House and Garden 
AN UNBALANCED ARRANGEMENT 
his fill at an aged plum tree arrayed anew in 
delicate bloom ? and, having departed to 
some distance, returned to it in order to gaze 
again ? As to keen appreciation of line in 
nature or art, a score of Western authorities, 
for example, W. Anderson and R. Muther, 
frankly accord supremacy to the Japanese; 
and the floral arrangement we are consider¬ 
ing forms a conspicuous example of it. 
Perhaps a third source for ike-bana should 
be cited, namely, that marvelous power for 
elaboration which has shown itself alike in 
the famous ceremonial tea, in the incense 
pastime, in the lacquer art- 
craft, and in the recent perfect 
preparedness of the nation for 
war by land or sea. Mr. Fran¬ 
cis Brinkley observes that, 
“Every social usage that has 
grown to maturity in Japan 
shows traces of elaborate care 
bestowed upon it by genera¬ 
tion after generation of refined 
practice, ” and very well com¬ 
ments on the fact with, “Some 
credit may be claimed for a 
society that has occupied itself 
with such refined pastimes 
rather than with roulette, faro, 
or poker. ” Only the barest 
outline can be given here of a 
system which has grown since 
the sixth century and of which 
only a typical school is described 
in Mr. Conder’s entire work on 
the floral art of Japan. 
I he simplest type of ike-bana 
comprises three pieces: a princi¬ 
pal in the middle, a secondary 
on one side and a tertiary on 
the other. Apparently in order 
to avoid any semblance of sym¬ 
metry, which a vertical line 
might impart to the group, this 
principal stem springs from the 
water straight-lined but inclined 
45 degrees—right or left—from 
the vertical. It then bends 
strongly but not sharply into a 
direction at right angles—or 90 
degrees—to the former one; 
and Anally bends again 45 
degrees from its former direc¬ 
tion, so as to reach the vertical. This vertical 
section sometimes comes over the centre of 
the vase whence the principal sprang, but 
sometimes on that side of it opposite to the 
bow made by the two curves. The secondary 
and primary stems each form double, that 
is, S shaped, curves, and each deviates from 
the principal in a tangental line. The 
secondary is placed on the convex side of the 
principal, and tends to the vertical; the pri¬ 
mary is placed on the concave side of the prin¬ 
cipal, and tends to the horizontal, so as to 
All out the hollow made by the principal and 
126 
