Gaia’s Ikebana – A look into Ikebana Research

Being Japanese, I have always looked at the odd looking flower that hung in my living room. I never knew this was a legitimate art form until this assignment. So I decided to live up to my Japanese heritage and look into the world of ikebana and what it stood for.

Ikebana, which directly translates as “arranging flowers”, is the Japanese art of flower arrangement practiced for more than 600 years. It developed from the ritual of offering flowers to the spirits of the dead to an art form praticed by all levels of Japanese society – including a struggling student who barely manages to sand a cone from foam.

Traditionally, one would decorate the alcoves of rooms where they receive guests. However it is not uncommon to see them in living rooms, entrance halls and lobbies of hotels. Ikebana emphasises the various aspects of the plant – the leaves, the stem and the branches. It is an appreciation of the form, the lines, the color and the shape of the plant. This is usually done in a minimalistic way to provide emphasis on the form. It inspires closeness to nature and in turn, provides relaxation and soothes the mind, soul and body.

There are various styles of ikebana, but I chose to focus on the two common types which are rikka (or Heika), which features tall flowers, and the Moribana, which features a dish-like container.

Heika 

Heika is the most formal style of Ikebana, it expresses beauty and natural landscape. It features a tall vase, and highlights vertical lines. The vases are usually tall, jug shaped and have a narrow openings.

It consists of three main elements (which kind of reminds me of the D, SD and SO concept) the primary, the secondary and the ornamental stems. For the slanting style (which most applies for this assignment), the length of the primary branch is one and the half times the height of the vase. The secondary and the ornamental stems are half that of the primary branch.

There is also specificity to the angle of the branches, which is shall save the explanation and show the image instead.

Image from http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/ikebana/ikebana02.html

Moribana

Moribana, in contrast uses a vertically longer, however shallower, container. A kenzan sits at the bottom, holding the plants in place. A feature of Moribana is the broad expanse of organic shapes and a mound of gorgeous flowers. Like the Heika, there are various styles to the Moribana.

The upright style, which is the most common, emphasises the idea of stability and gravity. In this style, the primary stem is as long as the diameter and depth of the base combined. The secondary stem is two-thirds the length of the primary and the ornamental is about half of the primary.

Like the Heika style, there is also specificity in the angle of the branches.

Image from http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/ikebana/ikebana03.html

Conclusion

The art of Ikebana emphasizes the idea of a dominant, sub-dominant and a subordinate. It accentuates form and movement through a simple minimalistic movement of the plant that somehow gives a plant a form of life. Through understanding the dominant, sub dominant and sub ordinates, we are able to understand the purpose of the primary, secondary and ornamental branches. Varying the angle provides a sense of dynamism and movement to the plant and the base compliments this by it’s shape – from tall to wide.

Now to consider, how do I put this with the element of something edible…

 

Sources:

https://www.halekulani.com/blog/legacy-ikebana-halekulani

http://www.ikebanahq.org/history.php

http://ikebanabyjunko.co.uk/Rikka.htm

http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/ikebana/ikebana02.html

http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/ikebana/ikebana03.html

One Reply to “Gaia’s Ikebana – A look into Ikebana Research”

  1. Gosh Fendi, I completely missed the ‘ Yasuda’ in your name or else I’d have known…  Interesting Ikebana finds let’s see how you can go about applying this to your Summer Circus? theme… Do post an image of the ” odd-looking flower” hanging in your living room. I am glad the exercise has raised your awareness of its presence. 🙂

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