Contents
Amano's Room
Takashi Amano will answer some of his favorite questions, regardless of the topic.
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ask@aquajournal.net
Interview with Takashi Amano
The Philosophy of Iwagumi
AJ: Spirituality and philosophy is often discussed in reference to Iwagumi layouts.
When did you start getting conscious of such concepts in relation to Iwagumi?
Amano: The material that I used for my first serious attempt at creating a layout with aquatic plants was, in fact, rocks. Iwagumi was already established about thirty years ago. I started getting conscious of the distinctive realm of rocks around the same time in my early 20’s when I started looking at Japanese gardens. Many of the Japanese gardens were created as symbols of power or abstract images of nature rather than to recreate nature faithfully. However, they served as a useful reference in terms of the concept of Iwagumi.
AJ: When did you consciously start studying rocks and their formation in nature?
Amano: I think it was about the same time that I thought of studying the formation of rocks in nature. In the beginning, I went to rivers and looked at river rocks. Later, I visited various places and saw all kinds of rocks. Man-made gardens are full of exaggerated expressions, but rocks in nature are untouched and genuine. I might have been getting firsthand knowledge of the invisible law and order that nature had created.
AJ: You have a lot of old books on Japanese gardens and rocks on your desk. Did you collect these books then?
Amano: Yes. When I get interested in a subject, I have a tendency to pursue it to great depths from various angles, so I read a lot of books. I was interested not only in landscaping, but also in a wide range of things, such as Suiseki (the Japanese art of stone appreciation), Bonseki (the Japanese art of creating miniature landscapes on a black lacquer tray), and garden rocks. There is a limit to how much you can learn from aquascapes alone in terms of compositions and creativity. Since we are trying to create a layout and sublimate it into art, it is good to explore various fields.
AJ: Speaking from a more general point of view, you mentioned in a seminar that the choice of aquatic plants vary depending on the perspective of an aquascape, such as, for example, an aquascape created in the image of a close-up view of a scene in a mountain stream or that of a distant view of a mountain range. What is the relationship between a composition and plants?
Amano: You must be referring to the discussion on matching plants with the perspective of a composition, as in using aquatic plants with large leaves for a close-up view and using those with light colored leaves or fine leaves, such as stem plants, for a distant view. It is the same principle as the way scenery appears in photography. Although I generally have an idea whether it is going to be a close-up view or a distant view when I start creating a layout, its impression sometimes changes when the composition is finished, or it sometimes changes with planting. We need to be flexible when it comes to the expression of perspectives.
AJ: You are quick and decisive when arranging rocks nowadays. When you were still new at creating Iwagumi, did you rearrange rocks many times?
Amano: You cannot produce a good Iwagumi unless you work at a quick pace, building momentum. When you take time and think about it too much, it often turns into a dull and unnatural looking layout, lacking a sense of rhythm. However, there were times that I rearranged rocks this way and that way for hundreds of times. I often worked late into the night until I was satisfied and then found the work quite disappointing the next morning. Having experience and instinct sometimes count more than the artistic sense when arranging rocks. Although I think that the artistic sense is important in the end, it is important to first have confidence in your idea that “rocks will appear this way when placed like this”. When you gain experience and develop your instinct, you will gain speed and a sense of rhythm, which will enable you to create an unstable, difficult, and delicate composition that renders the powerfulness and the sense of stability of nature.
AJ: It was about thirty years ago that you were in your 20’s. Internet did not exist back then and I believe that the information that you could obtain was somewhat limited. Developing your own concept of Iwagumi and shaping the concept into the practical method must have taken a lot of time and efforts.
Amano: That may be true, but on the other hand, such difficulties might have strengthened one’s conviction in the past. It took a stronger resolve to get what you wanted than you do now. You can get just about anything quickly and easily nowadays. Abundant information may be making it difficult to develop the drive to pursue something to the end with strong conviction. Be it Nature Aquarium or ADA’s products, I developed a burning desire to produce them myself because they did not exist at that time.
AJ: Things are very convenient nowadays, but it seems that persistence may not be as necessary as before.
