Page:Japanese flower arrangement.djvu/65

 their proper shapes. The bending is done according to the rules for bending given later.

Now take the longest branch, from which Heaven is to be made. It must then be bent carefully into this shape, (see cut) or a line as nearly as possible like it. There can be but one Heaven branch. It can never be multiplied.

Hold the branch up before you and look at it carefully to determine which side will serve better for the front. This should be the side the leaves and flowers naturally turn to. After you have bent it to your satisfaction, place it in water, but not in the receptacle the arrangement is to be made in.

Next take up Man, which should be the first placed in the vase. It will be shorter than Heaven, but follows its lines like this. [59]