Yuri Kageyama

My Ikenobo Ikebana No. 5

I was allowed to choose my vase and so it’s a rather unusual shape this time that really stimulates your imagination as to where the leaves and flowers should be, can be, wants to be, or are speaking to your soul to be. The beauty of Ikebana is that it is a conversation, silent but certain, not only with the elements of Nature but also with things like a vase, specially made by an artist for Ikenobo Ikebana, an individual. You are also relating to many other people, your ikebana teacher, of course, and your inner self, but, more significantly, memories of people, like your mother, who taught you your first lessons in ikebana, pride and joy in your Japanese heritage, and recognizing beauty and the message of impermanence in Life.

My Ikenobo Ikebana No. 4 is here with links to the previous works.

My Ikenobo Ikebana No. 4

The star of today’s ikebana are roses from Kenya called Game Changers, arranged in a wine glass partly filled with plastic crystals. My earlier Ikebana: My first ever Ikenobo Ikebana. Part Two or my Second Attempt. And Part Three.

Two and a half weeks later, the flowers have gone dry but are still vibrant with color. My teacher told me to watch for the flowers as they go dry, and, although I found just three pieces this time, they look grand and happy in the Hagiyaki plate. My parents lived in Yamaguchi Prefecture, where Hagi is located, and my father was a professor after retiring from an engineering company. They became friends with a lot of Hagiyaki artists and got their works at bargain prices. I treasures all their Hagiyaki pieces. There is a whole universe in this arrangement. And the messages that beauty _ and life _ do not end with death.

Hiroshima on Our Minds

Hiroshima On Our Minds. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba read a tanka poem by Shinoe Shoda at the end of his speech this year. He read it twice, which was not initially planned, saying: “With a flood of emotions as I reflect deeply on those words, I hereby conclude my address.”

The official translation:

The heavy bone must be a teacher’s. The small skulls beside it must be students gathered around.

My translation:

The big bone a teacher

Nearby tiny skulls

Huddle close

The original Japanese:

太き骨は先生ならむ

そのそばに小さきあたまの骨

あつまれり

The words of the Hiroshima poet, who wrote extensively about the horrors of war, are engraved in a memorial in that city. She died in 1965.

My Ikenobo Ikebana No. 3

Today’s Ikenobo Ikebana used a sponge called “oasis,” because it’s apparently made by a company called Oasis, to arrange the flowers in a way that was quite three-dimensional but required the placement of the leaves at the bottom to “hide” the sponge. The teacher said to start with the main elements, the sunflowers. You place one sunflower, then the other sunflower, always lower than the first. The other elements are basically fillers for the empty spaces, but you have to think where those spots are and balance them. You can play around with the long leaves, even bending them with your fingers. But always remember the tips must look up, never droop. Adding the water comes last. The speckles of glitter reflecting in the vase are gorgeous and an understatement at once.

My Second Ikenobo Ikebana

My Second Ikenobo Ikebana

Actually my teacher told me it’s against the rules to let a flower that broke off float in the water, when I did it. But when he took the photos at the end of the class with all the lighting set up, or actually another student and me holding them up, he took the flower, dropped it in the water and took this photo. He is a nice teacher. Although allowed in other styles of Ikebana, Ikenobo did not, seeing fallen flowers as death, and his works are about life, purity and our eternal connection to the spiritual. It made me sad that death is so beautiful. And I like this photo.

My First Ikenobo Ikebana

My First Ikenobo Ikebana

My first ever attempt at Ikenobo style Ikebana. May 21, 2025.

YOISHO !!

YOISHO !!

Wonderful to chance upon this image of a silkscreen poster by Gail Aratani for a poetry and music event we put on in J-Town San Francisco in 1979. I don’t remember what poems I read there, but I remember I came up with the name for the event, and Gail liked it, understanding how it expressed our umph, our hard work and how we do it together, as Japanese. Still proud of our work, our connections, our dreams, all the people and their art.

what do you think? a poem by Yuri Kageyama

what do you think?

a poem by Yuri Kageyama

what do you think?

it’s a trick question

what do you think?

with a right answer

what do you think?

not at all open-ended

what do you think?

as it might seem

what do you think?

it’s asking do you really love me?

do you truly understand?

what do you think?

the answer isn’t fixed

just a right answer, and a wrong

what do you think?

i love you so much

what do you think?

and long after we’re all gone

what do you think?

that big question is still there

what do you think?

This is the first piece in a still untitled series. Continue to this link for the rest of the series.

I went on to collaborate with a singer and musician to make this into a song.

My poem in the Spring 2025 issue of KONCH magazine

My poem “Shiro” is published in the Spring 2025 issue of Ishmael Reed’s KONCH magazine.

“CONTINUOUSLY POETRY” MY NEW BOOK OF POEMS

“CONTINUOUSLY POETRY” My new book of poems

“CONTINUOUSLY POETRY” My new book of poems, a collaboration with Osaki HANIYA. Out as a real paper book January 2025. Please stay tuned for a big book party _ you are all invited to come celebrate poetry that knows no borders. Some poems shared on this site earlier became a part of the book: Continuously Poetry, Part Two and KELOID. I am very proud of this book. Special thanks to Shinsuke, who volunteered his time and love to put the digital data together so we could get it all nicely printed. So please come to the book party, but I already said that. Details coming soon.