The history of ikebana is actually the history of "types". Starting from the "upright flower" in the Muromachi period, the changes in flower shape have gone through the "tachibana" in the first half of the Edo period, and the "raw flower" in the second half of the Edo period. ", "Blooming flowers" in the Meiji era, "free flowers" in the Showa era, "shaped flowers" after World War II... Various new flower types were created in each era.

Although a variety of new flower patterns have been born in response to the requirements of the times, ikebana artists have not abandoned the old flower patterns, and have completely preserved and passed them down. So, let us follow the long river of time and trace the mainstream flower patterns of each era.

▲ Upright flower: the oldest flower type so far

▲ Time: Muromachi period

▲ Main use: Japanese style Reception room decorations

▲ Characteristics: vertically erect a branch in the center, called "True", and then add seasonal flowers and plants around it as auxiliaries, these auxiliaries are called "Xiacao" < /p>

Upright flower arrangement in "Sendensho"

Background: Before the upright flower arrangement, the style of flower arrangement focused on the natural style. Keeping the original natural form of plants and adding them to flower vessels at will, naturalness and spontaneity were the mainstream at that time. After entering the Muromachi period, a group of people who were responsible for Japanese-style interior decoration appeared who showed special talents in floral design. They established the composition theory of flowers, expressed the individuality of natural flowers to the maximum extent, and used them in the selected flower vessels. Lieutenant General reorganized the beauty of nature and formed a systematic theory. Flower arrangement has evolved from an irregular and free expression to a form of design and combination according to unified regulations.

Representative figure: Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the shogun who established Higashiyama culture, supported the development of culture at that time as a powerful backer. Among the active ikebana masters at that time were Ikebo Tetsuo (1482-1543) and Bunami, who held the title of Ami. The two celebrities have been compared and commented on as rivals. Chifang Zhuanying focused on displaying floral art to dignitaries, and promoted his unique flower art theory. He wrote far-reaching works such as "Chifang Zhuanying Oral Transmission". Bunami's flower paintings focused on the secular customs of the time, and the artistic conception expressed was to completely reproduce nature in the flower vessels.

▲ Tachibana: Flower arrangement at the daimyo’s official residence and academy

▲ Time: Edo period

▲ Main features: luxurious, complicated, gorgeous

Tachibana screen (Edo period)

Background: Although the Tachibana screen in the Muromachi period was only used for Japanese-style room decoration A constituent element, but at that time, flower arrangement had already been appreciated by the public as an independent art form. By increasing the number and types of flower materials, the creation of large-scale flower works was gradually formed, and the gorgeous flower-shaped "tachibana" that complemented the daimyo's official residence and academy was born. Development: At first, "Xiacao" only played a supporting role in the upright flowers. The types of flower materials gradually diversified, forming the seven unique "heart", "fu", "please", "zhengxin", "jianyue", "streaming branches" and "front" flowers. The constituent elements also become the "seven props". Because each branch has its own meaning, the concept of "service branch" was formed. Later, in the second half of the Edo period, the technique of inserting branches into large branches was born, which is called "hornsaku". In addition to the original seven basic parts, the production techniques of "control" and "胴" were added, and it developed into the "nine props" with more substantial expressions.

Roughly speaking, a tachibana is a circular design. Fix the "heart" in the center, and then branch out from the center to the front, back, left, and right, and extend to the surroundings. However, the branches extending from the roots below the water to a specific height above the water are required to stand straight, and excess branches and leaves need to be removed and kept in a straight line.

Although Tachibana usually uses a taller vase-shaped flower vessel, special flower vessels with a wide mouth and a water tray at the top are also used. Tachibana created after filling a water dish with gravel becomes "sando", which is also a form of expression of Tachibana.

"Maeda Tei Oisamono" restored for the Ikebo 550th Anniversary Festival

Representative figures: In order to support Tachibana's creation, Emperor Gomizuo (1596-1680) ) frequently held Tachibana exhibitions in the palace. Notable ikebana masters of this period include the second generation of Tachibana expert Ikebo Tetsuyoshi (1570-1658), who created the giant "sand object" of the time, Daishin Ishin (1607-1696), who did not stick to fixed forms. , Fuchun Xiankei, who pursues Tachibana's free creation, etc. Representative books: During the Genroku period (1688-1704), Tachibana gradually became popular among wealthy citizens. Privately published books containing a large number of pictures, such as "Tachibana Encyclopedia" (1683), promoted the popularity of Tachibana. Tachibana also became a compulsory taste course for adult men at that time.

▲ Ikebana

▲ Time: the second half of the Edo period

▲ Features: simplicity, Based on Confucianism, we developed flower patterns with "heaven, earth, and man" as the basic elements

"Ancient Flowers"

Flowers The work of the early Edo period of the Edo period is Blue Wind No. 1 As a citizen class, they became important promoters of emerging culture. Complex standing flowers are difficult to be widely accepted by the public. In order to adapt to the aesthetics of the citizen class, a simple flower pattern composed of only three branches was born. Characteristics of Ikebana: At that time, this new flower type was called "Ikebana" (pronounced IKEBANA), and later the word "IKEBANA" evolved into the general name of Japanese flower arrangement art. It can be seen that this kind of "raw flowers" has been promoted and popularized unprecedentedly. In order to distinguish it from the general name of Japanese flower arrangement art, in the second half of the Edo period, when referring to specific flower types, although it was still written as "生花", it was generally pronounced as "SEIKA" or "SYOUKA". Unlike "Tachibana", which is usually made in a circle, Naika is usually made in a semicircle divided vertically. Similar to the "Tachibana", the roots of the three branches should be removed from the excess branches and leaves, fixed together, and stood above the water. However, unlike the arrangement of standing flowers that go straight upward, the main branches of the flowers are tilted 30° to the left or right, which is a major characteristic of the flowers.

