It is a feeling - of growth, of space, of light. Green grain, wide skies and golden sunsets tell of life unfolding. They remind us how beautiful it is to be in the moment - before everything ripens, before the pace picks up. Now is the time to take a deep breath. To observe. To marvel. Summer has only just begun.
It's that special time of year when the days seem longer, the light is softer and the air smells of new beginnings. The fields are lush green, the grain still young and fresh, the sky above endlessly wide. Everything seems like a promise.
Sunset glow - When the day takes a bow
The evenings in early summer are some of the most beautiful moments of the year. The sun bathes the world in warm light, the green corn suddenly glows in golden tones and the shadows grow long. It is a time when everything comes to rest without standing still. A sunset over the field is no ordinary end to a day. It is a quiet farewell, a gentle promise that the next day will also be full of light and life. And when the last rays of sunlight touch the corn, the world seems to stand still for a moment.
The sky - open, wide, still
The early summer sky stretches across the land like a canvas. It is clear, wide, deep blue - sometimes interspersed with clouds that drift by like thoughts. There is a quiet majesty in its vastness. It invites you to pause, to dream, to take a deep breath. Especially in rural regions, this sky seems infinite. No noise, no hustle and bustle - just the gentle rustle of the wind in the cornfield and the distant twittering of a bird.
Green grain - sign of becoming
The grain is not yet golden. It is green, alive and full of vigour. The stalks stand close together as if they were supporting each other, growing towards the sky, carried by warm soil and spring rain. In this early summer phase, the grain shows its tender side - not as a finished product, but as hope.
If you walk along the country lanes now, you don't just see plants, you see the future. You can sense that something is in the making - and that's what makes this time so special. Green grain - living grain. In Ikenobō ikebana, it is actually rarely used and only when it is still green. Not ripe, yellow and suitable for harvesting. But when it is green and expresses growth and vitality, it can be arranged with it.
With its straight, expressive lines, it is particularly suitable for shōka shofūtai nisshū-ike, as seen in these two variations with wheat or barley. A Shoka Shofutai nisshū-ike looks distinctive with wheat and Eustoma as the nejime or with barley and small cloves as the second material.
