The Art of Flower Arrangement

The history of flower arrangement is actually the history of "type". Starting with the "upright flower" of the Muromachi period, the change of flower type has gone through the "Tachibana" of the first half of the Edo period, the "Ikibana" of the second half, the "Morihana" of the Meiji period, and the "Fukibana" of the Showa period. Ikibana" in the second half of the Edo period, "Sengoku" in the Meiji period, "Sengoku" in the Showa period, "Fukibana" in the Showa period, and "Shikibana" in the post-World War II period.

Although many new flower patterns were created in response to the needs of the times, the old ones were not discarded by the florists, but were preserved and handed down. So, let's go back in time and trace the dominant flower patterns of each era.

▲ Upright flower: the oldest flower type to date

▲ Time: Muromachi period

▲ Main use: Japanese parlor decoration

▲ Characteristics of the performance: A vertical vertical branch in the center, called "Makoto", is then surrounded by seasonal flowers and grasses, which are called "Shimogusa"

Upright flower arrangement in "Sentenkyo

Background: Before Ikebana, the style of flower arranging was more natural. The naturalness and spontaneity of the flower arrangement was the main trend of the time, as the plants were kept in their original natural form and put into the flower pots. After the Muromachi period, a group of people with special talents in floral design appeared among those in charge of Japanese-style interiors, and they established a systematic theory of the composition of flowers, maximizing the expression of the individuality of natural flowers, and reassembling and reconstructing the beauty of nature in the selected flower containers. Ikebana evolved from a free expression of irregularity to a form of combination designed in accordance with uniform regulations.

Figures: Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the shogun who built the Higashiyama culture, supported the cultural development of the time as a strong backer. Some of the active Hanamichi artists of the time were Ikenobo Monogatari (1482-1543) and Bun Aya, who held the title of Aya. These two celebrities have been compared and commented upon as rivals. Ikenobo Shomei favored flower displays for dignitaries and publicized his own unique theories on flower arranging, and authored influential works such as Ikenobo Shomei's Oral Biography. On the other hand, Bun Aya's floral works favored the secular style of the time, and the mood of his works was to reproduce nature in its entirety in a floral vessel.

▲ Tachibana: Flower Arrangement in Daimyo Residence and Shugakuin

▲ Time: Edo Period

▲ Main Characteristics: Luxurious, Complex and Ornate

Tachibana Drawing Screen (Edo Period)

Tachibana Drawing Screen (Edo Period)

Background: Although standing flowers in the Muromachi period were only a component of Japanese room decorations, at that time, flower arranging was already appreciated by the public as an independent art form. By increasing the number and variety of flower materials, the creation of large-scale flower arrangements was gradually realized, and the rich flower pattern "Tachibana" was born, which was in harmony with the daimyo's official residence, Shugakuin. Development: At first, "Shimokusa" was used only as an auxiliary flower in the standing flower, but the types of floral materials gradually diversified, resulting in the formation of the seven unique elements of the standing flower, "Heart, Vice, Please, Masatoshin, Mizukoshi, Ryuubi, and Front", which became the "Seven Props". The "Seven Properties" are also known as the "Seven Properties". Since each branch has its own meaning and function, the concept of "yakubi" was developed. Later, in the second half of the Edo period, the technique of embedding branches in large-scale branches was born, and it is called "katasaku. The original seven basic parts were added to the "control" and "kokeshi" production techniques, and developed into a more rich expression of the "nine props".

In general, Tachibana is a circular design. The "heart" is fixed in the center, and then branches from the center to the front, back, and side, extending around. However, the roots, which reach below the water's surface, and the branches, which are at a specific height above the water's surface, are required to be straight and upright, and need to be kept in a straight line by removing excess foliage. Although standing flowers are usually placed in tall vases, special vases with wide mouths and water trays at the top are also used. Tachibana created by spreading gravel in the water dish is called "sand-object," and sand-object is also a form of tachibana.

