Universal Value

Half a century has passed since the culture of flower design was introduced to Japan from the West. Before that, flower design was called kaki soshoku (floral decoration). In the historical backdrop against which flower design achieved explosive growth in our country, there was, I think, even more than today, a mingling of feelings: women holding dreams and hopes of advancing into society, Japanese feeling a strong yearning toward the West, and a desire to gain the status and confidence that lessons and accomplishments bring.

And now, time has flowed on, the age has changed… More women than men are full of life, pride in one’s country and in oneself has risen, and people have become able to obtain the knowledge and information they need for themselves at the earliest opportunity.

Yet there are also universal values that transcend the age. Flowers are beautiful. One wishes to pursue self-realization. One wishes to live joyfully. Cherishing these values, the universal value of mine, having spent my life working with flowers, is the joy of sharing impressions—”to move people, and to be moved.”