Ikebana fascinates you!

This is my recent work just for fun, but I think this captures Ikebana's essence.



This is a relatively small work with only three flowers. Not because I didn't have flowers, but because this is the ikebana style.

In ikebana, you must seek the best balance of exsistance (flowers) and nonexsistance (spacing around them). Nonexsistance makes the exsistance stronger, and the existance makes us aware that nonexsistance is there.

This is ikebana's principle. I think this links to the world view of the Oriental philosophy. In that sense ikebana is one of means which embody the Oriental philosophy. Since I knew about ikebana - its external side and inwardness, I've been facinated with ikebana.



This work is bigger than the first one not only by adding a tall flower but also by expanding space around the flower.

I liked the soft-carved stem of the flower, so I used the tall flower as it was. Here is another esssence of ikebana. In ikebana, we think that each flower, even if same species, has individuality - none of flowers are quite same. We neither treat flowers as mass nor see only their faces(top parts )/colors. We see flower's stem, top face and leaves carefully to bring out its beauty, and existance of flowers must not kill each other.

This principle somtimes bothers me when I use much more flowers, because I must put each flower very carefully not to be the same in height, not to be at the same angle, and not to be the same appearance. Perfect irregularity in a vase makes a good work. It's like a pazzle - I sometimes feel so, but I like the challenge.



This work is used with three tall flowers. These three emphasize the beauty of uprightness of the flowers themselves, and at the same time, The one of them which inclines backward provides the work with depth. The first and second works are two-dimensional, but this is three-demensional. Mostly ikebana is three-demensional, so ikebana is a sort of three-demensional pazzle, and just not a beautiful thing. Behind the beauty there is a complete calculation.
This is just a small part of ikebana essense. So are you fascinated with ikebana?
No? Okay, keep reading this blog, and my English will be much better!