Ikebana

What it is

An ikebana arrangement is built from a few carefully chosen materials: a branch, some leaves, one or two flowers. Buds, seed heads and even bare or withered stems are welcome, because the piece should show the season as it really is. Most styles set three main lines at fixed angles and lengths, and leave the rest open. The arrangement is meant to be seen from the front, traditionally in the tokonoma, the alcove of a Japanese room where a scroll and a single arrangement are displayed.

Where it comes from

Its roots lie in flowers offered at Buddhist altars after Buddhism reached Japan. By the fifteenth century priests in Kyoto were known for their skill with these offerings, and a tall formal style called rikka, standing flowers, took shape. Simpler forms followed: nageire, flowers placed loosely in a tall vase, and shoka or seika, with three main lines. In the late nineteenth century Ohara Unshin created moribana, flowers piled in a low dish, which made room for Western blooms. Many schools exist today, among them Ikenobo, Ohara and Sogetsu.

How it is made

The arranger first studies each stem to find its best side and natural curve. Branches are bent gently by hand, trimmed of extra leaves and cut under water so they drink well. In a low dish the stems are pressed onto a kenzan, a heavy metal base covered in upright pins. In a tall vase they are held by a split twig or by resting against one another. The longest line goes in first, then the second and third, then a few supporting pieces. Much of the skill is in taking things away.

Which flowers are used

Materials follow the calendar. Pine, plum blossom and camellia belong to winter and the new year. Cherry and peach branches mark spring. Irises appear in early summer, and chrysanthemums and grasses in autumn. Leaves matter as much as flowers: aspidistra leaves are a classic practice material for beginners, because they can be shaped and arranged in many ways. Wild grasses, seed pods and fruiting branches are used as freely as garden flowers.

How to take part

1. Look for a trial lesson at a local chapter of one of the big schools. Many teach in English.
2. Start with a low dish, a kenzan and a pair of ikebana scissors.
3. Use one branch, one kind of flower and one kind of leaf, no more.
4. Set the three main lines first, then stop and remove anything that is not needed.

Good manners

• At an exhibition, look from the front and do not touch the arrangement or its stand.
• In a lesson, wait for the teacher to correct your work before taking it apart.
• Ask before photographing another student's piece.

The flowers

IkebanaThe Japanese art of arranging flowers with form and meaningPrunus mumeThe fragrant plum blossom tree that blooms in winter across East AsiaCherry blossomThe spring-blooming flower of ornamental cherry trees, central to Japan’s hanami customChrysanthemumAutumn-blooming flower with thousands of varieties, cherished in East Asia and beyond

Also part of it, and being written: Camellia japonica, Iris ensata, Aspidistra elatior, Pine.

Sources and further reading

• Ikebana on Wikipedia
• Ikebana International