Ikenobo Ikebana:
Ikenobo Ikebana is the Oldest and the most traditional flower arrangement school in Japan, which began in the late 1400’s. The headmaster of Ikenobo has been succeeded over 500 years.
Sen’ei Ikenobo is the 45th Headmaster if Ikenobo, who has been contributing to the new development in today’s Ikenobo Ikebana. Today Ikenobo Ikebana has spread not only in Japan but also throughout the world and it has more than 300 branches.
Ikebana expresses not only the depth of nature’s ever changing beauty, but the beauty of longing in our own hearts. The sprit of Ikebana has been nurtured by a special appreciation of nature in a culture where life is closely connected to the beauty of landscape and the changing seasons. We arrange plants cut and removed from nature so that they are filled with new beauty when placed in a new environment.
Three Styles of Ikenobo
Throughout over 500 years of Ikenobo history, different style if Ikebana have appeared in response to the life and artistic styles of each age. There are mainly three styles in Ikenobo: Rikka, Shoka and Free style. The flowers are arranged according to the basic form of each style.
1) Rikka style is the oldest and the traditional style of Ikenobo, which began in the 16th century. Rikka is the source of all later Ikenobo styles, which expresses the beauty of natural landscape.
Seven or nine basic branches and complimentary materials are arranged according to the Rikka’s specific form. A Rikka vase should have sufficient height (about 30cm), and the upper edge of the vase should be straight across rather than scalloped or incised.
2) Shoka style was first formulated in the 17th centuries. Three main parts, Shin, Soe, Tai and its supporting branches are carefully arranged considering the direction and the height of each plant.
Shoka express the growing energy of plants and flowers that have put their roots in the soil and reach of upward sky. The vase is not merely a container but it symbolizes the source of life.
3) Free style is the most recent to emerge from Ikenobo Ikebana tradition. Free Style was developed to express the artistic sensibility of modern life. Free style does not mean it is simply put together without thought or order. Free Style emphasizes creativity; however we arrange flowers on the principles, which organize arrangements including vertical, horizontal and slanting style.