Finding Zen at the Ikebana Exhibit at Naples Botanical Garden

On Saturday, February 18-20, 2022, the Naples Ikebana International #160 local chapter hosted an exhibit at the Naples Botanical Garden. The theme was “The Joy of Reconnecting,” and it featured designs in the schools of Ikenobo, Sogetsu, Sensho Ikenobo and Ohara. It was a rare opportunity for the public to appreciate the beauty and simple elegance of Ikebana.

Breathtaking & deceptively simple - When you are looking at an Ikebana floral arrangement, it is deceptively simple. But there is much more than a beautiful table centerpiece. It is a floral design filled with subtle and complex subtitles. It is an art that is a mix of therapy and meditation guided by ancient Japanese rules.

I’ve dabbled in floral arrangements, and it might be so much easier to just stick some flowers and leaves together in a vase and call it a floral arrangement. But it won’t be an art form – it won’t be Ikebana.

Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, is grounded in Japan’s ancient culture and religion of Shinto and Buddhism dating back to the seventh century. Yet, modern Ikebana practitioners have found relevancy in the ancient art of seeing the “whole universe in a single flower.”  In this digital consumer driven age, Ikebana’s reverence for nature has never felt more relevant. Ikebana comes laden with ancient symbolisms but it brings that spiritual connection to Mother Nature in a very tangible way.

To appreciate Ikebana, one has to look back to ancient Japan when a Buddhist monk’s daily activity was to give flower offerings to gods in Buddhism. In time it took on a ritualistic artistic format. The monks started using a variety of flowers to express the beauty of each season - life was celebrated through the seasons: spring is adolescence, summer is youth, autumn is mature adult and winter is old age.

Between the spaces - In the western style of floral design, it is more about volume and specific colors looking festive and full. In Ikebana, there is a lot of spaces between the branches, flowers and leaves based on the principles of “less is more.” The spaces are where the balance of Yin and Yang occurs and just like in meditation, the space between inhaling and exhaling is a focal point of harmony. Ikebana is more of a state of mind than a table centerpiece.

Asymmetry and Symmetry in Flower Arrangement - One of the striking differences between Ikebana and Western Style flower arrangement is in their shape. According to Ikebana practitioners, Ikebana is thoroughly asymmetric while the Western flower arrangement is all about symmetry. 

Experts say this obvious contrast is partially the result of Ikebana’s religious roots of both Shinto and Buddhism. Japanese Shinto tradition viewed nature as a dwelling place of countless deities with no one considered dominant, and it was believed to have been partly responsible for Ikebana’s aversion to symmetry. 

Ikebana mimics nature’s asymmetry by using three main flower stems. The longest thickest stem symbolizes ‘heaven,’ the next longest ‘earth,’ while the shortest represents the ‘human’ dimension and all three stems are in harmony with the universe.

Imperfection is beauty - Ikebana has symbolic meaning to different species of flower -and even different colors of flowers. An old, twisted branch or dried piece of driftwood symbolizes the cycle of life and death. Flowers also have meanings. Pines represent longevity; chrysanthemums represent the imperial family; lotus flowers represent purity of mind and body. Odd numbers of flowers are considered lucky and help practitioners avoid a perfectly balanced symmetry. 

Ready to be inspired – though feeling very intimidated after viewing a room full of breathtaking Ikebana exhibits, I am willing to try. I will start by collecting natural objects such as twisted driftwood, an unusual stone or dried seed pods - does this piece make me happy or sad – this journey is part of the Ikebana process.