In traditional Japanese households, décor is kept to an absolute minimum. Usually, just one or two artistic items are displayed in a small alcove called a tokonoma.
The tokonoma generally holds a calligraphic scroll or painting, along with a bonsai or simple flower arrangement. The items are appropriate to the season (like fall foliage or spring blossoms), and are meant to evoke an appreciation for both art and nature.
Of course, you don’t need an actual tokonoma to put this concept into practice. In our former house, we had a small console cabinet in the corner of our living room. On it, I displayed various “treasures” from our backyard, such as fresh flowers from our garden or a branch from our cherry tree. Sometimes, I added a small decorative object, like my little kokeshi doll or other souvenir from our travels.
That was the extent of our living room decor – we had nothing on the walls, or the other surfaces in the room.
As a minimalist, I love the tokonoma concept for the following reasons:
* it puts special objects in the spotlight, instead of making them compete for attention with dozens of others
* it’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the season and enjoy the gifts of nature
* by limiting the number of items on display, it discourages excess accumulation of decorative objects
* if you rotate your décor, you always have a fresh look
We don’t have a console table, a garden, or decorative items here in the UK, but we’ve created a miniature tokonoma on our windowsill – currently, it holds a handful of interesting rocks and shells we’ve picked up on our walks along the English coast. This small display always makes me smile, and adds a lovely personal touch (and a little bit of nature) to our otherwise minimal home.
So what do you have in your tokonoma?
{If you’d like to read more about minimalist living, please consider buying my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
A fabulous post as always! I love the idea of having a tokonoma. After researching more on the topic, I found some lovely pictures of calligraphic scrolls and ikebana (arranged flowers in vases) being placed in the alcove.
Another great example of the beauty of simplicity.
Keep up the great work!
Jessica
I also like the idea of a figurative tokonoma. Can a tokonoma be self-similar, i.e. have its own tokonoma?
I love this! I have a narrow table I used to have a TV on. Since I no longer have a TV I can now feature a lovely glass bowl that was one of my mother’s favorites. She died a few years ago and it gives me comfort to look at this item and think of her.
No tokonoma at the moment in my house but I love the idea. I did want to share that I am all about using natural items I find in my environment for decoration. It might be a wreath of lavender from my garden hanging on my bedroom door, a garland of devil’s claws strung around a door frame or just a small bowl of bright red seeds from my Texas Mountain Laurel tree sitting on a table. I like the idea of using natural objects, they are simple statements, easy on the eye and when I get tired of them they can be thrown back into the yard or compost to return to the earth.
Wow… tokonoma… did you know that in the more traditional (larger) Japanese houses, where the tokonoma is positioned dictates the “kamiza” (upper seat) in the room? Usually guests would be seated in this area.
Japan is filled with these unspoken rules of showing respect to others.
Where you should sit in a car or stand in an elevator according to seniority etc., etc…
Although I have to say that these little rules are slowly disappearing…
Wonderful post, Francine, one of simplicity and highlighting what is important to us. I don’t have a tokonoma at this time but I do own a miniature bonsai tree and right now, it sits on my sparse wooden floor in my bedroom. Because I hardly own anything, it is “showcased” immediately and helps create a small area of beauty and independence. Quite a peaceful, strong little tree. Reminds me to be like that, especially in times of ambiguity.
My Tokonomo is in my mind.When I see a flower in a garden I look at it and walk away.When I see a rock or shell on a beach I look at it and walk away.The shell is where it belongs.On the beach.I contemplate what brought the shell there and the ocean.I don’t need to possess it, its perfect exactly where it is.I don’t own any potted plants their better off outside where their roots can spread like nature intended.I won’t kill a flower because it’s alive and rooted to the earth.My souvenirs are my memories.I would have thought the next step after the flower arrangement would be to cease arranging and cutting flowers and simply go outside and look at a living flower and use all the senses if one wants to be a true minimalist.It’s like seeing a butterfly and then pulling off it’s wings to take home because one wants to take possession of it’s beauty.Very materialistic way of judging the world and also possessive.
Deep, Jim, and I’ve often thought the same thing.
I agree. I can’t support removing objects from the public sphere for private enjoyment. It’s a form of selfishness that is inherently tied up in capitalism. In a bourgeois society, it’s possible people do it even unconsciously. The system is so pernicious in pushing individualism over the collective and communitarian good that it is completely “normal” to take something and “own” it without giving it a second thought.
I was pleased to read a bout the tokonoma! What a nice and simple way to bring nature inside! One of the things that I appreciate most about Japanese culture is subtlety and suggestion of nature in its many art forms.
After reading your post, I found that I have a tokonoma in my room, but didn’t realize it! My bookcase is actually kind of a parody of a tokonoma in that I have my small Japanese language guides arranged with a few kanji-engraved stones that my mother purchased as decoration when I was in high school. I find it inspirational in that, by association with Japan, I am made to recall the subtle qualities of the culture and lifestyle of Japan without actually having a display of ikebana or ukiyo-e prints, etc.
Lovely — I really like your perspective.
I changed my tokonoma. I have got a yoroi and nihonto, a kakemono and light. It is traditional to part the room of the tokonoma. I hope my english is not so bad. I am from Japan. And I hope I could help you for a idea for your tokonoma. Ah, not to forget not so unjapanese…try your way – find your way^^
I am going through the decorative objects I was given and giving away more. Sparse is more effective. I like white objects as they reflect light and make space look bigger.
My tokonoma is under my wall mounted TV, on one of the three small glass shelves I installed when I retired the conventional entertainment unit.
It is my digital photo frame…the photos gently scrolling through are a call to pause, acknowledge and appreciate the people, the places and the beauty of my life…like any tokonoma I update the usb every now and then.
More often than not I am focused on the photos and most definitely when the ads play.
I pulled into a vacant lot to turn my car around and there were beautiful wildflowers growing around the edges. Years ago, on the edge of another vacant lot, I saw wild roses growing and took some seed pods home and had climbing roses in my garden.