Japan Centre

Ikebana

Ikebana (literally "living flowers") is the Japanese art of arranging flowers. It is also called 'Kado' - The Way of flowers.

Unlike the art of flower arrangement in the Western world, where especially the quality of the flowers comes first, the Japanese art of flower arranging is aimed at creating a beautiful composition. Ikebana is all about attention to the lines in the piece, rhythm and colour. Ikebana brings the inside of the home into contact with the outside, nature. Therefore, an Ikebana flower arrangement uses more than one kind of flowers. By using several parts of the plant or several plants, the Ikebana flower arrangement is a symbol for the whole of nature.

In Ikebana, the vase, the stem, leaves and branches, but also the flowers, are all part of the entire composition. Also, mosses, buds, dead leaves or fruit can be added to the composition. Depending on the season, other materials are used. The Japanese attach more importance to the form, than to the colours of the materials. Westerners are for example generally more oriented to the colour of flowers .

The origin of Ikebana lies in the ritual flower offerings to the spirits of the dead in Buddhist temples. These offerings date back to the 6th century, when Buddhism was introduced in Japan. Buddhism originated in India, and reached Japan via China.

In Japan people started to use vases to hold the flowers in the 10th century. They took care that in the offered flower arrangements both the flowers and branches were pointing to the sky, as a sign of faith. The first people who practiced Ikebana were therefore priests. The name Ikenobo refers to buildings in the Ikenobo Rokkakudo temple in Kyoto, and is also the name of the successive generations of High Priests in the temple.

Ikenobo

Ikenobo Kado is the oldest ikebanaschool in Japan, and was founded by Senno Ikenobo in the 16th century. In his manuscript Senno Kuden he describes an ikebana filled with meaning, very different from previous arrangements that only showed the beauty of the flowers. The first style, Tatehana (standing flowers), developed over time into Rikka:

Rikka

Rikka Shofutai (classic style) consists of a fixed basic pattern with 7 or 9 stems. It is a complex and diverse composition that emphasizes the beauty of nature.

Shoka

The traditional Shoka Shofutai consists of 3 parts referring to the ancient principles heaven, man and earth, and also in (yin) and yo (yang). The characteristic beauty of Shoka comes from the clean straight lines from the stems at the base of the arrangement.

Shoka Shimputai is a modern style Shoka that combines colors, shapes, and different plants in an arrangement expressing light, life, and creativity

Classes and workshops

From spring 2009 you can study Shoka Shofutai, Shoka Shimputai and Freestyle arrangements under Saskia Rock. She has studies these styles for more than ten years in Japan under Mrs. Shizuko Ashibe and later in Belgium under Mrs. Lia De Grave, Van Hove, Junkatoku (senior professor)

For more information, please mail us atinfo@japanscentrum.be

of bel: 0498 162 701