Wild plants are something usually admired in the mountains, fields or roadsides where they are found. Known as sanyaso, these plants have of late been gaining popularity and can be found at more flower shops and plant fairs, precisely because their subdued characteristics contrast with those of flowers at conventional shops.
Tucked away just one block from the main boulevard of the Ginza district in Tokyo is No-no-hana Tsukasa, one of the first flower shops specializing in sanyaso. In 1995, Katsuko Shoji established the shop in the Kamiyacho district in Minato Ward, Tokyo, before moving it one year later to its current location behind the Matsuya Ginza department store. Shoji became fascinated with the plants when she was an editor of books that included sanyaso as a subject matter.
Today, Tsukasa attracts sanyaso aficionados and flower enthusiasts as well as curious passersby.
The entrance resembles a traditional Japanese house. Throughout the shop, sanyaso are displayed in containers and small pots.
While I was at the shop on a weekday, many passersby seemed excited to unexpectedly find a variety of sober but enchanting seasonal hues of nature in a neighborhood lined with upscale fashion boutiques.
"Unlike flowers made to grow straight or to bear larger, lavish flowers through crossbreeding and other means, sanyaso have untamed charms from their adaptation in the wild," said Atsushi Komoriya, who is responsible for the management of Tsukasa. Which might explain why you'll find long branches freely winding out of pots as soon as you step inside.
Although flamboyant roses and tulips are not to be found, colorful winter hues of red, yellow and green sanyaso leaves and branches fill the space along with low-key but vigorous small flowers that have been sourced from several locations around Japan.
Komoriya noted, however, that about half the plants and flowers at the shop during cold seasons are from conventional flower markets since filling the shop entirely with sanyaso is not easy at this time of year.
There are still various sanyaso to buy in winter to add some "untamed charm" to your home.
"I recommend arranging them simply in a vase, preferably with a narrow mouth, since that will help set the sanyaso beautifully," Komoriya said.
Any container can work as a vase, he added.
"Those with a rusty or antique feel, in particular, go well with sanyaso," he said. "They make a good stage for the discreet plants."
I asked Komoriya if the common spiderwort, which I loved finding by the roadside as a child on my way to elementary school, would be good for decorating my home. He said its flowers open only for a short time during the day so it may not be suitable.
He suggested wild or garden-raised camellias this season as you can decorate a space with only a single branch, they are easy to handle and tend to last.
He also recommended chrysanthemums. "Although they have a somber image as they are often associated with Buddhist memorial services, chrysanthemums come in a wealth of variety."
He added: "You also can arrange different types of sanyaso seedlings and plants in one pot to enjoy yoseue, or group planting. Growing sanyaso gives a different pleasure."
While admiring the camellia's crisp color at home, I will continue enjoying the blue spiderwort flowers by the road, where they should be.
http://www.nonohana-tsukasa.com/
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
