Japanese ambassador steals show at Garden Club flower event

Japanese Ambassador Koro Bessho contributed his Korean calligraphy work to the flower arrangements exhibition organized by the Garden Club of Seoul at the Raemian Gallery in Seoul, Thursday.

Bessho drew keen attention during the annual event because he was the only foreign ambassador who contributed his work to the event showcasing the flower projects of the spouses of foreign envoys.

His framed calligraphy written in Korean was showcased behind his wife Mariko’s flower arrangement featuring cherry blossoms.

“I wanted to do something cultural about Korea for the Garden Club Flower Show,” Ambassador Besshow told The Korea Times. “I know my calligraphy is not of a high standard. But I enjoyed it anyway.”

The Japanese envoy wrote a sentence he translated into Korean from an old Japanese poem written by an unknown author in the 12th century.

“The meaning of this sentence is that we never know what tomorrow will be like as nothing is permanent. Therefore it’s better for us to look at life bearing this in mind,” Ambassador Bessho said.

He has honed his Korean calligraphy skills for more than a year since he arrived in Seoul in October 2012 to serve as ambassador.

Asked if the phrase he chose for the framed project had any political or diplomatic meaning, he denied this, saying there was no such element in his project.

Bessho was one of the four ambassadors who attended the flower arrangement event featuring 22 flower projects made by the spouses of foreign envoys based in Seoul.

Ambassador of Brunei Dato Haji Harun Haji Ismail, U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim and Polish Ambassador Krzysztof Majka also participated in the annual event to show their support for their spouses.

During a speech at the event, Anne Wightman, the wife of British Ambassador Scott Wightman and also president of the Garden Club of Seoul, said that the flower show would be a chance to see how some of the club member countries and others from around the world express themselves through flowers.

Ms. Wightman presented a colorful flower arrangement, which she named “Easter Glory.”

“This flower arrangement that I had is celebrating the Christian festival of Easter which is very important in Britain. The eggs at the base of my arrangement symbolize new life,” she said.

“I feel all the colors of the flowers represent new life, birth, joy and the joy of being alive. It is very much a British arrangement because there are lots of colors and lots of flowers,” she said.

Alexandra Prasetio, the wife of Indonesian Ambassador John Prasetio, presented a project featuring orchids to represent her country.

Kim Chong-sook, co-president of the Seoul Garden Club, said that each arrangement was unique because the spouses of foreign ambassadors tried to show their countries through flowers.

The Seoul Garden Club flower show is an annual event. From last year, the 36 members of the club contributed their flower projects to the event to commemorate seasoned florist Im Wha-kong’s dedication and hard work. By Kang Hyun-kyung, The Korea Times