WHY FUUKIRAN?

I travel around the world to see orchids in their natural habitats and take others on orchid tours. I tremendously enjoy photographing orchids and write on occasion for the Orchids magazine, published by the American Orchid Society, but I haven't had an urge to keep any of them at home until now.

What changed? What made me single out FUUKIRAN of all other orchids that I know and like? The answer is not in the orchid itself, but in its packaging as a whole.

Throughout the past four centuries, the Japanese have kept FUUKIRAN for amusement and elevated it to a state of art. FUUKIRAN are beloved not only for their miniature demeanor and wide variety of forms, but also for the exquisite pottery that is designed to feature them and the distinctive way of growing them on top of a hollow mound of sphagnum moss. Following my interests about everything Japanese, ranging from apprenticing in the craft of SUSHI and "getting my feet wet" in SHODOU (calligraphy) to growing BONSAI trees and raising RANCHU goldfish, I now have entered the realm of FUUKIRAN. In fact, all of my avocations do have a similarity. They are all bound by the same need for precision, control, technicality and patience, sense of harmony and aesthetics - all resulting in creations worthy of admiration. The path and time I have taken towards mastering my skills, has ultimately affected the way I look at life and choose my priorities. I am looking forward to my experiences with FUUKIRAN and opening up to yet another traditional Japanese art form.

Part of my small FUUKIRAN collection

In the articles to follow, I will introduce members of my FUUKIRAN collection one by one. Stay tuned.