On 'Willow Green, Blossom Red'

ryū ryoku ka kō — Willow Green, Blossom Red.

On the origin

A Zen phrase traditionally traced to a line by Su Dongpo (Su Shi) of Northern Song China — “the willow green, the blossom red, the true face of things.” It is often said to derive from the Dongpo Chanxi ji, though the original source is contested and not firmly established. The seal writes 華 as a variant of 花.

On the reading

The willow is green, the blossom red. Each thing as it is, needing no adornment. Nothing is ranked, nothing improved upon. The plain face of things is taken to be the whole of the truth.

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