The name "入蘆花" (Rokaniiru) is derived from the Zen phrase used in the tea ceremony, "A white horse enters the white reed flowers." As the white horse steps into the white blooms of the reeds by the riverside, the horse and the flowers seem to dissolve into one, blending into a singular whiteness. Yet, both the horse and the reed flowers exist distinctly within that space. I believe this speaks to a sense of becoming one with nature, where the body and the natural world merge.

When I was still in my teens, I once drank tea in the mountains on a full moon night. In that moment, the complexities of my existence seemed to fade away, and only the now—the mountain, the sky, the moon expanding from the place where I sat—remained in the ever-changing flow of time. Just as the white horse vanished among the swaying reeds, I, too, felt myself dissolve into the moonlight (nature) of that night.

For me, this experience is unforgettable, and perhaps I am continually chasing that mysterious feeling that words cannot fully capture.

Holding an antique object in my hands
Arranging wildflowers from the fields
Drinking tea made with the local water

To me, these actions are synonymous and represent a genuine interaction with nature.
In the timeline of civilization, we have gradually lost our sense of physical connection. In my daily life, when I drink tea, I connect with the plants; when I touch antiques, I connect with the earth. By entering the mountains, digging the soil, and feeling the wind, I live with the desire to return to that land, to return to nature.

ROCANIIRU