Toru Watarai

Tumbler and flowers

Ikebana artist

©Daisuke Ito

©Watarai Toru

©Daisuke Ito

©Watarai Toru

Mountain wizard

Toru is a modern ikebana practitioner
He defines his art as freestyle ikebana
He lives in the mountains and gets inspired by the landscape around him

Whilst making bamboo vases as a hobby, Watarai Toru got curious about the ancient craft of ikebana for which the vases were made. In 2002, he enrolled into Ohara school in Tokyo, one of the most renowned schools for ikebana since its foundation in the late 19th century. “I was working as an editor and writer for a fashion magazine” he remembers. “Ikebana changed my way of thinking and helped me visually planning my articles and stylings.” That was years ago. Since then, Toru has devoted himself full time to ikebana, which he keeps studying with his master, and in 2019 moved to the mountain region around Kamakura. “Nowadays my art is my way of living and communicating with the world through plants” he explains.

Interview

©Watarai Toru

©Daisuke Ito

Has your craft changed since you moved to the mountains?: Yes. Ikebana is a way of getting closer to nature by bringing it to your living space. Here, I collect plants from my garden and from the nearby mountains, where they grow untouched by human hands. They are completely different from those you find in the city.
Would you define your ikebana style as traditional?: I prefer to call it “freestyle ikebana” because it’s free from many traditional rules. Of course I’ve been influenced by the traditional sense of balance and use of negative spaces, but the act of creating ikebana, according to my own experience and sensitivity, means I am innovating.
Could you describe your creative process?: My arrangements are guided by what I find in the mountains. I don’t make sketches: I just imagine the shape I’d like to create and look for flowers and branches close to that image. My favourite are seasonal plants with scents and irregular branches that look like they struggled for growth.
Do you think ikebana can help people live a better life?: I wish that looking at my arrangements people could overcome their daily stress and social difficulties, maybe they can help in learning to express their own identities. Ikebana art is also my way of warning powerful politicians to be more respectful of the environment.

Toru Watarai is a master artisan: he began his career in 2012 and he started teaching in 2012