INTRODUCTION 



shown such keen appreciation of the flower 

 art's symbolism and beauty. All lovers of 

 the art owe Mr. Conder endless gratitude 

 for the information he has given us. But 

 while Enshiu-Ryu, the school Mr. Conder has 

 selected to describe, is the most striking of 

 them all and has impressed its influence on 

 all later schools, it is too unnatural in its 

 lines to appeal to Western taste. 



The lover of flowers in their natural 

 state is startled rather than pleased by 

 Enshiu-Ryu. In following the history of 

 Ike-bana you will see that Enshiu-Ryu was 

 created in a period when all art ran to 

 decoration, so that it is more for design 

 than for actual arrangements of flowers 

 that Enshiu-Ryu is valuable. Its principles 

 are so strong and clear that they have 

 been followed by most of the other schools, 

 but they became exaggerated to such an 

 extent that the natural growth of the plant 

 was lost sight of in extreme and unnatural 

 curves. Mr. Conder as a scholar took up 

 this school, as he himself states, for the 



I'Sl 



