Itchy Bum? NO! Ichiban!

Several years ago, we received a gift from one of our family members. It was a beautiful handmade pottery vase, a low dish with three short, upright tubes. We were told it was an Ichiban, a Japanese flower designing vessel. The tubes were open at the bottom to allow the stems to uptake water. Well, recently we had a visit from this family member. She found the Ichiban in the bathroom, serving as a catch-all for a candle, matches, and hair clips.

Ah, the humiliation. We were given a stern lecture regarding the proper usage of an Ichiban, its history and its purpose. An Ichican is a feng shui-type pottery vessel, designed to support the stems of flowers and sprigs of greenery in a simple, vertical arrangement. It's all about maintaining different heights of the selected vegetation in a pleasing arrangement. The still water in the bottom is also very feng shui, transmitting positive chi, tranquility, calmness, and peacefulness to the household.

Ever since the visit, I've been maintaining our Ichiban, changing the water and the flowers faithfully, and I've come to love it. I use flowers from our garden and sprigs from the surrounding shrubs and trees. Here's my latest arrangement, which I think is quite lovely.