Japanese flower arrangement/Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
HOW TO ARRANGE FLOWERS IN A VASE OF MANY SECTIONS
TREES are all yo, or masculine, so when they are arranged with anything else they must be above, while grasses and flowers, being feminine, can be put down in the lower parts of the arrangement. But when your vase is a hanging one, a many-sectioned vase or a double bucket, you may arrange grasses high and trees low.
This is because such an arrangement is often supposed to look like a mountain, which has grass growing on its top and trees at its foot and in the valleys.
A poem comes to mind here which is very dear to all lovers of Ike-bana:
- Musashi no ni
- Kusa makura shite
- Nagamure ba, Fuji yori takaki
- Tokonatsu no hanna.
- Musashi no ni
"Upon Musashino prairie I lie with a pillow of grass, and I see a little wild pink, but—it looks higher than Fuji."
In arranging flowers in a three-sectioned vase the idea is this: the flowers placed in the highest section should be plants which would grow on a mountain top; in the next section upland-growing plants, and in the lowest place, valley or water-growing plants, for the last section represents also sea or lake level. Thus plants of all altitudes can be brought together in one vase. This order may be changed, but the three-sectioned vase was originated to carry out this idea. Trees are sometimes placed in the highest division, as trees do grow on mountain tops.
In a vase of two divisions like the one illustrated, only the lower opening is used. The upper place is very shallow and when filled with water is left without flowers and is supposed to represent the reflected moon. 
Three Aspidistra Leaves
Five Aspidistra Leaves
Seven Aspidistra Leaves
Nine Aspidistra Leaves
Showing how Leaves must be tied in Groups over Night
Seven Aspidistra Leaves. Showing how desirable a
torn leaf is considered