Ikebana: The Japanese Art of Flower Arranging

Last year, I took a four-session class on ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging. With no previous experience in any kind of flower arranging, it was a revelation to pay close attention to curve of stems, the direction the flowers faced, and the harmony achieved (I tried to, anyway).

Ikebana has its origins in the sixth century, when flower arrangements were used as temple offerings to Buddha. Centuries later in the Muromachi period (late 14^th to early 16^th century), Tatebana (“standing flowers”) arrangements were popular with aristocrats and the samurai class. In the centuries since, schools formed and distinct styles developed. During the Meiji period (1868-1912), women began to be taught the previously male-only artform. As Western flowers were introduced to Japan, practitioners used them in the Moribana (“piled-up flowers”) style. Worldwide, there are now several hundred schools that teach the ikebana.

During class, we all crowded around the teacher while she arranged her flowers and narrated her decisions. Then we went back to our individual tables to create our own arrangement. Some styles have lots of rules, and some are looser, but in all cases you have to pay close attention to your materials. Flowers and branches all have different curves, colors, and visual weight. You follow the rules while also following the direction the flowers give you. We trimmed the stems with ikebana scissors, and stuck them in a kenzan, also called a spiky frog. Then our teacher critiqued our arrangements, often trimming and rearranging until she was satisfied with the final result.

The final result is important, but the class also emphasized the process itself. For me, it was a meditative practice to study the flowers and place them in balance with one another, however imperfect my arrangement was. Before taking this class, I sometimes arranged flowers at home, with no real direction but my own aesthetic intuition and not very much patience. Practicing ikebana slowed me down and allowed me to revel in the sensory experience all the more.

If you’d like to try ikebana, I’m very pleased to invite you an ikebana class at the West Windsor Branch with Felicia Pan-Fea, who was my teacher, on Saturday April 5 at 1:30pm. You’ll need to register in advance on our event calendar, starting in mid-March: https://events.mcl.org. In the meantime, we also have books in our collection to get you started.

My favorite book on ikebana in our collection is Inspired Ikebana: Modern Design Meets the Ancient Art of Japanese Flower Arrangement by Naoko Zaima. In addition to beautiful photographs of finished arrangements, the step-by-step instructions and photos of techniques make it feel possible to recreate some of them at home.

Other gorgeous ikebana books in our collection include:

Ikebana: The Zen Way of Flowers by Yuji Ueno

Ikebana Unbound: A Modern Approach to the Ancient Japanese Art of Flower Arranging by Amanda Luu and Ivanka Matsuba

Keiko’s Ikebana: A Contemporary Approach to the Traditional Japanese Art of Flower Arranging by Keiko Kubo

In addition to books about ikebana specifically, we have many books on growing flowers, and on western-style flower arranging. One beautiful example:

Growing Flowers: Everything You Need To Know About Planting, Tending, Harvesting and Arranging Beautiful Blooms by Niki Irving

Do you think you’ll try ikebana? Or are you already an experienced practitioner? We’d love to know what hobbies and classes you have found inspiring!

-Corina, West Windsor Branch