IKEBANA

IKEBANA is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is more than simply putting flowers in a vase. With living branches, leaves, grasses and blossoms, the meaning of the arrangement is the total result of color combinations, natural shapes and lines, as a living thing where nature and humanity are brought together.

Both men and women study this art form. Indeed, in the past, Ikebana was considered an appropriate pastime for even the toughest samurai.

Past, present and future are symbolized in the Ikebana. The past is represented by dried leaves and flowers. Flowers perfectly developed represented the present. And the future is symbolized by blossoms in development.

There are two common theories about the origin of this art. One traces it to sixth-century ritual flower offerings made to Buda. Following this theory, Ikebana started in India, where the flowers were placed informally, often using only petals. When Buddhism was introduced to Japan, monks started to arrange flowers in containers to decorate the altars of temples. Another theory holds that customs from the past, like putting up evergreen trees and arranging flowers to call spirit gods, evolved into ikebana later. In both, this art achieved the status of an art form independent of its religious origins with time, though it continued to retain strong symbolic and philosophical overtones.

Here go some pictures of this art, hope you like it!

Carol Gualdi
Express Plus 2