MY MOST-TREASURED OBJECT MARKS MY RELATIONSHIP WITH JAPAN AND WITH MY GOOD FRIEND MIDORI SHINTANI

I prefer plants to provide the focal points in the garden, but I do own a handful of objects that serve as garden ornaments. Twisted wood, stones from various travels, and an old copper, inherited from my parents and holding a waterlily, all tell of histories, but my most treasured object marks my relationship with Japan and with my good friend Midori Shintani, who gave me this furin when she came one winter to visit.

Midori is head gardener at the Tokachi Millennium Forest in Hokkaido, where, more than 20 years ago, I was invited to create a garden. During the garden’s evolution, Midori and I travelled to take in the culture of Japan, its gardens and landscapes, art and architecture, food and crafts, and, in this instance, its very particular sounds.

Furin wind chimes are hung to capture the summer breeze and ‘call the coolness’. Sure enough, a hot wind caught in the chime instantly makes you aware of the air on your skin, providing relief from the summer heat. Furins might be made from glass, finest iron or even charcoal so that the chime is delicate and light. A paper taper catches the wind and activates it. Hung at the beginning of the hot season, furins are taken down as soon as autumn cools the air.

Beautifully packaged, so the unwrapping is as much a part of the pleasure of receiving, this black wicker furin was handcrafted at Kohchosai Kosuga (en.kohchosai.co.jp), a bamboo craft workshop founded in 1898 in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. This model is no longer in production due to the Japanese concept of ichigo ichie (‘one time, one meeting’) in which the unrepeatable moment or experience is highly treasured.

The shape of the fine, black wicker frame references the Japanese hyotan (bottle gourds), believed to be auspicious and widely used as charms to ward off evil. The wide, open shape is a symbol of prosperity. The bell itself is Nambu ironware, which refers to the traditional metalworking technique of Iwate province, and has a gentle, tinkling sound. When the weather warms, we hang it under the cover of our open barn where, in the heat of summer, it unexpectedly transports you somewhere else – to a place where you pine for the cool.