The composition of flowers: Although the important components of flowers are three branches with different heights, due to the different techniques of each school, the specific names of the three branches are different. of. In order of high and low, Chifang is called "Zhen, Fu, Ti", Guliu is called "Zhen, Liu, Shou", Misei-ryu is called "Ti, Yong, Liu" and Enshu-ryu is called "Zhen, Xing, Xing". Stay” and so on. However, this is just a simple difference in name, and their meanings can all capture the meaning corresponding to "heaven, earth, and man". The length ratio of the three branches is also different in the specific practice of each school.

Left: Chifang flowers, right: Longsheng flowers

▲ Blooming flowers: the use of emerging plants

▲ Time: Meiji Era (1868–1912)

▲ Features: Made in a flat wide water dish, like blooming in water, the flower legs are spread out horizontally

Background: With the cultural opening up in the Meiji era, a large number of Western science and technology, political systems and cultural customs were introduced into Japan. Floral design was also influenced by the West, and Western horticultural plants gradually flowed into Japan. In Japan, it has been widely cultivated. In the past, Japanese ikebana works used branches as the center, so the flower shapes mostly used long, curved branches. Western garden plants are shorter in length, too straight, lack variety, and appear monotonous. How to use exotic plants more effectively in ikebana works has become a topic. Therefore, using Western flower materials to create a new pattern of flowers in a wide drinking dish - blooming flowers came into being.

▲ Free Flower: The art of using plants

▲ Time: Early Showa era (1926, the first year of Showa era)

p>

▲ Features: Abstraction, freedom, emphasizing creative ideas as the core

Background: Echoing the Taisho Democratic Movement, the art world also launched a pursuit of freedom and individuality trend. In this historical trend, from the Taisho era to the early Showa era, "free flowers" that emphasized creative ideas appeared and became popular. Development: The florists at that time drew the essence from the theories and abstract painting techniques of abstract painters and art masters such as Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) and Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), and established Understand the design theory of three elements such as points, lines and surfaces. It was from this era that dried flower materials, artificially processed special materials, and various exotic materials other than plants began to be used in large quantities in floral creations.

On the left is a flower arrangement work, on the right is a work by American abstract painter Jackson Pollock

Freedom Flowers are characterized by abstract and free-form designs, and are another form of artistic expression using plant materials. Different from standing flowers and raw flowers, which require branches to determine the direction of the flower shape; free flowers pay more attention to the personality of the creator.

"Free flower" is not an arbitrary, unstructured and genreless product. It is a new flower type that needs to be learned from a specialized flower art classroom.

▲ Styling flowers: avant-garde flower arrangement

▲ Time: late Taisho era

▲ Features: Sculpture art, using bold elements such as metal, stone, and glass

Teji Kawara Sofaze "Kojiki Series Bird Hair (とりかみ)"

Background : The avant-garde art movement that emerged in the art world at the end of the Taisho era also swept the ikebana world, questioning ikebana that was excessively restricted to classical styles, lacked originality, and fell into formalism and stereotypes. In the 5th year of the Showa era (1930), the garden designer and critic Mirei Shigemori, the governor Kawahara Sofu (the first generation of Sogetsu-ryu Iemoto) and others proposed the "New Ikebana Manifesto", advocating the disintegration of traditional ikebana.

This current of modernization of ikebana art merges with the post-war avant-garde flower arrangement art. Bold elements such as metal and stone are actively used, and spatial modeling works without the use of flower utensils can be seen. There are some works that do not use flowers and only use dead branches painted with plaster as the material. There are even works that abandon plant materials and use iron structures. "Can this still be called ikebana?" caused widespread controversy. (Japanese avant-garde flower arrangement artist Yukio Nakagawa and his works, please click on the link) Development: The avant-garde flower arrangement art movement ended with the "shaped flower" that transcended reality. Although the "shaped flower" is located on the extension line of the "free flower", to be more precise, the "free flower" is an abstract painting, and the "shaped flower" is a sculpture art. Now, the avant-garde flower arrangement movement has come to an end, and it is more inclined to re-evaluate and inherit the classics.

June 2019 Sogetsu-ryu Miyagi Prefecture Branch Exhibition "Flower Corridor" (produced by Iemoto)

Ikebana The stage art: Iemoto Takashi LIVE IN Takasaki (2014)

The "shape" of ikebana works has gone through the upright "tachibana", the inclined "bana", and the horizontal The development process of "Blooming Flowers" that develops in the direction of development, as well as "Free Flowers" that emphasize the individuality of the creator, and "Shaped Flowers", a sculpture art in the avant-garde flower arrangement movement. To sum up, the types of ikebana produced in each era are all reflections of the mainstream cultural ideas and world view at that time.

Misori-ryu works

The changes of the times, the development of society, politics, economy and culture, as well as the changes in people's thoughts and aesthetics, etc., are all promoting With the continuous development and progress of ikebana, we hope to introduce all aspects of ikebana and its culture to everyone on the road of sharing in the future. We also hope that more friends who love ikebana will interact with us, provide colorful ideas, and work together to encourage each other.