On Sunday April 27, Stony Brook University held their Sakura Matsuri: Cherry Blossom Festival in the Charles B. Wang Center from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The festival was hosted by the Japan Center and the RyuShuKan Japanese Arts Center.
The festival consisted of a wide range of activities centered around Japanese culture to welcome spring as cherry blossoms bloomed. The Japanese exhibits included Kendo martial arts demonstrations, Japanese calligraphy workshops, ikebana flower arrangements, Japanese pottery and live plays.
Susan Broderick, who directed the pottery exhibit, has been bringing her homemade Japanese pottery to the Sakura Matsuri festival for years. Her extensive array of pots was created by different techniques, such as pit-firing, horsehair and functional methods, all of which were displayed at the festival.
Broderick said the most memorable aspect of coming to Stony Brook for this festival is sharing different pottery techniques she uses with new people. She went on to explain how each technique works, beginning with the pit-firing technique.
“Pots are placed in a pit of sawdust with chemicals spread around them, covered with wood and allowed to burn overnight,” she said. “They are then carefully removed, brushed off, and when still warm, a coat of butcher’s wax is applied to enhance the colors.”
She elaborated that this process produces unusual hues of color from the combination of the flames and vaporized minerals.
Regarding the horsehair technique, Broderick explained that “horsehair is applied and draped on the hot pots surface, creating unique designs.”
Toyomi Sobue, the head of the ikebana flower arrangement exhibit, explained what traditional Japanese flowers symbolize.
“The ikebana represents the world, with elements symbolizing heaven, the atmosphere, Earth and living life,” Sobue said.
Sobue emphasized the energy flow of these flowers.
“You’re supposed to feel energy from the flowers and branches, that is why the flowers are never pointing down,” she said. “A key difference between this [Japanese floral arrangement] and an American flower arrangement is that you need to show that unbalance because you want to show off nature and the beauty of nature.”
Tomoya Shinohara, a senior majoring in environmental studies and an event coordinator assistant at the Japanese Student Organization, ran the Japanese Calligraphy workshop. He explained the workshop’s activities and why he loves being a part of it.
“People come and say what they want to write down. We translate it into Japanese and they copy it and have fun,” he said.
He pointed out the Japanese kanji for cherry blossoms, which is pronounced “sakura,” and its connection to the event. Shinohara said that he feels a personal connection to the workshop because he has been running it at the festival for two years.
“I like to spread Japanese culture because I’m from Japan, and I really love people having an interest in Japanese culture — [there’s] a lot to share and spread,” he said.
