In this recurring exhibit in our Welcome Center Gallery, view gorgeous floral displays courtesy of the Ikebana International Pittsburgh Chapter. 

Of all Japan’s traditional arts, perhaps the most famed and actively practiced today is Ikebana, the art of flower arrangement. With origins that go back for hundreds of years, it persists as a vital element in the contemporary art world. From its historical setting within the “Tokonoma” alcove of the Japanese house to the modern office window, hotel lobby or public square, Ikebana is no longer the exclusive province of arrangers or artists in Japan, but counts among its devotees professional and amateur designers around the world.

This added dimension of the use and meaning of Ikebana has in no way altered those fundamentals of structure, space, and naturalism which have been developed and perfected over the centuries.

In basic form, an Ikebana arrangement follows a fixed pattern: a triangle of three points representing Heaven, Earth, and Man. Emphasis is placed on linear perfection, color harmony, space, and form. If commonplace branch material is arranged in a beautifully flowing line, it takes preference over a mass of blooms or blossoms, regardless of their beauty. Of equal importance is the sense of naturalism: an arrangement encompasses nature in all its aspects – from the tall stately pine to the lowliest blade of grass. Further, an Ikebana usually contains the foliage and flower of the season at hand, used in their natural state except for the deft “cut” of the arranger’s clippers which perfects the line of a branch or the shape of a bud.

There are numerous schools of Ikebana, each following a particular set of rules and arranging techniques, but without losing sight of the fundamentals of art. And in keeping with the broader emphasis being given to Ikebana, in it's role in contemporary living, many of these schools seek expression in forms that reach beyond traditional styles.

About Ikebana International

Ikebana International was founded by Mrs. Ellen Gordon Allen in 1956 with its motto “friendship through flowers,” and has grown to more than  165 chapters from over 60 countries all over the world. The Pittsburgh Chapter (#25) consists of five schools: Ichiyo, Ikenobo, Keika-Kazan, Ohara, and Sogetsu.

The Five Schools of Design

Ichiyo School
Ichiyo means "one leaf" in Japanese and refers to the school's logo. The school's concept is to teach students to make arrangements that fit the environment in which they are displayed and to express the individual's emotions and character. It encourages personal interpretation and imagination and posits that if flower arranging is to be truly fulfilling, it should be a reflection of "oneself." Imagination and feeling are as important as creative design and proper selection of material and container. It is not just a flower in a vase; it is an art of human communication. 

Ikenobo School
The origin of Ikebana began with Ikenobo more than 500 years ago. In the mid-1300s, flowers were being used indoors as Buddhist offerings by priests who resided at the Rokkakudo, and ancient temple in the center of Kyoto, Japan. Around the period of the shogun, documents record a gathering to admire flowers arranged by Senkei Ikenobo. That was the first recorded Ikebana. The family name Ikenobo refers to the hut (bo) of a priest at the edge of a pond (ike). Changes over the centuries in customs and living environments are reflected in the evolution of Ikenobo's Ikebana styles. Today's style includes "rikka," "shoka," and the especially modern "free style." 

Keika-Kazan School
The school of Keika-Kazan, meaning "scenic flowers," was founded by Bunga Tanuma in 1930. The concept is to arrange materials in order to evoke natural scenes such as streams, lakes, mountains, waterfalls or any other natural element. Three key elements of this style are flowers, branches and burnished mulberry wood — all three are used in combination to create a sense of place.

Ohara School
Unshin Ohara founded the Ohara School, a style that celebrates the beauty of natural scenery. While many Ikebana masters of the early 1900s rejected using imported Western flowers, Ohara embraced them. Ohara school arrangements are seasonal and evoke views of moutains, fields and gardens. Hiroki Ohara, a descendent of Unshin, is the current headmaster of this school that boasts more than one million students worldwide. 

Sogetsu School
"Flowers becomes human in Ikebana"- Sofu Teshigahara. Sofu Teshigahara founded the Sogetsu School in 1927. He questioned the way existing Ikebana principles placed so much emphasis on form so created a school which encouraged to respect the freedom of individual expression. The school has spread worldwide with the motto "Sogetsu Ikebana can be arranged whenever, whenever, with any materials in any container by anybody."

Photos © Genesis Harshell