IKEBANA IS A CONTEMPLATIVE ART
Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arranging. It’s a tradition that goes back centuries, and its design principles are governed by specific rules and techniques. But as with any art, creativity and self-expression are part of the process. And while it takes years of study to earn teaching credentials in ikebana, it’s possible to pick up a basic introduction to the craft in a lesson or two.
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT THE FLOWERS
For Westerners accustomed to vases overflowing with blossoms and rich colours, the ikebana esthetic can be hard to grasp.
“Usually the flowers are not as prominent as they would be in a Western-style arrangement,” said Lauren Paul, president of the Detroit chapter of Ikebana International, an organization that has 165 chapters in Canadian cities Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, 29 U.S. states and more than 50 countries. Instead, the focus of an ikebana arrangement is typically on the sculptural line created by the tallest branch and the space around it. Most arrangements
have just a few flowers, and always an uneven number of them. The overall impression is minimalist and asymmetrical, yet harmonious and balanced.
Seed pods, ornamental grasses with plumes, evergreens, moss, buds and leafy stems are all fair game.
BUDDHIST ORIGINS
Ikebana originated in the Buddhist practice of offering flowers at temple altars. Monks began creating elaborate arrangements with the flowers, and the tradition
spread. The proportions that govern traditional ikebana designs are still described in terms of religious symbolism.
The tallest branch represents heaven.
A second stem that’s two-thirds the height of the tallest element represents man. A final component, symbolizing earth, is a third smaller than the middle-size element, hovering near the base of the arrangement.
THE KENZAN
A small, round, spiked block
called a kenzan is essential to creating any ikebana design.
Stems and branches are inserted into the kenzan’s spikes to keep them upright. A threeinch (7.62-cm) diameter kenzan is ideal, according to Paul.
The kenzan, placed in a ceramic bowl or dish, is then covered with water.
But there’s no need to buy a special container. You could even start out using a baking dish, Paul said.
Placing flowers and branches on the kenzan is merely the first step. Ikebana is a contemplative art, not something to be rushed through the way you might throw flowers in a vase moments before guests arrive, snipping a few leaves or moving a stem and calling it done.
LOOK FOR THE LINE
Creating an ikebana display involves identifying the most powerful, eye-catching lines of your design, then manipulating the components to emphasize the strongest angles by gently bending stems and trimming leaves. Just as you would revise and improve a drawing, sculpture or poem, creating an ikebana display means considering, reconsidering and repeatedly tweaking your design
“The philosophy behind the study of ikebana is that it is a meditative art and that your inner self comes out in the arrangement that you make,” Paul said.
She suggests looking at the line created by the dominant branch as if it were a brush stroke on a painting. You’ll want plenty of empty space around that line to highlight it.
That means cutting back any stems or leaves that interfere.