作すること。もちろん花型法の猛練習が先。Creat your own flower format. But first thing is to practice hard Kakei method.
- 図に書いてみること。作品の印象をはっきりさせる方便として。Draw your arrangement. As a way to clarify the impression of the work.
- 周囲とともに眺めること。花だけでなく、背景や明暗なども. Look at it including your surroundings. Not only flowers, but also background and light and shade.
- 場所におおじていけること。環境に応じた、着想の訓練。Make arrangement accordingly depending on place. Training for inspiration based on the environment.
- 色彩を理解すること。花の色だけでなく、器、台、壁等々との調和。Understand colors. Not only the color of the flowers, but also the harmony with the container, stand and walls, etc.
- 手早くいけること。花の生気を逃がさぬ、迅速さ。Be swift. Swiftness of not losing liveliness of the fresh flowers.
- 研究的であること。随所に新しい題材を拾って。Be a researcher. Pick up new materials from everywhere.
- 変化に富むこと。無限の花の美と、多様な生活への調和と。Be courageous in changes. Infinite beauty of flowers and harmony with diverse lives.
The following photo shows nice-to-have items to start Ikebana, but the class also provides these items.
