A Guide to Ikebana Flower Arranging

The practice of ikebana uses carefully selected blossoms, greenery and other flora to convey a specific feeling or emotion to an observer – just as a painting or sculpture might.

“Ikebana” is from the Japanese ikeru (生ける, “to arrange (flowers), have life, be living”) and hana (花, “flower”). Possible translations include “giving life to flowers” and “arranging flowers”.^[3]

Ikebana (生け花, 活け花, “arranging flowers” or “making flowers alive”) is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is also known as Kadō (華道, “way of flowers”). The tradition dates back to the 7th century when floral offerings were made at altars. Later, they were placed in the tokonoma (alcove) of a home. Ikebana reached its first zenith in the 16th century under the influence of Buddhist tea masters and has grown over the centuries, with over 1,000 different schools in Japan and abroad.

Kadō is counted as one of the three classical Japanese arts of refinement, along with kōdō for incense appreciation and chadō for tea and the tea ceremony.

“If a petal happens to fall into the water, then so be it. It’s all part of the Japanese notion of wabi-sabi, the Buddhist belief that there’s beauty in imperfection.”

This ancient craft has a minimalist aesthetic, and choosing each piece is as important as the final composition itself. The process is deliberate and reflective.

Holly Carlisle – a floral artist based in Birmingham, Alabama, and founder of ROSEGOLDEN Design Studio – creates beautiful, ikebana-inspired arrangements, and she offered advice on how to make your own ikebana work of art at home.

“Acknowledging and appreciating seasonal changes is fundamental to ikebana,” explains Holly. “Arrangements should be regarded as a reflection of a specific moment in time – a snapshot or portrait paying reverence to the season.”

Collect

To make your own ikebana arrangement, Holly suggests starting with a walk around your neighborhood to collect items that speak to you. Ask yourself, “What response is this sparking? Curiosity? Interest? Joy? The feeling of wanting to touch it?” Let those emotions guide your choices. Besides flowers, you might also reach for a pretty leaf, a few blades of grass, a branch or a twig. Nothing is off limits.

Curate

Once you have a collection of items, it’s time to start putting things together. Most ikebana designs include only about 5 to 13 stems – the culling process can be challenging. “I find that to be the hardest part,” Holly confesses. “When people see many beautiful things, it can be overwhelming to decide what they want to express.”

To get past that feeling, Holly recommends picking up one stem that speaks loudly to you and “shopping it around” with the others. “Put that item next to other things to see what relationships you find. Do you see some kind of unity? Similar colors? Or another type of harmony? If you’re not seeing anything complementary, go in another direction.”

“Say you look at a branch that’s very compelling, but you have to cut it to make it work in your piece. Acknowledge it, thank it for its beauty and service, and then chop chop.” Remember that the items you select for your arrangement don’t have to be perfect. Crooked stems and uneven shapes are all welcome!

Compose

Next, it’s time to compose your pieces in a vessel. Unlike traditional western arrangements, which try to hide the “mechanics” of the design, ikebana highlights it. The vessel is often shallow, and it relies on what’s called a kenzan (or flower frog), with pins pierced through the base of the stems to hold everything in desired position. The water in the kenzan is simply another element in the piece — and if a petal happens to fall into the water, then so be it. It’s all part of the Japanese notion of wabi-sabi, the Buddhist belief that there’s beauty in imperfection.

While different types of vessels carry different meanings – a bronze dish, for example, represents the earth – Holly recommends not getting bogged down by the need to understand every tenet of the craft. “People should feel free to approach ikebana-inspired art in their own way,” she says. “Use a bud vase or a ceramic bowl if that’s what you have.” The same principle applies to the design process. Ikebana’s roots date back to seventh-century Japan – when flowers were given as an offering to the Buddha – and there are now thousands of ikebana “schools” that train and certify their own ikebana masters. That’s why Holly reinforces that her work is ikebana-inspired; she is not a master – she has her own take on the craft. “I think of ikebana as something to experience and explore. It’s about finding beauty in all of nature and expressing that admiration.”

As you experiment with ikebana at home, remember that the process is just as important as the end-result. “It’s all about slowing down, taking things one at a time,” says Holly. “It’s great practice for life in general!”