BIG IN JAPAN
Ikebana
 The
object of Japanese flower arranging is to "capture the natural beauty and color of
the fields and hills to share with long-awaited guests," according to the book
"Ikebana for Beginners".
Ikebana literally means "flowers kept alive" and is also sometimes called kado
(the way of flowers). It is distinguished from other forms of decorative flower arranging
by the careful attention given to the choice of plant material and container, the
relationship of the branches - both to each other and the container - and the space
surrounding the whole arrangement.
It originated in the 6th century when monks made offerings to Buddha consisting of three
elements: an incense burner flanked by a candlestick and flowers. These early arrangements
consisted of flower-heads piled high in a bowl or just a few petals sprinkled about, but
gradually became more refined to reflect the triad image with three stems placed in a sanzon
(upright vase), and the tips forming a symmetrical triangle.
In the 13th century, the more sophisticated asymmetrical rikka style of
arrangement emerged. Like a Zen garden, which attempts to represent the universe, rikka
attempts to recreate a smaller landscape using just seven branches. Each one represents a
principal feature of nature, namely: ryo (a peak) below which is a gaku
(hill), down which a ro (waterfall) cascades reaching shi (a town),
where people gather by the flowing water and bi (a valley) to the rear of the
mountain. The whole scene is divided into yo and in - a positive
"yang" side facing the sun, versus a negative "yin" side, facing the
earth. The present day rikka style uses nine branches.
Modern ikebana is an interesting mélange of aspects of flower-arranging history and the
Buddhist triad principal of three stems as the focus, arranged asymmetrically to represent
ten (heaven), chi (earth) and jin (man) is retained. It is now
acceptable to incorporate other materials, such as steel, plaster and plastic to enhance
the natural beauty of the materials. Importance is also placed on color and the length of
each stem, depending on the shape and size of the base.
Today there are 3000 ikebana schools with over 20 million students in Japan, the better
known being the O' Ikenobo and Sogetsu schools. Each school originates from one
master, the Ikenobo school is said to be derived from Ono-no-imoko who brought Buddhism to
Japan in the 7th century. The O'Hara school comes from Unshin O'Hara, who introduced moribana
(low, flat containers) that were more suitable for imported Western flowers. The schools
all have slightly different priorities and dictate different lengths and angles for the
various stems.
On entering a school a new student will be given a Members Stamp Card. After attending an
average of eight classes they receive an impressive certificate for about JY7000. Each
successive certificate takes slightly longer to obtain and costs slightly more (up to five
years and around JY85,000) and it is not possible to move from one rank to the next
without purchasing the appropriate certificate.
Since "Ikebana International" was founded in Tokyo in 1956, Japanese flower
arranging has become an internationally recognized art form, with students around the
world learning to express themselves through flowers.
A doorway to Japanese philosophy, ikebana illustrates how less is more, asymmetry is
beautiful, that everything should reflect nature as well as the feeling of the artist and
that patience is indeed a virtue.
Cathy Frances
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