A book about ikebana by Gustie Herrigel "Zen in the Art of Flower Arrangement" is a small but full of insights read. The true insight into the spirit of the ikebana art the way it was seen by foreigners in Japan a hundred years ago.
Ikebana
Ikebana as meditation
I have been reflecting on the meditative aspect of ikebana already for a while. This article covers my discoveries. If you ask your friend Wikipedia “what is ikebana?” it will say that it is an art of arranging flowers. But then it will also tell you that it is a Kado – the way of … Continue reading Ikebana as meditation
Morimono – use of fruits and vegetables in Japanese flower arrangements
Note: If you dropped by from social media to download the morimono step-by-step workshop materials just click here, enter your e-mail and it will be sent to you instantly. What do fruits and vegetables have to do with flower arrangements? Japanese do not discriminate: any plant material can be used in ikebana, not only flowers … Continue reading Morimono – use of fruits and vegetables in Japanese flower arrangements
Interview with Akane Teshigahara
The leader of the Sogetsu school of ikebana have kindly answers questions of teachers and students collected with the help of Facebook Anticipation was building up over the last couple of months. When earlier this year Ms. Teshigahara was visiting Belgium we wanted to interview her. We collected the questions of ikebana teachers and students … Continue reading Interview with Akane Teshigahara
Essential Japanese vocabulary for Ikebana students
A helpful list of 70 Janapese terms frequently used in Ikebana (downloadable in PDF format) When I started learning Ikebana Japanese words Kenzan, Moribana and a few others entered my world. It was fun and it felt exotic. It also gave some subtle sense of belonging to a group connected by a distant, unfamiliar language. … Continue reading Essential Japanese vocabulary for Ikebana students
And the winner is….
Finally we can announce our Natural Creativity Challenge winner. The idea of this Challenge was to get people who have never been involved in Ikebana (or in any other type of flower arranging) to try making a flower composition. The main point is actually not the flower arrangement as such. It is more about restoring … Continue reading And the winner is….
3D Challenge: Natural Creativity – entries are due in 5 days (Sept 20, 2015)
Good news folks: the deadline for the Natural Creativity Challenge is extended to September 20th. Photos of your arrangements have to be e-mailed to Ekaterina@IkebanaWeb.com by Sunday evening the latest. THE PRIZE will be a 1 month FREE ACCESS to the new Online Ikebana subscription website. This service is not yet released to the public. The exclusive … Continue reading 3D Challenge: Natural Creativity – entries are due in 5 days (Sept 20, 2015)
3 Main Elements of Ikebana Flower Arrangements: #2 Mass
Mass in Ikebana arrangements is a somewhat controversial topic. On one hand it is quite similar to the appearance of Western arrangements and therefore is not "Ikebana-like". On the other hand it is a rather difficult task to construct a proper mass. In several workshops I have seen advanced students and even teachers struggle with … Continue reading 3 Main Elements of Ikebana Flower Arrangements: #2 Mass
3 Main Elements of Ikebana Flower Arrangements: #1 Lines
Sunday Ikebana post series is dedicated to the minimalist aesthetics of the Japanese floral art. Part 2 is all about the lines and how they make a world of difference.
3 Main Elements of Ikebana Flower Arrangements
Sunday Ikebana post series is dedicated to the minimalist aesthetics of the Japanese floral art. Part 1 lays out the main principles, which will be further explored in this series.