"Maeda-tei Daisou-objects" restored at the Ikenobo 550 Years Festival

Representatives: To support the creation of tachibana, Emperor Gomizuo (1596-1680) held frequent tachibana exhibitions at the Imperial Palace. Notable florists of this period include Ikenobo Dokoro (1570-1658), a master of tachibana, Oshizumi Ebisu (1607-1696), who created what was then called a giant "sand object," and Fuchunsen Senki, who pursued the freedom of tachibana creation without adhering to a fixed form. Representative books: During the Genroku period (1688-1704), tachibana became popular among the affluent citizens. The popularity of tachibana was boosted by the publication of books containing a large number of pictures, such as Tachibana Daigaku (1683). Tachibana also became a mandatory part of adult men's curriculum at that time.

▲Ikibana

▲Time: Second half of the Edo period

▲Characteristics: Simplicity, based on Confucianism, and development of flower patterns with the basic elements of heaven, earth, and people.

Ancient Ikigatsu Maki

Ikigatsu Maki-Screen, Early Edo Period, Ao Fung No Koroksin Ichi

Background: During the second half of the Edo period, the era was dominated by the development of the Ikigatsu Maki-Screen, the most popular of the Ikigatsu. In the second half of the Edo period, it was no longer the privileged class that led the way, but the affluent citizen class, who became the key drivers of the emerging culture. The complex tachibana was not widely accepted by the general public, and a simple flower pattern consisting of only three branches was born to meet the aesthetic needs of the public. Characteristics of Ikibana: At the time, this new style was called "Ikibana" (pronounced IKEBANA), and the term "IKEBANA" has since evolved into a general term for the Japanese art of flower arranging. As a result, "Ikibana" was popularized and spread like never before. In order to distinguish it from the general term for the Japanese art of flower arranging, in the latter half of the Edo period, the term "Ikibana" was still used to refer to the specific type of flower, but it was generally pronounced as "SEIKA" or "SYOUKA". ". Unlike "Tachibana" which is usually made in a round shape, "Ikibana" is usually made in a vertically divided semicircle. As with Tachibana, the roots of the three branches are fixed together by removing excess foliage and standing on the water's edge. However, unlike Tachibana, which is straight upward, the main branches of Ikibana are tilted 30° to the left or right, which is one of the characteristics of Ikibana.

Composition of Ikibana: Although the important components of Ikibana are all three service branches of different heights, the specific names of the three branches are different because of the different approaches of each school. In order of height, the Ikenobo is called "Shin, Sub, and Body", the Furusato is called "Shin, Ryu, and Reception", the Misei-ryu is called "Body, Use, and Stay", and the Koshu-ryu is called "Shin, Row, and Stay". The ancient stream is called "truth, flow, and receptivity," the unregenerate stream is called "body, use, and retention," and the distant state stream is called "truth, lineage, and retention. However, these are simply differences in designation, and in their meanings they all capture a sense of correspondence to "heaven, earth, and man". The ratio of the lengths of the three branches also varies in the specific practices of each school.

Left: Ikebana Ikibana, Right: Ryusei Pai Ikibana

▲ Morihana: Use of Emerging Plants

▲ Duration: Meiji Era (1868-1912)

▲ Characteristics: Flat, wide dish of water, as if held in water, with the feet of the flower spread out horizontally

Background: With the cultural openness of the Meiji Era, a great deal of Western science and technology, political systems, and cultural customs were introduced to Japan, and the design of floriculture was influenced by the West, and Western horticultural plants were used in the design. The floral design was also influenced by the West, and Western horticultural plants gradually flowed into Japan and were widely cultivated. In the past, Japanese floral artworks used to be centered on branches, and therefore, long, curved branches were often used in the flower patterns. Western gardening plants, on the other hand, are shorter in length, too straight, and lack variety, making them more monotonous. The question of how to use exotic plants more effectively in a flower arrangement was raised. Thus, a new type of flower, Sheng Hua, which utilizes Western plants to create flowers in a wide dish of water, came into being.

