IKEBANA and KADÔ
Ikebana is the Japanese art of flowers and means 'to put the beauty of flowers into perspective'. Ikebana creates a composition that pays attention to line, asymmetry, space, contrast and harmony. In Japanese art, the emphasis is often on minimalism. Ikebana arrangements represent the unity of a person with nature and allow the practitioner to express herself artistically with flowers, leaves, stems or branches.
Kadô (華 道 or 花道 way of flowers), is one of the Japanese ways (dô), which can also be called the way to harmony. Japanese Dō originate from Zen Buddhism and complement other forms of internalisation such as meditation. The Way of the Warrior (武道 Budô), which includes the Way of the Bow (弓道 Kyûdô) or the Way of the Sword (剣道 Kendô), is complemented by the so-called Water Way. This includes the tea ceremony (茶道 Sadô), the way of writing (書道 Shodô) and the way of flowers (華道 Kadô).
Today, Ikebana is not only practised as a hobby by young Japanese, but can also be studied at academies, such as the IKENOBO ACADEMY, up to the level of senior professor. A good sense of aesthetics is helpful, as well as creativity and a willingness to learn and practise.
Ikenobo
Ikenobo is the ancestral home of Japanese floral art and the origin of Ikebana. The beginnings of Ikebana date back to the 6th century, when Japan had a lively political and cultural exchange with China. This is how the country came into contact with Buddhism. Ono no Imoko, an envoy who had returned from China, introduced the flower offering in Japan, in which priests placed flowers, buds and leaves as offerings in temples. He became a priest at the Rokkaku-dô temple, taught his students the art of flowers, and the emperor gave him the name Ikenobō, a combination of Ike 池 and Bô, which translates as 'hermitage by the pond'.
The Ikenobo school, which developed flower offering into a sophisticated floral art in the 15th century, is led by the 45th generation of Ikenobo Sen'ei, a direct descendant of Ono no Imoko. Sen'ei Ikenobō (池 坊 専 永), as the 45th generation Ikenobo Chief Master, runs the ancestral home (Ikenobo Head Quarters) in Kyoto together with his daughter Ikenobō Senkō IV (代 目 池 坊 専専).
Ikenobo, as the oldest Ikebana school, is the only one to teach the sophisticated Rikka style, which was developed in the 15th century. In the 17th century, under the influence of the minimalist aesthetics of Zen Buddhism, the simple Shoka style emerged. In addition to the traditional forms of expression, Ikenobo also cultivates Jiyuka, the free style.