Amano: It may sound like an exaggeration, but I believe that the same thing is true with Iwagumi. Although a lot of information is made available and many different methods are proposed, what's important in the end is how determined you are to create a good layout rather than how much information you have amassed. Especially in the case of rocks, one’s efforts and passion are directly reflected in the work since it is a type of material that easily reflects the intention of a designer and does not allow any fudging or superficial cover-up.
AJ: What kind of attitude is important to master Iwagumi?
Amano: As I mentioned earlier, while it's necessary to practice arranging rocks many times, it is important to develop the sense to look at things, not with your eyes, but with your heart, because there are many aspects of Iwagumi to consider such as rhythm, shading, stability, powerfulness, tranquility, Wabi, Sabi* and so on.
(*Note: Wabi-sabi represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience.)
AJ: How does one go about developing a sense for the spirituality and philosophy that Iwagumi possesses?
Amano: Flexible mind-set is required for creating a layout as well, rather than making a faithful reproduction by thinking only about your know-how of the ratio and balance, you see. There are many hints hidden in something seemingly unrelated to things inside an aquarium. For example, the amazement and excitement that you feel when you come face to face with nature provides a spark for the originality or the natural feel of a layout. Or you may get a feel for the arrangement of rocks by watching rocks scattered in mountain streams. These intangible expressions that are often used for a layout, such as “natural feel”, “flow” or “rhythm”, can only be elucidated by replacing them with the senses you have within yourself. These senses are something you must develop yourself. The wider the range of experience you have with which to sharpen your senses, the wider the range of expression becomes. Of course, it’s important to do research and make efforts to understand practical methods to create a layout. No matter how many ingredients you gather, you cannot make a tasty dish unless you know how to cook them. I think it is important to develop in a balanced manner both practical skill through producing layouts and expressive ability, which is acquired indirectly.
AJ: I feel that the process to master Iwagumi will make my own way of life more profound as well.
The Philosophy of Iwagumi
Since the old days, rocks have been a product of nature in which people often find some special meanings. In Nature Aquarium, they have also been a type of material that is often discussed with reference to a philosophical element or profound spirituality. In this interview, we asked the founder, Takashi Amano, about the profundity and philosophy of the Iwagumi layout.
AJ: Spirituality and philosophy is often discussed in reference to Iwagumi layouts.
When did you start getting conscious of such concepts in relation to Iwagumi?
Amano: The material that I used for my first serious attempt at creating a layout with aquatic plants was, in fact, rocks. Iwagumi was already established about thirty years ago. I started getting conscious of the distinctive realm of rocks around the same time in my early 20’s when I started looking at Japanese gardens. Many of the Japanese gardens were created as symbols of power or abstract images of nature rather than to recreate nature faithfully. However, they served as a useful reference in terms of the concept of Iwagumi.
AJ: When did you consciously start studying rocks and their formation in nature?
Amano: I think it was about the same time that I thought of studying the formation of rocks in nature. In the beginning, I went to rivers and looked at river rocks. Later, I visited various places and saw all kinds of rocks. Man-made gardens are full of exaggerated expressions, but rocks in nature are untouched and genuine. I might have been getting firsthand knowledge of the invisible law and order that nature had created.
AJ: You have a lot of old books on Japanese gardens and rocks on your desk. Did you collect these books then?
Amano: Yes. When I get interested in a subject, I have a tendency to pursue it to great depths from various angles, so I read a lot of books. I was interested not only in landscaping, but also in a wide range of things, such as Suiseki (the Japanese art of stone appreciation), Bonseki (the Japanese art of creating miniature landscapes on a black lacquer tray), and garden rocks. There is a limit to how much you can learn from aquascapes alone in terms of compositions and creativity. Since we are trying to create a layout and sublimate it into art, it is good to explore various fields.
AJ: Speaking from a more general point of view, you mentioned in a seminar that the choice of aquatic plants vary depending on the perspective of an aquascape, such as, for example, an aquascape created in the image of a close-up view of a scene in a mountain stream or that of a distant view of a mountain range. What is the relationship between a composition and plants?
