With flowers in their full bloom these days, the weather is just perfect to learn and embrace Ikebana – the minimalist Japanese art of beautifully arranging flowers along with stems, branches, bamboo, ferns, solitary or multiple flowers, flocks and pebbles and pieces of rocks.
The history of Ikebana (which literally means living flowers) dates back approximately 500 years when offering of flowers in honour of Lord Buddha was part of daily worship. The love that Japanese have for flowers evolved this tradition into the art of Ikebana. It is said that the first people to practice Ikebana were Buddhist monks. Later, it became popular among ordinary people. Now, it is a part of their daily lives.
India too has its share of Ikebana lovers, who are practicing and promoting this art. Some time ago, Delhi hosted the 12th Ikebana International Asian Regional Conference, that saw the participation of 225 delegates from all around the world.
It is a full-fledged art that demands skill and expertise but has immense scope for amateurs also. All you need are some flowers, leaves and a vase and kenzan (a holder with many sharp points about one cm high). The choice of flowers and vase is dictated by the surroundings where the creation has to be placed. Traditionally, it aimed at bringing peace and harmony using flowers.
One basic form of Ikebana is ‘Heika’ or rikka. It is an arrangement that uses a tall vase and highlights vertical lines. In this style of Ikebana, tall vases with a narrow opening are used. The stems are bundled tightly together at the mouth of vase, while crosspieces are used to fasten the stems to the vase. The emphasis is on bringing out the flowers’ natural charms.
Largely there are three main elements in a Heika arrangement – the primary, secondary, and ornamental stems. Their lengths, positions and angles depend on the type of Heika style used.
Then there is ‘Moribana’ style of Ikebana that uses shallow and low depth container with a kenzan into which flowers are inserted. ‘Moribana’ means piled-up flowers. Unlike ‘Heika’, ‘Moribana’ is a 100 years old and is easy to practice. But here too, there are different types of ‘Moribana’, depending upon the length and angle of the primary, secondary, and ornamental stems.
The upright style is the most common in which the primary stem is about as long as the diameter and depth of the container combined. The secondary stem is around two-thirds and the ornamental stem is about half the length of the primary branch. The three stems form a triangle and flowers are placed inside this triangle.
Contrary to popular perception, Ikebana is not at all expensive and can be done using ordinary pots, flowers and stems from your backyard.