Author: Akemi

Among those who learned ikebana while living in Japan was Mrs. Ellen Gordon Allen, the wife of General Frank Allen.

The United States National Arboretum website introduces Mrs. Allen as below.

“She was captivated by the philosophical and aesthetic elements of ikebana that stressed harmonic relationships. Mrs. Allen earned her Teachers Certificate from the Ohara School and began teaching ikebana.

She turned her mimeographed lessons into a small book, Japanese Flower Arrangement: A Complete Primer, which saw a number of printings. As she taught, she became determined to share her passion for this traditional art form throughout the world.

In 1956, she worked with ikebana school masters in Tokyo to found Ikebana International. She dreamed of spreading the practice of ikebana, believing that its principles would help foster greater world peace. She stated the organization’s motto as “Friendship through Flowers.” Mrs. Allen returned to Washington, D.C., and helped found Chapter No. 1.”

Ikebana International (I.I.) had only 1 chapter with 20 members when Mrs. Allen founded it. Sixty years later, now there are over 7,600 members with 161 chapters in over 50 countries!

Each chapter is affiliated with the head quarter but has its own activities. The Seattle Chapter #19, of which I’m a member, was chartered in 1959, and currently there are almost 100 members. Its activities include demonstration of flower arranging, exhibitions, lectures/programs on related arts, tours, and workshops where one can study Ikebana under the direction of various school Masters.

Its public exhibitions include Northwest Flower and Garden Show in February, Cherry Blossom Festival in April, Annual Exhibition in May, Japan Fair in July, Japan Week in the fall.

The I.I. Seattle Chapter #19 members voluntarily place ikebana arrangements at the Seattle Art Museum all year round.

There may be an Ikebana International chapter in your city. Would you like to know if there is a chapter in your city? Here is the list of current chapters around the world. Please check it out!

As a member of Ikebana International myself, I thank Mrs. Allen for founding this wonderful organization.

As mentioned in What Is The Origin of Ikebana, ikebana as we know it dates back at least to 1462.  You might wonder how it has survived over 500 years and many people (like me!) still enjoy practicing it.

As you can imagine, over the long course of history, ikebana faced many difficulties.  Once it gained popularity, and other times it almost became extinct.  Whenever it faced difficulty, ikebana found new audience and spread again.

Samurais and aristocrats – its original fans

Ikebana gained its popularity first among samurais and aristocrats in Japan. During the Edo period (1603 – 1863), ikebana also became popular among ordinary people. Both men and women used to enjoy it.

Ikebana crisis in 19^th century

When Meiji period started and Japan opened its doors to the West at the end of the 19th century, people in Japan considered ikebana as outdated and it lost its popularity. With Meiji Restoration, Buddhist temples and samurai clans, both of ikebana’s main patrons, lost their prestige that they had once enjoyed. With no powerful patrons and very little interest among the public, ikebana was at the verge of extinction.

In the beginning of the 20th century, ikebana regained its popularity, with new audience. The Meiji government positioned ikebana and tea ceremony as two important subjects that young women should study at school. In most girls’ schools that were newly established in that period, ikebana became a compulsory subject. Since then, a notion that ikebana is practiced by women rather than men has prevailed.

New crisis for Ikebana

Ikebana faced with another crisis during World War II. The military-led government back then considered any art such as ikebana as unimportant or even as “evil extravagance.”

How Ikebana speed around the world

Once World War II was over, people were hungry for artistic freedom.  When the flower exhibition was held in Tokyo in November 1945, only three months after the end of the war, so many people came to see the show.

Ikebana also found new audience.

While Japan was occupied by the allies, many military officials were assigned to Japan from the US, and many brought their wives. Ikebana leaders in Japan in those years, including headmasters such as Sofu Teshigahara (Sogetsu School) and Houn Ohara (Ohara School), came up with a plan to hold ikebana classes for the wives of those military officials.

These wives took ikebana classes and obtained a teacher’s certificate while in Japan. So did wives of diplomats who were assigned to Japan from various countries. After returning to their own countries, those women started to teach ikebana in their own countries.

Although originated in Japan, now there are so many people enjoying ikebana around the world.  We have to thank those wives of diplomats and military officials for spreading this wonderful culture worldwide.

Ever since the human beings have existed on earth, we have been surrounded by plants. Blessed with relatively moderate climate with distinct four seasons, people in Japan have enjoyed various kinds of plants and flowers all year round.

Plants as Part of Religious Rituals

In the winter, most of the trees lose leaves and many plants disappear.  Pines trees, however, remain green.  The vivid green in the winter must represent the resilient life.  So Shito, Japan’s native religion, has used pine branches for its rituals, including the New Year’s decoration.

Plants were also used for in Buddhist rituals.  The typical flowers used in India, where Buddhism was originated, were lotus.  In Japan, the rituals were adapted to use various seasonal flowers.

Ikebana Patronized by Samurais

The origin of Ikebana as we see today dates back to Muromachi period in the 15th century. Ruling samurai clan started to build gorgeous houses with an alcove called “tokonoma”, a special space to display their precious treasures. The samurai showed off their ornate vases originated from China by decorating them on tokonoma. It was one of the tasks of “Dohoshu,” usually Buddhist monks who served Muromachi shogunate and other powerful samurai, to decorate the tokonoma with beautiful flowers and plants.

One day, Ikenobo Senkei （池坊専慶）, a Buddhist monk of Rokkakudo Temple in Kyoto was invited to a samurai’s residence and made a gorgeous flower decoration. It was so well received that one of the contemporary Buddhist monks wrote about the decoration in his journal!  Thanks to this monk, we know that it was precisely in 1462.

Hence Rokkakudo Temple is said to be the birth place of Ikebana, and Ikenobo School is said to be the origin of Ikebana.

When I first learned about Samurai in school, they were simply “professional worrier class.” Ikebana patronized by samurai clan…. Isn’t it interesting to find out new things in history?