Amano: You must be referring to the discussion on matching plants with the perspective of a composition, as in using aquatic plants with large leaves for a close-up view and using those with light colored leaves or fine leaves, such as stem plants, for a distant view. It is the same principle as the way scenery appears in photography. Although I generally have an idea whether it is going to be a close-up view or a distant view when I start creating a layout, its impression sometimes changes when the composition is finished, or it sometimes changes with planting. We need to be flexible when it comes to the expression of perspectives.
AJ: You are quick and decisive when arranging rocks nowadays. When you were still new at creating Iwagumi, did you rearrange rocks many times?
Amano: You cannot produce a good Iwagumi unless you work at a quick pace, building momentum. When you take time and think about it too much, it often turns into a dull and unnatural looking layout, lacking a sense of rhythm. However, there were times that I rearranged rocks this way and that way for hundreds of times. I often worked late into the night until I was satisfied and then found the work quite disappointing the next morning. Having experience and instinct sometimes count more than the artistic sense when arranging rocks. Although I think that the artistic sense is important in the end, it is important to first have confidence in your idea that “rocks will appear this way when placed like this”. When you gain experience and develop your instinct, you will gain speed and a sense of rhythm, which will enable you to create an unstable, difficult, and delicate composition that renders the powerfulness and the sense of stability of nature.
AJ: It was about thirty years ago that you were in your 20’s. Internet did not exist back then and I believe that the information that you could obtain was somewhat limited. Developing your own concept of Iwagumi and shaping the concept into the practical method must have taken a lot of time and efforts.
Amano: That may be true, but on the other hand, such difficulties might have strengthened one’s conviction in the past. It took a stronger resolve to get what you wanted than you do now. You can get just about anything quickly and easily nowadays. Abundant information may be making it difficult to develop the drive to pursue something to the end with strong conviction. Be it Nature Aquarium or ADA’s products, I developed a burning desire to produce them myself because they did not exist at that time.
AJ: Things are very convenient nowadays, but it seems that persistence may not be as necessary as before.
Amano: It may sound like an exaggeration, but I believe that the same thing is true with Iwagumi. Although a lot of information is made available and many different methods are proposed, what's important in the end is how determined you are to create a good layout rather than how much information you have amassed. Especially in the case of rocks, one’s efforts and passion are directly reflected in the work since it is a type of material that easily reflects the intention of a designer and does not allow any fudging or superficial cover-up.
AJ: What kind of attitude is important to master Iwagumi?
Amano: As I mentioned earlier, while it's necessary to practice arranging rocks many times, it is important to develop the sense to look at things, not with your eyes, but with your heart, because there are many aspects of Iwagumi to consider such as rhythm, shading, stability, powerfulness, tranquility, Wabi, Sabi* and so on.
(*Note: Wabi-sabi represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience.)
AJ: How does one go about developing a sense for the spirituality and philosophy that Iwagumi possesses?
Amano: Flexible mind-set is required for creating a layout as well, rather than making a faithful reproduction by thinking only about your know-how of the ratio and balance, you see. There are many hints hidden in something seemingly unrelated to things inside an aquarium. For example, the amazement and excitement that you feel when you come face to face with nature provides a spark for the originality or the natural feel of a layout. Or you may get a feel for the arrangement of rocks by watching rocks scattered in mountain streams. These intangible expressions that are often used for a layout, such as “natural feel”, “flow” or “rhythm”, can only be elucidated by replacing them with the senses you have within yourself. These senses are something you must develop yourself. The wider the range of experience you have with which to sharpen your senses, the wider the range of expression becomes. Of course, it’s important to do research and make efforts to understand practical methods to create a layout. No matter how many ingredients you gather, you cannot make a tasty dish unless you know how to cook them. I think it is important to develop in a balanced manner both practical skill through producing layouts and expressive ability, which is acquired indirectly.
AJ: I feel that the process to master Iwagumi will make my own way of life more profound as well.