Ikebana: all about this ancestral Japanese floral art
Very delicate, ikebana is a type of flower arrangement elevated to the rank of art. Quite complicated to master, it consists of creating a composition like a miniature landscape, from plants and minerals. How to learn the codes? Where to buy ready-made? Answers and inspired creations.
From the Buddhist ritual of offering flowers to the spirits of the dead, ikebana comes to us from Japan and was born in the 6th century . This is during a kokedama workshop, booked on Wecandoo , that the editors were able to ask their questions to Gwenaël, a passionate and fascinating craftsman and co-founder of Ikebanart Where does ikebana come from, what is its meaning, is it possible to learn how to do it yourself and how to maintain it? Here is all there is to know.
What is ikebana?
In Japanese, ikebana comes from the verb ikeru , or give life and work which means flower. After picking the flower, assimilated to its death, we will therefore seek to bring it back to life, through ikebana. Ultra graphic and minimalist, this floral art has only one desire: to highlight the flower , thanks to the leaves and branches. In order to recreate a three-dimensional landscape, we will use a container and three guiding lines of different sizes: Shin, Zoe and Taï, which symbolize respectively the sky, the earth and the man.
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How to learn the ikebana technique?
Do not become an ikebana master who wants. art in its own right, ikebana is very codified and follows very specific rules. There are in particular certain angles to respect, to place the different elements, whether vegetable or mineral, in the rules of the art. This is called finding the balance point that is in nature. A point where the elements must come together to lead us to harmony.
If Eugénie, Gwenaël's companion, became an ikebana master, it was after seven years of study in a Japanese school in Madrid and 21 diplomas obtained, just that! But if you want to learn ikebana solo, you are free to follow the diagrams to the letter, available online or on Pinterest for free. Also know that workshops exist to do it yourself and learn the basics of ikebana , which, we remind you, is much more complicated to make than kokedama. In terms of tools, all you need is a good secateur, a Japanese brass flower spike, a good vase and you're good to go!
What maintenance for ikebana?
Once created, the ikebana does not require any particular maintenance, except that it is necessary to rewater so that its flowers do not fade too quickly. Also, it is better avoid putting it in direct sunlight . If you take good care of it, it can be stored for 10 to 20 days, depending on the flower variety.
Where to buy an ikebana?
In terms of logistics, the ikebana is not necessarily easy to move since all the elements that compose it are stitched in balance with very precise angles. And some Japanese customers know them by heart, impossible to cheat with them. Fortunately, Ikebanart has developed a system that allows the created ikebanas to be transported without them being damaged.
