On 'Flower and Zen, One Taste'

ka zen ichi mi — Flower and Zen, One Taste.

On the origin

No direct source in the classical Zen records could be confirmed. The phrase belongs to the “one taste with Zen” family (as in 茶禅一味, tea and Zen; 剣禅一味, sword and Zen), here applied to the way of flowers.

On the reading

Arranging a flower and sitting in stillness — one taste runs through both. The hand that chooses a stem, cuts away the rest, and meets this single branch is already the hand of Zen. Blooming, falling — nothing held, left as it is. Not looking at the flower, but being with it.

On the garment

The seal for this phrase was hand-carved in Tokyo by the artist Satake Hōsen. The front carries this phrase’s seal; the back and inside label carry the Hōsen seal (寳千), printed in vermilion.

The garment is Bella + Canvas 3001 (short sleeve) or Gildan 2400 (long sleeve). A vessel for the word, not the subject itself.

― hosen, tokyo