How to Make a Japanese Flower Arrangement

The art of Japanese flower arranging is called ikebana. The Japanese arrange certain leaves and flowers to depict a sense of spirituality, beauty of life and harmony. Japanese people started arranging special flowers to offer to Buddha. In the 16th century, the deity changed and they began offering the flowers to the Spirit of Zen. Arranging flowers is an expression of beauty. The Japanese find harmony among the vase, the flowers and the surroundings.

Instructions

1. Insert your chosen Japanese flowers in a vase in an asymmetrical form. It is not important to fill up all the empty spaces. The Japanese create harmony between the container and the flowers.

2. Create a rikka flower arrangement. These standing flowers will consist of seven or nine basic flower parts with different stem lengths, facing opposite directions and having varying floral angles. The two varieties of the rikka arrangement are shokutai and shimputai.

3. Arrange two varieties of living flowers called the shokutai and the shimputa to create a Japanese shoka.

4. Place the flowers in a more relaxed fashion called a Japanese freestyle. In a freestyle flower arrangement, the arranger can also use shells, papers and other dried material.

5. Use three varieties of flung flowers called Nageire. They include suitai, which means cascading, shatai, which is the word for slanting, and chokutai, or vertical flowers.

6. Situate Moribana, or piled flowers, in a low container, or dish. Moribana flower arrangements use a lot of Western flowers to create their own depiction of a Japanese arrangement.

Tips & Warnings

• Observe the shape, color and texture of the Japanese flower arrangement so they harmonize beautifully together.

• Do not use too many leaves. Greenery distracts from the beauty of each flower.