On bending the Paws of a Cat

Today, I worked on the rose-gold pussy willow (Salix gracilistyla). Its supple branches are much easier to bend than those of trees usually used in the kakubana form like the Thujopsis I talked about in my last entry. But the Salix is also much less forgiving because one cannot hide mistakes under leafage.

Whenever I caress this slender beauty that the Japanese call ネコヤナギ (Neko Yanagi or cat willow) because of the soft, cat-paw-like silk within the buds, its almost anorexic branches keep reminding me of the nervous grace that so often emanates from a woman’s naked body.

And like the skin of a lover or the fur of a wild cat, the rose-gold pussy willow will only submit to the subtlest hands.



Date
November 7, 2023