Ikebana Flower Arrangement

Making an Ikebana flower arrangement it's about relaxing and indulging your senses into creativity.

The art form of Ikebana helps arrangers, beholders and observers to become more focused and organized.

There are several styles of ikebana flower arrangements and ikebana schools under their respective ikebana masters, and to name a few:

• Ikenobo
• Sogetsu
• Ohara
• Gangetsusuiryu
• Koryu Shoto-kai
• Koryu Toyo-kai
• Kozan
• Senkei
• Shofu
• Misho
• Kozan

Amongst the many masters of ikebana, one of them was the artist, philosopher and humanitarian Mokichi Okada who believed in the transforming quality of art as a means to awaken the inherent beauty within each individual.

Ikebana Principles

One of the most important aspects of Ikebana is the spiritual one.

Silence is essential in Ikebana. In silence we can appreciate things in nature and around ourselves which our busy life does not allow us to focus on.

When we come close to nature, we can experience true relaxation.

Ikebana Rules

The general and most important rule is that it must have three stems of different sizes and they are explained as follows:

• the longest stem represent heaven for truth
• the medium stem represents earth for support
• the shortest representing earth for support.

The stems are arranged in a linear diagonal that start from the tallest on the left to the shortest on the right.

Ikebana Classic Arrangement

For a classic and simple ikebana flower arrangement, you'll need the following items below:

• Three different types of flower stems with different lengths
• a shallow ikebana container 2.5 high
• a floral frog

Steps for a simple and beautiful ikebana flower arrangement:

• In the vase, place the floral frog at seven o'clock position
  
  
• Insert the longest stem at the 11 o'clock position on floral flog. Have it lean from 15 degrees toward your left shoulder
  
  
• Place shortest stem at a 4 o'clock position on floral frog. Have it lean 75 degrees toward your right shoulder. This will give support to the second-longest stem.
  
  
• Insert second-longest stem at 1:30 PM position on floral frog. Have it in a similar dimension from longest and third-longest stems making it into a linear diagonal
  
  
• Have fun, meditate and relax while placing more new stems covering the entire floral frog. Use your intuition and creativity to make the new stems stand out on their three different meanings
  
  
• Add water in the vase up to a 1.5 high

You just created your first ikebana flower arrangement

Modern Ikebana Style

Modern ikebana style is konwn as Free Style in Japan.

The main free styles of arranging are described below:

Moribana Upright Style
This is the basic Ikebana structure. Moribana means piled up flower. The arrangement can be placed in a shallow container and the ikebana elements attached with kenzan, needlepoint holders AKA metal frogs.

Moribana Slanted Style
This is the arranging style often used to display branches and stems. Slanted branches gives a soft flowing effect.

Nageire upright style
This style of ikebana, Nageire which means thrown in is a simple arrangement that often contains just one flower.

Nageire slanted style
This style of Nageire is a gentle and flowing way of ikebana arranging.

Nageire cascading style
Nageire Cascading stile will have the main stem arranged lower than the rim of the cointaner. Flexible materials are used to create the cascading effect.

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Thank you.

Art of Ikebana