The Adorable Grandpa Who Weaves Wreaths

Yoshihi Futana

爺爺頭上頂著一顆大花環,露出紅腮子的神情可愛。

沒怎麼看過如此粗豪但又很單純的花環。輪胎般的大小,又厚又紮實,甚至能充當一把矮櫈。讓我想起讀資料時發現爺爺在2006年曾獲電視台舉辦的無人島生存戰冠軍。他熱愛大自然,也懂在自然裡生活。我常覺得他們與絕對的城市人是不同的,譬如心境,或是世界怎樣才有趣這些想法上。他會在野外教授小學生自然課,深深覺得「學生透過網路去認識世界是不夠的,必需親自去驗證,才是戶外教育的最大意義。」

這位爺爺是二名良日,1943年出生於愛媛縣。他是一位野外活動家、植物探險家,也是藝術家。過往他就常以竹子為材,架建竹筏、有趣的竹棚鞦韆、又用長竹條編製孩子們喜歡的猴子架。好像哪種素材都能透過他的雙手建立所需,包括想像到或想像不到的。

爺爺近年會在日本各地搜集被棄置或將要被棄置的新鮮植物,全是當季品種,看草輪就能讀出四季。他會先用樹枝把大束植物捆起來,重複動作至植物們整齊地並肩靠攏,需用上強大的腕力與體力,因過程裡不會使用膠水或鐵絲,只用單純的大自然素材。被捆成圈的一整叢花草,隨著時間風乾,色相氣味也會改變,像把季節都裝進去,一縷縷裹成圈,包裹著生命的重量。

A grandpa is wearing a big wreath on his head, his cheeks are blushing adorably.

I have never seen a wreath so rough yet natural. Not only is its size so similar to a tire, it is also as thick and sturdy that can in a way be used as a stool. I suddenly recall an article I read earlier about how this grandpa won a survival game on an uninhabited island hosted by a TV channel in 2006. He loves the nature and he knows how to coexist with it. I always find these kinds of people so different from those living in the cities. They have a different mentality and are able to see the interesting side of the world in a distinctive way. This grandpa would give natural science classes to primary school students in the wild, he believes “it is not enough to learn about the world through the internet; they have to personally verify their learning, which makes outdoor education so meaningful.”

This grandpa that we have been talking about is Yoshihi Futana. Born in 1943 in Ehime Prefecture, he is an outdoor explorer, an adventurous botanist, as well as an artist. Using bamboo, he would to build raft, swings and monkey bars that children love to play with. Futana seems to be able to turn any basic materials into anything within and beyond imagination only with his bare hands.

In recent years, Grandpa Futana has been collecting fresh season plants that are disposed or about to be disposed to make wreaths that can demonstrate the vibes of the four seasons. He would first tie up the plants with tree branches until they are bundled up neatly. Glue and wire are not used in the process, therefore the task requires a high level of strength from the wrists and the entire body. The bundle of flowers and grass would then be dried by the wind. During the process, its color and scent would also change accordingly. The intertwined rings of plants carry with them the different seasons they have experienced, as if they are containing the weight of life.

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