Ikebana: the Japanese art of flowers
Translated as “living flowers,” ikebana is a Japanese art with deep spiritual meaning, an example of Japanese aesthetics.
The Way of Flowers
Ikebana is an ancient knowledge, the result of precision and aesthetic research, handed down from master to disciple as a process of soul-searching. Its more philosophical view calls it kadō, or the “Way of Flowers.” It originated in the Buddhist religious context as an extremely simple votive offering placed in front of the Buddha statue. It would become an autonomous art in the 15th century., among monks, warriors and literati of the Kyōto court. Contrary to the stereotype “flower = female”, it was a masculine art, then, which a century later would entwine the current of Zen Buddhism, which was particularly attentive to artistic practice as a path to meditation.
Three-element Ikebana. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.
To speak of ikebana is not to speak of a mere ornamental element, an elegant and exotic divertissement for pastime or amusement. The original conception, still alive in Japanese culture, is that of a path of concentration. Just as is typical of Japan, what ikebana conceals is more than what it reveals at first glance: it prefers suggestion, intuition, silence. The silence of one who arranges flowers calmly, carefully and with quick but precise gestures. Rare or precious plants are not necessary; beauty can arise even from poor materials, such as moss and wild flowers. The discovery of beauty in simplicity will be even more dazzling, bringing the everyday closer to the dimension of the sublime.
The fiction of spontaneity
Among the most striking features of ikebana, there is a pretense so searching that it skillfully mimics a perfect spontaneity and naturalness. Following the concept Daoist of “not acting,” the artist does not impose his will on the creation; on the contrary, he empathizes with the flower he is working on. The master teaches the disciple to bend to the flowers, to know their details, individually and in relation to the seasons and other plants. This is because the flower itself is a participant in the nature of man and the universe.
Every form in the universe is enlightened: men, forests, mountains and wild beasts, streams and clouds, in their impermanence, are the perfection of buddhahood.
The result is a harmonic composition based on a triangular pattern that, symbolically, echoes the interaction between Heaven, Man, and Earth. Creation will never be static but full of vitality, as suggested by the very name ikebana: “living flowers.” Dynamism will come from the contrast of solids and voids, from the juxtaposition of colors, from a single drop of water placed on a leaf, all aiming to create asymmetrical compositions.
Master of ikebana in traditional dress. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.
The artist seeks to give breath to his work by putting each individual part of it into dialogue. The texture of the vase, the direction of the branches, the choice of flowers, gracefully create plays of color, light and shadow. Yet behind the care lies metaphorical cruelty: the flowers are cut, propped up with needles, the branches cut and twisted. The ikebana master makes his plants suffer to allow them to show themselves in the utmost perfection. It is the same cruelty with which the shaman tortures his own body and mind to awaken mystical powers.
The potential of emptiness
Emptiness is fundamental aesthetic value in the making of ikebana, it is nothingness perceived not as lack but as creative potentiality. Here, floral art becomes an inner quest: simplicity is the result of discipline, aimed at elimination, in order to reach the essential. In practice, the student learns by perfectly imitating the master’s movements and compositions. The constant copying and repeating of what has already been done underscores the dominance of tradition over individuality, a superiority that, once accepted, accompanies the annihilation of the self. When the act becomes spontaneous and the student no longer cares for himself, the naturalness of one who has lost himself to find himself in a deeper dimension is born. To walk the Way of Flowers is to embark on an inner journey.
Single-base Ikebana. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.
However, the beauty of the composition will always remain something ephemeral and momentary. The next day it will no longer exist, the flowers will wither and only the memory of the beauty will remain. Ikebana acquires a value of impermanence that is hidden behind the serenity of the flowers. Its appeal is related to the impermanence of existence, to an enchantment veiled in nostalgia, an appearance of vitality that conceals the decay of death. The Zen tradition reflects on the fragility conferring greater value on life precisely because of its elusiveness. Reaching for emptiness, accepting the universal flow founds the awareness that each moment, as unrepeatable, is rich in value.
To learn the Way of the Buddha is to learn oneself,
To learn self is to forget self.
To forget oneself is to be awakened to the truth.
This article contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission.
Read also:
