Dried Flowers

The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life. ~Jean Giraudoux

It is perhaps the essence of this quote that we all feel inside when we see flowers. Flowers represent the beauty of all nature, and more so the beauty of man’s relationship with nature. Japanese Ikebana captivates this beauty to create miniature representations of man’s existence between the forces of heaven and earth, and the intertwined entities of the moon, the sun and the earth.

The word “Ikebana” comes from a combination of two Japanese words: “ikeru” which implies “to arrange” and “hana” which means “flowers”. The combined effect creates not just form and balance but also holds a philosophical property.

Envoys to the Chinese mainland brought back to Japan knowledge of the Chinese practices of Buddhism and the culture of offering flowers to the Buddha in an organized manner. The Japanese aristocrats combined their refinement into the formal offertory flowers to create floral arrangements that represented religious symbolism along with aesthetic pleasure.

In the Muromachi era, spanning time from the late fourteenth to the late sixteenth centuries, Japanese Shoguns promoted every form of art. Resulting from these was the architectural style called Shoinzukuri, which had a room with an alcove, called tokonama, where flowers were displayed. This tokonama soon emerged as the focal point of the house and flower arrangements attained importance, giving rise to the earliest form of Ikebana, known as tatebana.

Tatebana was soon taken up by artists known as Doboshu and several masters brought out one arrangement philosophy after another. The most influential of them was Ikenobo. The identity of Ikenobo is disputed. Some are of the opinion that he was a ruling monarch who denounced worldliness and devoted his life to arranging flowers for Buddhist altars. Others consider him as a monk n the Rokkakudo in Kyoto. He established the first school of Ikebana, which was popularized in the samurai and aristocratic households by Ikenobo Senei and Ikenobo Senou. The Rikka style of Ikebana is thought to have originated in this school of philosophy.

It was further broken down to the Shofutai (traditional)

and Shimputai (a more expressive form).

In the Azuchi-Momoyama period spanning between the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the Nageire school which popularized more casual arrangements as opposed to the formal offertory Ikenobo arrangements. Even though this school promoted casual arrangements it still established a subtle art in arranging flowers together.

The shoka form of arrangement also developed around this time among the merchant class that preferred even simpler designs with higher symbolism.

It was further broken down to the Shofutai (traditional)

and Shimputai (a more expressive form).

The moribana design was popularized by Ohara Unshin who broke away from the Ikenobo school in the nineteenth century, and used a good deal of western influences in design.

In the more modern times a freestyle arrangement called Jiyu-Bana came into practice.

After the decline of Ikebana in the Meiji era it was once again revived as an educational practice for women. However, women are forbidden by an unwritten law in Japan to make any major innovations in the art.