|
Ikebana or Japanese Flower Arrangement is the art of flower arrangement that is popular in Japan. Japanese Flower Arrangement is essentially different from the Western style of flower arrangement. The western style involves symmetrical arrangement of flowering plants in a vase whereas the Ikebana in Japan, which means "flowers kept alive", is much more intricate and complex. There are many schools of Ikebana boasting of distinct styles, of which the most popular are Ikenobo, Sogetsu and Ohara. The oldest school of Ikebana is Ikenobo and it was founded by the Buddhist priest Ikenobo Senkei in the 15th century. Ikenobo Senkei is often thought to be the creator of the rikka or standing flowers style. This style represents Buddhist expression of the beauty of nature. The school is located in Rokkakudo temple in Kyoto and the present 45th-generation head of the school is Ikenobo Sen'ei. Initially the style of flowering associated with the school of Ikenobo became more and more formal amongst the priests and the elites. But then, during the late 17th century the merchant class practiced a much less complicated style, which is known as seika or shoka. The first modern school of Ikebana was established in Japan when Ohara Unshin left the Ikenobo school in the late 19th century and formed the Ohara school. This school uses moribana or pilled-up flowers in flat containers. The style of the school reflects Western influence as the moribana style involves use of Western plants. But then despite the formation of this school the art of Ikebana continued to be restricted only amongst the Japanese upper class.
However the scenario changed during the 1930s and especially during the post war period and gradually Ikebana became popular with common people. Consequently many Ikebana schools were formed in Japan, which were attended by people from all classes of the Japanese society. One of the significant school of Ikebana that was formed during this period was the Sogetsu school. It was founded by Teshigahara Sofu and this school broke new grounds in Ikebana by incorporating materials such as plastic, plaster and steel. In present day Japan there are about 3000 Ikebana schools and this art is practiced by more than 15 million people, thus making Ikebana an indispensable feature of Japanese culture.
|
