Asymmetry is an essential element in any Ikebana flower arrangement, reflecting the strength and weakness, light and darkness of nature. Design education often includes a rule that elements should be symmetrical because people find this more attractive, but this is not necessarily true. People find balance attractive and calming. Balance is most easily achieved with symmetry, a technique that uses mirror-like elements that are the same on opposite sides. Asymmetrical balance is an alternative to symmetry that is far more difficult to master. It relies on a composition balance of dissimilar ele ..read more

I had a teacher tell me, ”Always remember that Ikebana is an Art of space, visual space and invisible space.” Which has got me scratching around for my notes as to what this ‘Space' really means in Japanese aesthetics. A form of space seen in Japanese art forms, such as traditional Japanese gardens and Ikebana, is Ma (間), which means an interval of space or time, or is perhaps better translated as emptiness or void, negative space. https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Moon-and-Japanese-Cherry-Blossoms The Japanese perception of beauty is largely based on space, especially space as it is fou ..read more

As the President of the Johannesburg Ikebana Chapter, my heart is filled with joy and gratitude as I write this month’s post. The Chapter held its first exhibition at the end of September in over two years due to covid restrictions. This was a joint exhibition with Shibui Bonsai Kai society. It was great to make new connections with the Bonsai members and it was heart warming to meet face to face with our Ikebana friends. There is always that crazy buzz on setup day as the hall at Emmarentia was slowly coming together to create a harmonious space between Bonsai and Ikebana. The exhibition ..read more

Greetings Flower Friends ☃️ For our monthly meeting we had a hands on workshop creating a 3D structure using chopsticks or bamboo skewers.  The concept is fairly easy as you create a triangle from the bamboo sticks and then you keep connecting multiple triangles to form a structure. I showed the members examples of how to use this structure in an arrangement - you have the option of using one container or multiple containers, be it a Moribana or Nageire. The creative possibilities are endless.    ..read more

Hello Flower Friends Our monthly meeting was moved over to an online/virtual submission this month. There were just so many public holidays and families taking the opportunity to be together over the Easter period. Our theme this month was the Children's day festival “Tango no Sekku” or “Kodomo no Hi” which is celebrated on the 5th of May. We took this time and opportunity to honour the male figures in our lives by including the colour blue into our arrangements. Traditionally, blue Irises are used in an Ikebana arrangement to celebrate Tango-no-sekku. The use of Japanese Iris is a way to wish ..read more

Greetings Flower Friends I feel reignited as well as rejuvenated after our meeting which was held on Monday the 24th. This was our first in-person meeting after being separated from each other for two years. Needless to say there was lots of excited, happy chit chat from the members. I myself was a little overwhelmed with emotion having a room full of smiling faces looking at me and I had to keep reminding myself how to run a meeting. The simple joy of coming together to arrange our flowers for the morning was exhilarating. The morning was elevated with joy as we had members that had come up f ..read more

The Japanese tea ceremony cha-no-yu (茶の湯), also called the Way of Tea, was introduced from China in the 8th century. During the 12th century matcha (抹茶), the powered green tea was used in this ceremony. Tea drinking was very popular among the nobility, who used this as an opportunity to display and enjoy beautiful and expensive works of art. One of these art works displayed was a Chabana arrangement found in the tokonoma (床の間, toko-no-ma), a recessed space in a Japanese-style reception room. The arrangement was developed to fit this mood and setting which was to restore a sense of calm and in ..read more

This month I wanted the members to look more deeply into the concept of Yin and Yang.  In Japanese they call them in, meaning shadow, and yo, meaning light. Yin and Yang are opposite forces that form a whole. Many natural dualities, e.g. dark and light, female and male, hot and cold, are thought of as manifestations of yin and Yang. These forces are complementary and are firmly connected to each other in the natural world, they give rise to each other in turn.  In Ikebana arrangements these two contrasting elements should interact in harmony. Below are some examples of Yin and Yang&n ..read more

When you look up the meaning of Ikebana you will find a lot of definitions from various sources and people. The word comes from ikiru (to live) and hana (flowers and branches) thus it means ‘living flowers’. But the original name for Ikebana was Ka-dō, the way of the flowers. In Japan the pursuit of any art or skill, whether it be archery, martial arts or flower arranging, it is seen as a path leading to potential self-realization. In taking up any of these skills one would have to study and master the physical and technical skills required, the theory, history and the philosophy involved. Thi ..read more

Our theme for our March meeting was to use and highlight the beautiful Easter Lily and to include a fun addition of fans.  Some interesting tip bits :-  Lilium longiflorum (Japanese: テッポウユリ, Teppōyuri), often called the Easter lily, is a plant endemic to both Taiwan and Ryukyu Islands (Japan). Use in Christian symbolism:- Lilium longiflorum is known as the Easter lily because in Christianity, it is a symbol of the resurrection of Christ, which is celebrated during Eastertide. The "lily has always been highly regarded in the Church", as Jes ..read more