Ikebana means “living flower”, or “bringing flowers to life”. It also
was known as Kado, “the way of flowers”. It is an artistic form of flower arranging with
a unique style that is different from the floral art of Western Countries.
Ikebana originated in sixth century Japan. It was part of a ritual
offering in Buddhist Temples. In those floral arrangements, flowers and branches
arranged in small Ikebana vases were
made to point toward heaven as a sign of faith.
There are many schools of Ikebana flower arranging and many different
Ikebana styles. It is a simple technique that focuses on balance, line and arrangement.
It creates harmony with line and color. The west emphasizes symmetry, quantity and color
of the flowers with the attention to the beauty of the blossoms. Ikebana stresses
simplicity and asymmetry to reflect nature. This is why Ikebana
vases tend to also reflect the same simple, clean design.
The structure of Ikebana flower arrangement stresses three elements:
heaven, man and earth. Heaven is the primary stem and it is the central line of the
arrangement. Man is the second stem and is two thirds the height of the primary stem. It
is placed to the side of the primary stem. Earth is the shortest stem and it is placed
on the opposite side of the man stem or in front of the primary steam. When properly
placed these three flower stems appear as if they are growing from a single source.
Using an odd number of flowers in your Ikebana flower arrangement arrangement creates
balance and a natural flow.
An Ikebana arrangement incorporates not just the flowers but
also the stems, leaves and branches. A simple but beautiful grouping can consist of a
single flower framed by two leaves in a small Ikebana vase.
In the floral art of western countries, the Ikebana vase serves simply as a
receptacle for the flowers. In Ikebana, the vase positions the grouping and its color
and shape enhances the beauty of the arrangement. It is for this reason that Janet
Jacobs offers 4 styles of Ikebana flower vases in
ten different colors. These beautiful, handmade vases are inexpensively priced and
make a great gift idea for any occasion.
Janet's hand made Ikebana vases are sold as
wholesale gift shop items.
