A Special Ikebana Set By Ilse Beunen
In recent years, I've found myself in an odd loop, a recurring conversation with Ben, my ever-curious marketer, photographer, and videographer. Ben, you see, has a way of asking questions that nibble away at the edges of your mind until you simply must answer them. Last year, his favorite question was, "Why do you do ikebana, Ilse?"
I'd always start with something terribly uninspired. "Because I love ikebana," I'd say, which would elicit a raised eyebrow. "Yes, but why do you love ikebana?" And on we would go, in what can only be described as a merry-go-round of vague declarations and Ben's relentless need for clarity. One day, as we sat over lunch, I suddenly said, "I am a quiet activist." The words just slipped out. Ben stopped mid-bite, looked up, and said, "Well, that's it, isn't it?"
And so, the real reason behind my passion for ikebana was finally revealed—an unshakable desire to honor nature.
It all ties back to Shinto, Japan's wonderfully ancient way of thinking, where everything from mountains to streams is believed to be home to spirits called kami.
In Shinto, the idea is simple:
It's a lovely thought, really, and it's at the heart of what drives me to share ikebana with the world.
Impressive Japanese Nature in Nagaoka, my Japanese Hometown.
But if I wanted to stay true to that passion and the why behind my ikebana, I realized I needed to reach beyond the traditional ikebana world.
The goal was to introduce ikebana to people who had never heard of it. That's when Wazakura reached out, proposing a partnership. Their presence on many e-commerce platforms in multiple languages made it the perfect opportunity to extend ikebana's reach and connect with new audiences.
During a visit to Wazakura's headquarters, the seed was planted: a beginner's kit with a guidebook to introduce ikebana to the masses.
But how can we create something accessible, especially when language would be a barrier? Translating a guidebook into multiple languages would have turned our delightful project into a logistical nightmare.
That's when Ben, in his usual thoughtful way, suggested,
With that, we embarked on creating a language-free, visual guidebook. Over the summer, drafts were made, feedback was received, and thanks to Wazakura's keen eye, improvements were made.
The result? The *Embrace Nature: One Flower, One Branch at a Time* booklet, designed to show beginners some aesthetic principles of ikebana—balance, line, and color—without the need for a single word.
Ilse Beunen
