Japanese Traditional Arts Issue 5 Home Page

Ikebana, Japanese Flower Arranging Etsuko Sakamoto from Japan says this art expresses the harmony and beauty of life. Ikebana, also called Kado, is the Japanese traditional art of arranging cut flowers and leaves beautifully. There are many ways to arrange them, and many people take Ikebana classes to learn how to make beautiful arrangements. Photo: Thomas Peters A Japanese high school teacher demonstrates how to make an arrangement Photo: Thomas Peters A Japanese high school girls practice to making flower arrangements. There are many, many Ikebana schools in Japan, and some people attend classes for years because there are so many different styles to learn. How did it develop in Japan? A long time ago, in China and Korea people offered flowers to Buddha. This custom came to Japan in the seventh century. Some men liked to arrange flowers and to prepare and serve tea. They liked to compared their flower arrangements and guess the name of the tea they served. In the sixteenth century. Senno-Rikyu changed Ikebana and based it on the spirit of Zen. When you arrange flowers, you try to express the form, beauty, and life that flowers have in nature and the human spirit. Harmony between the flowers and the vase is important. When you learn the basics of Ikebana, you can enjoy it, but if you study it more, you can feel spiritual things in it. More traditional Japanese arts: Hyaku-Nin-Isshu, a Card Game | Kyudo, The Way of the Bow The Challenge of Kendo | Koto, a Traditional Musical Instrument How the Koto Became Popular | Chado, the Way of Tea Return to: Traditional Japanese Arts | Issue 5 | Home Page  TOPICS Online Magazine - ©1997-2007- Sandy and Thomas Peters - topics.mag@gmail.com