▲Free Flowers: The Art of Using Plants

▲Time: Early Showa period (1926, the first year of the Showa era)

▲Characteristics: Abstract, free, and emphasizing the idea of creation

Background: Echoing the Taisho Democracy Movement, the art world also embraced the pursuit of freedom and individuality. From the Taisho period to the early Showa period, "free flowers", which emphasized the idea of creation, appeared and became popular. Development: Flower arrangers at the time started with Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1945), who was the founder of the Flower Arrangement. Kandinsky (1866-1944), Pietro Mondrian (1872-1944), and others. Mondrian (1872-1944) and other abstract painters and masters of the art, and established the theory of compositional design based on the three elements of point, line, and surface. It is also from this era, dry flower material, after artificial processing of special materials, plants other than a variety of exotic materials began to be used in a large number of floral creations.

Flower arrangement on the left and Jackson Pollock's work on the right

Free Flowers is another form of artistic expression using plant materials, characterized by abstract and free styling design. Unlike standing flowers and raw flowers, which require service branches to determine the direction of the flower; free flowers focus more on the creator's own personality.

"Free Flowers" is not an arbitrary, unruly product of no genre, it is a new type of flower, which needs to be acquired from a specialized floral art classroom.

▲Stylized flowers: Avant-garde flower arrangement

▲Time: Late Taisho period

▲Characteristics: Sculptural art, using bold elements such as metal, stone, and glass

Kawahara Aoikaze, "Furusato Renzo Torikami"

Background: The avant-garde art movement that emerged in the art world at the end of the Taisho period also swept through the hanamichi world, questioning the lack of originality, formalism, and stereotypicality of hanami that was overly confined to the classical style. In the fifth year of the Showa era (1930), garden designer and critic Mitsuru Shigemori, and assassin Kawahara Aoikaze (the first Kusatsuki Ryu family member) proposed the "Declaration of a New Type of Flower Arrangement," advocating the dissolution of the traditional flower arrangement. The modernization of the art of flower arranging was intertwined with the avant-garde flower arranging art of the post-war period, and bold elements such as metal and stone were actively used, and space styling works without the use of floral vessels were seen. There is no shortage of works that do not use flowers but only gesso-coated dead branches as material, and even works that discard plant material and utilize ironwork to construct a frame make an appearance. "Can this even be called a flower arrangement?" It caused widespread controversy. (For Japanese avant-garde flower arranger Yukio Nakagawa and his works, click on the link) Development: The avant-garde flower arranging art movement ended with "modeling flowers" that transcended reality. Although "modeling flowers" is in the position of the extension line of "free flowers", it is more accurate to say that "free flowers" is abstract painting and "modeling flowers" is sculptural art. The "Free Flowers" are more accurately described as abstract paintings, while the "Modeling Flowers" are sculptures. Now that the avant-garde flower arranging movement has come to an end, there is a greater tendency to re-evaluate and inherit the classics.

June 2019 Kusatsuki Ryu Miyagi Prefecture Branch Exhibition "Flower Cloisters" (by Iemoto)

Stage Art of Flower Arrangement: Iemoto Ikebana LIVE IN TAKAZAKI (2014)

The "type" of Flower Arrangement work The development process of "free flowers" and the sculptural art of "modeling flowers" in the avant-garde flower arranging movement. In summary, the types of flower arrangement that emerged in each era were all reflections of the dominant cultural thinking and worldview of the time.

Works of Misei-ryu

Changing times, social, political, economic, and cultural developments, as well as changes in people's mindsets and aesthetics, have all contributed to the development of Hanabi, and we hope to introduce you to all aspects of Hanabi and its culture as we go along, and we hope that more of you who are interested in Hanabi will interact with us and provide us with colorful ideas. We also hope that more people who love Hanamichi will interact with us, provide colorful ideas, and join hands to encourage each other.