This post I will talk about いけばな. When I was in Japan, I visited a Buddhist monastery where there were many different ikebana presentations in this one room. とてもきえりいでした！そしておもしろかったです。It's so interesting because ikebana is so different from what the West does for flower arranging. In the West, bigger and more is better a lot of the time, so the prettiest bouquets might have a million different kinds of flowers in no particular order or arrangement, just bundled together. Of course, I love love love a dozen roses just as much as the next girl (hehehe), but there's something about ikebana that is so refined. Ikebana makes you think about the presentation and all its different elements -- it's not just something pretty or cute like Western flower bouquets. Even the simplest ikebana are unique and interesting:
For example, look at the ikebana to the woman's left. Just one flower, but in its container and with it's shape and color, it becomes something that you sort of are drawn to somehow.
(http://www.perth.au.emb-japan.go.jp/HIROBA/HirobaMarch/ikebana.jpg)
The containers that the ikebana are in are not just containers but are considered part of the ikebana itself.
For example, this one! The container is round and wooden and fluid and complements the yellow flowers and greenery inside perfectly. とてもおもしろいね！(http://www.jsnw.org.uk/Gallery/Ikebana%2002.jpg)
"Kado [Traditional Ikebana] is a traditional Japanese art that has flourished since the 16th century. Its origin is said to date from the 16th century when Buddhist Priests offered up flowers before Buddha. The fundamental concept is to express the three elements of heaven, earth, and mankind in a balanced composition, using natural flowers. Natural beauty and one's feelings are expressed by using scissors to adjust the length of the stems and to modify the shape of the leaves and by using the hands to add curvature." (http://schools.4j.lane.edu/yujingakuen/pages/resources/culture.html)
The ikebana I saw in Japan were extremely elaborate and impressive, more so than any of the pictures above. I couldn't really find any pictures on the internet on the same scale, but here's perhaps a small taste of what I saw:
(Except this would be bigger and even more elaborate.)（http://schools.4j.lane.edu/yujingakuen/images-culture/ikebana.jpg
Well, that's it! Hope everyone has not-too-horrible Reading & Finals Weeks! がんばって〜！
