Ikebana is the traditional style of Japanese flower arrangement that is now enjoyed all over the world and has come to be known as one of the quintessential Japanese cultural art forms. Here is a brief introduction on how it originated and became the beautiful art that it currently is. Our Japanese ancestors had a unique way of living with awe and respect for the natural world and an ideal of living in harmony with plants and trees that nature creates. In the Aska Period, when Buddhism was brought to Japan, a custom of offering flowers to Buddha, called ‘Kuge” was introduced, and this custom eventually developed into a custom of enjoying flowers placed in people’s homes. Later, in the Muromachi Period, with changes in the size and importance of spaces created in architecture, flower vases and Kenzans (frog figures) were created and people began seeking ways of expressing artistic qualities through Ikebana.
Please pick up some of the flowers in your hands and try to arrange them.
Try to feel the lives of the flowers, their beauty and the simple joy of their existence.
