Period Of Japanese History 1868-1912
The History Of Japanese Flower Arranging by Yoshi Ito
The practice of ikebana ( Japanese flower arranging ) is a popular pastime in Japan and has spread around the world with many cities now providing ikebana clubs for people to study and practice their flower arranging skills. In the west, flower arranging largely consists of placing flowers in a form of colorful arrangement that is pleasing to the eye. With Ikebana the idea is to arrange not just the flowers but also the leaves and stems to highlight the overall form and shape of the arrangement. The intention is, like so many a Japanese cultural past time, to focus on finding a balance between the natural world and with that of man. For Japanese people, ikebana reflects a spiritual pursuit.
The history of Ikebana is little known to those in the west and in fact is little known to a lot of young Japanese people too. As Japanese lifestyles become busier and busier in recent times, young people are losing interest in traditional past times and beliefs. As such the practice of ikebana has seen a decline in popularity amongst the young. Generally speaking Japan can be seen as an aging population and it is this older generation that sees ikebana continuing to experience steady popularity for the time being.
The roots ( no pun intended ! ) of ikebana can be found in the sixth century when people would offer flowers to the spirits of their ancestors at Buddist temples. Approximately five hundred years ago, the first school dedicated to ikebana was developed known as the “Ikenobo School of Ikebana”. The name Ikebono is related to the founder of the school – a temple priest who lived beside a lake in Kyoto. “Ike” in Japanese translates as “lake” while ” bou” translates as “person”. So essentially the school was named after “lake-person”. The oldest Ikebana manuscript, “Kao irai no Kadensho”( Flower Manual of the Old Masters of Ikenobo school ) dates from 1486. The famous “Senno Kuden” manuscript, by the founder of the Ikenobo School of Ikebana, was written in 1542. Senno, the founder of Ikenobo kado, originated ikebana that was filled with meaning, and which was quite different from previous arrangements that had shown only the prettiness of flowers.
The Azuchi-Momoyama period (late 16th century) brought a renaissance in ikebana as well as a general renaissance in Japanese culture. During this period two Ikenobo masters named Senko developed the rikka style (also meaning standing flowers , but with more complexity than the previous standing flower style known as tatehana) . At this point Ikenobo reached a high point of its early history. Paintings depicting the rikka of Senko II, a famous master of Ikenobo, are preserved at the Manshuin Temple (Kyoto), the Yomei-bunko library of the Ninnaji Temple (Kyoto) , the Tokyo National Museum and the library of the Ikenobo Headquarters (Kyoto).
The arranging of rikka as a style with seven main parts (shin, shin-kakushi, soe, soe-uke, mikoshi, nagashi, and maeoki) was established at this time. The rikka style of ikebana was predominately used during ceremonial occasions. Another somewhat less formal style known as nageire was also developed to highlight the natural beauty of the flowers. After Senko II died, rikka gradually became more complex and mannered. Over time many new and different forms of ikebana were developed with some becoming popular while others simply faded away. One style that became popular was called the Shoka style. This was created by Ikenobo Senjyo in the late Edo period of Japanese history ( around 1820 ). Senjyois the author of the Ikebana manuscript known as Soka Hyakki which we can translate from the Japanese name as “A Hundred Principles of Flower Arranging”).
Moving forward into the Meiji period of history which lasted from 1868 to 1912 the popular belief at the time was that ikebana practice and presentation had become somewhat conservative and in need of revision once more. It was during this time that many aspects of Japanese culture were modernized and liberated from the traditional and conservative confines as influences from Western culture spread throughout the country. As a number of iikebana masters began to seek new ways to represent spirituality in changing time, a number of new Ikebana styles evolved.
During the Taisho era ( 1912 to 1926 ) styles such as Nageire and Moribana were developed. Moribana consists of two styles, upright and slanting. The upright form of Moribana is a style is which flowers are arranged in a shallow vase while the slating style tries to enhance the beauty of the branches as they are slanting. Nageire also consists of upright and slanting styles and differs from Moribana in that it does not use needles or ties to keep the arrangement in place as Moribana does. Flowers are simply placed in the vase without any unnatural support. After World War II, ikebana began to be seen by some modernists as a form of art. This resulted in the development of avant-garde ikebana. Wire, metal and stone, as well as flowers were used to the extent that it was sometimes difficult to distinguish this work from sculpture. This movement inspired the birth of free style ikebana (jiyuka), which is completely liberated from the regulations of traditional ikebana. On the other hand, refined and dignified ikebana styles with traditional origins, such as rikka, and shoka, have also experienced a rebirth.
The Freestyle modern Ikebana movement was spearheaded by Teshigahara Sofu (1900-1979) who founded the Sogetsu school of ikebana. The meaning of the japanese name Sogetsu can be translated as “Grass Moon”. This meaning reflects the idea that the modern practice tries to focus on nature and the vastness of the universe. The Sogetsu school advances the notion of creative expression and experimentation.In 1927, when everybody believed practicing ikebana meant following established forms, Sofu Teshigahara recognized ikebana as a creative art and founded the Sogetsu School. Anyone can enjoy Sogetsu Ikebana anytime, anywhere, using any material. You can place Sogetsu Ikebana at your door, in you living room or on your kitchen table. Sogetsu Ikebana is often used to enhance hotel lobbies, banquet rooms, shop windows and huge public spaces.
About the Author
Yoshi Ito is host of the Japanese Names website. There you can learn more about Japanese culture and the meanings behind beautiful Japanese names.
Pt. 2 Meiji Period(1868-1912)-Japanese Metalworks and Pottery
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