Ikebana is an art which uses careful
arrangement of flowers in patterns which attempt to link
the spiritual with the natural, and to express balance and
harmony.
Ikebana, or Japanese flower arranging, is an art form
which, like calligraphy, was possibly brought over from
China around the same time as Buddhism, but could be
far older, having connections to the native Shinto beliefs.
From making floral offerings to shrines and temples, the
art of Japanese flower arranging has, in modern times,
evolved into the art which is taught in Japanese public
schools today. The flowers used in creating this natural art
change with the seasons, and each arrangement is full of
symbolic meaning also connected to the time of year.
Ikebana is a varied art form whose end result depends on
the school of thought behind it, with over a thousand
schools in existence. Some schools of ikebana held to a
philosophy of arrangement that included multiple flowers
of varying sizes and colors, but others, such as 16th-
century tea master Sen no Rikyu, felt the essence of the
art could be expressed in the simplicity of a single flower
contained in the humblest vase. What brings them
together is that, through studying the art of Japanese
ikebana, its practitioners feel they can truly appreciate the
simple beauty of nature through this ancient craft.
Please see below for tours that
include Ikebana Lesson
:
