Dear All,

Spring is around the corner.

Every year the bunches of peach tree branches with lots of buds are found at a flower shop in Japan

from around mid-February.

They are arranged for Dolls Festival (Hina Matsuri) celebrated on March 3rd.to pray for girls’ healthy growth

and happiness.

Peach trees were believed to ward off evils.

The traditional practice was held when peach trees began to flower.

Although this is no longer true since the new calendar was introduced.

Peaches blossoms are still symbolic of the festival.

As this tradition shows, people have appreciated

the beauty of seasonal flowers and plants and celebrated festivals with them for centuries,

as the country has four distinct seasons with suitable flowers for each season.

Considering this, it’s understandable that Ikebana (Japanese art of flower arrangement) was born in Japan..

1“Flowers to be appreciated,” 2 “Yorishiro (an object that divine spirits are summoned to)”

i.e. Kadomatsu, a pair of pine used even today as decoration for the New Year 3 “Flower offerings

on the Buddhist altar” –

With these interacting elements in place,

ikebana began to be formalized in the 15th century.

Its origin came from floral offerings left at the temples,

and Ikenobo, the first school, was established by a Buddhist priest in Kyoto in the 15th century.

Later, other schools appeared, each with their own aesthetic philosophy,

eventually becoming a pastime for 19th-century ladies.

Ikebana has continued with the times, reflecting various eras,

but it is governed by strict rules.

The style which most people generally think of as ikebana is a triangular composition of three main elements:

the tallest representing heaven, the lowest, earth, with man .in the middle

One of the big differences between Ikebana and western flower arrangement is that in Ikebana,

line of branches is very important with some spaces, and asymmetry,

while flower arrangement has many flowers to make round shapes without any spaces.

If you are interested in pottery, taking Ikebana lessons is recommended.

The flower vase is a key element of Ikebana. But keep in mind that it takes time to master even basic techniques .

https://www.nicjapanese.com