Ikebana, the art of the living flower

The teaching of Ikebana was transmitted orally for centuries. It passed from the master to the student almost by gesture, communicating through the heart and with few words, so that the essence and the sensitivity of the creative artist could emerge. It was an eminently masculine activity and it was not until the end of the 19th century that women were initiated into it.

Ikebana means “to give life to the flower” and this concept includes everything that makes up a plant: branches, roots, leaves, moss, and even dried flowers, as part of a whole. With the passing of the seasons, the materials change and, depending on the time of year, different flowers are used, as well as shoots, seeds or fruits to express the continuity of the cycles of life and respect for nature.

This artistic expression originated in India with the simple offerings to Buddha made by the monks in their temples. Buddhist philosophy passed to China and then to Japan at the beginning of the 7th century. There the elaboration of the offerings evolved into an art thanks to the sensitivity and artistic sense of the Japanese people who adapted it to their exquisite taste for simplicity and the search for perfection.

It is a practice of discipline and meditation, where order, concentration, and cleanliness are essential: the place where it is performed is sacred. Minimalist art, in essence, the few elements used have a why and symbolic meaning.

There are many schools that have taught Ikebana throughout the ages, each with different rules, but with the same basic principles. In all of them prevails the symbolism of both, the natural materials and the container in which they are placed. The choice of the ceramic vessel is a fundamental part because its dimensions and shape must harmonize with the nature it supports.

The symbolism is also applied in the “principle of the three lines” in the structure of the flower arrangement they represent, Heaven – with the highest branch as the ascending line -,  Man – represented by a shorter stem -, and Earth – the shortest of all. For other masters, the trilogy is based on the Sun, the Earth and the Moon.

More than in the Western world, where the flower arrangement harmonizes the color and beauty of the flowers to make it pleasing to the eye, the art of Ikebana comes closer to sensitizing the spirituality of the human being.