Japanese flower arrangement, originally a temple offering centuries ago, has come a long way. Master flower arranging master Shozo Sato first began to explain Japanese flower arrangement to Western audiences over 50 years ago. In his latest volume, Ikebana: The Art of Flower Arranging , he reveals the latest thinking and practice of flower arranging over the past few decades.

In this article, Sato-sensei discusses different styles of flower arranging and includes some thoughts on creating your own style of flower arranging. Whether you are new to flower arranging or just looking for inspiration, this article on flower arranging is worth a look.

Sato Shozo, Ikebe Naoki

1. Flower Arrangement

Shuzo Sato, Free-style Flower Arrangement

Ikebana (生花) means living flowers. The Japanese art of flower arranging has been described as more subtle, sensitive, and complex than the usual methods of flower arranging in other cultures. This is because in the eyes of the Japanese, flower arranging is an art, just like painting and sculpture.

2. Origin of flower arrangement

Simple flower arrangements have been around since the 7th century, when Buddhism was introduced to Japan. It was customary to place flowers in front of Buddha statues, and over the centuries these floral offerings acquired a rather elaborate form.

During the Heian period (8th to 12th century), it became a common custom to attach excerpts of poetry to flowering branches as an expression of admiration and affection.

With the rise of the samurai class in the 14th century, feudal lords gained status and advantage, and they wanted to display their wealth and power. When the country was unified and an era of peace arrived, art, including flower arrangement, began to flourish.

3. Flower arrangement and style

1) Beginning of Summer

Sato Shuzo, Summer Flowers

Early Buddhist floral decorations were intended to symbolize idealized heavenly beauty, so they were often rich and ornate. The same attributes were retained in the lixia, the first style of flower arrangement. The purpose was not so much to display the beauty of the flowers as to use them to embody lofty cosmic concepts.

The Rikka flower arrangement structure rules guide the basic composition of this style. The nine key positions were first proposed by Buddhist monks who incorporated Buddhist teachings into their flower arrangement philosophy.

Flower arrangement is a visual art that uses plant materials in various forms. Artistic judgment must be used to readjust the established form according to the material. In the Lixia flower arrangement style, attention to the nine parts is essential; this is done in order to gain space for personal expression within this structure.

2) Seika

In contrast to Rikka's strict rules for flower arranging, the other more free-flowing style of flower arranging is called Nageire, which simply means toss in. What's unique about a Nageire arrangement is that the flowers are not held upright by artificial means, but are instead allowed to sit naturally in the vase.

It is no accident that the Rikka style is associated with more traditional forms of Buddhism, while the Nageire style is associated with Zen Buddhism. For Rikka, arrangement developed from a philosophical attempt to conceive an organized universe, while Nageire arrangement represents an attempt at an immediate realization: unity with the universe.

By the end of the 18th century, a new style of flower arranging had emerged between the Rikka and Nageire styles, called Seika , which literally means living flowers.

Kozo Sato, Seika Ieka

In the Seika style, the original positions of the three flower components are retained: the shank, the overlapping and extended stitching method, and the ukulele shape, forming an uneven triangle. This style of flower arrangement is used in an installation placed in a niche in the Tokyo Economic Bureau .

Historically, the Seika style was born with arrangements made of one material - only one flower. Today, this rule has been relaxed and arrangements made of one, two or three flowers are common.

3) Moribana

Shuzo Sato, Moribana flower arrangement

Until recent years, the tokonoma alcove where flower arrangements were traditionally displayed was considered a sacred space, but such alcoves are rarely seen in modern Japanese architecture. Today's open spaces require flower arrangements to be appreciated from all sides. This is completely different from the past practice of arranging flowers in a relatively closed space. It is also because of this that the Moribana (piled) style of flower arranging emerged, which evolved into a way of using natural plants to create a more three-dimensional form - in a large space, no matter from which angle you look at it, you can appreciate its unique beauty.

4) Contemporary flower arrangement

Shuzo Sato, Contemporary Flower Arrangement

The concepts and styles of classic flower arrangements—such as Rikka and Seika—remain fundamental, but modern tastes have led to the use of a variety of materials not previously used in flower arrangements. In the case of this arrangement, perhaps it was the unique vase, which has three thin lines of painting, that inspired the artist to create this unexpected arrangement—curling the flowers to match the lines of the vase.

4. Basic flower arrangement techniques

Shuzo Sato, bamboo arrangement

In flower arrangements, as with all living things, each plant has its own characteristics. The main characteristic we care about is whether the stem or branch of the plant is fragile or soft.

1. How to bend branches using heat

Many evergreens have a heavy sap that softens when heated and hardens when cooled. Hold the section of the branch you wish to bend over a candle flame while gently bending it to the desired angle, then immediately immerse the heated section in cold water until it cools completely. But always remember to hide the burn marks from observers.

2. How to create a sharp angle using scissors

Some branches, such as maple or plum, cannot be bent sharply and will simply split in two if bent hard. To make a sharp bend with these materials, use scissors to make a cut half the diameter of the branch and gently bend the split. A series of these slight bends will create the desired angle.

3. How to use wire brackets

Hollow stem flowers can be easily straightened with a thin wire. Simply insert the wire from the base of the stem and gently push upwards to straighten the flower.

5. Flower Arrangement Class

Familiar with the individual flowers and their combination, it is important to give the feeling that the plant still maintains the energy of growth , so towards the tip it should become as straight and natural as possible. An imaginary shin line should be perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the vase.

The leaves of plants appear bilaterally symmetrical on both sides of the main vein. However, if you look closely, they are not all symmetrical. If this is the case, the wider side is called the yang and the narrower side is called the yin. Using this distinction, the wider side of the leaf must be toward the front of the arrangement and the smaller side toward the back.

For the Nageire composition, you do not need to fix the dominant branches, instead, they hang down from the vase at a 45-degree angle and tilt forward 45 degrees, which can achieve a better viewing effect. To keep the floral material in the desired position, some basic principles of physical dynamics must be considered.

6. Practice of flower arrangement

When arranging flowers, the florist's focus is often on something other than the flowers. Flower arranging is all about clean lines and the practice of minimalism, where only a few flowers may be used on branches, stems, and other natural parts. When looking at a flower arrangement, the eye is drawn to what the artist wants to emphasize. It may be a twig of an unusual shape, a collection of flower colors or textures, or a special shape created by an arrangement of combinations.

The container that holds the flower arrangement is the centerpiece of the work and can be made of a variety of styles of pottery, stone, glass, or natural fibers, depending on the visual impression the artist is striving to achieve.

The artist must be in silence while creating in order to experience the subtle complexities of nature that one does not normally observe in one's busy life. Over time, the practitioner of flower arrangement begins to become more tolerant of the differences in form and function, not only in his materials, but also in the heart of man. In due course, the artist who practices flower arrangement in its truest form also becomes more spiritual in nature.

Appendix: 100 Examples of Japanese Flower Arrangement

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