CHE COSA E' L'IKEBANA.

What is Ikebana?
Ikebana, one of the traditional arts of Japan, has been practiced for more than six hundred years. It developed from the Buddhist ritual of offering flowers to the spirits of dead. By the middle of the fifteenth century, with the emergence of the first classical styles, ikebana achieved the status of an art form independent of its religious origins, though it continued to retain strong symbolic and philosophical overtones. The first teachers and students were priests and members of the nobility, but as time passed, many schools arose, styles changed, and ikebana came to be practiced at all levels of Japanese society.
			The varying forms of ikebana share certain common features, regardless of the period or school. Any plant material - branches, leaves, grasses, moss and fruit, as well as flowers - may be used. Withered leaves, seedpods and buds are valued as highly as flowers in full bloom. While a work may be composed of only one, or of many different kinds of materials, the selection of each element demands an experienced eye, and the arrangement requires considerable technical skill in order to create a kind of beauty that cannot be found in nature. What distinguishes ikebana from simpler decorative approaches is its asymmetrical form and the use of "empty" space as an essential feature of the composition. A sense of harmony among the materials, the container and the setting is also crucial. these are characteristics of the Japanese aesthetic feeling that ikebana shares with traditional paintings, gardens, architecture and design.

The Styles of the Ohara School

Unshin Ohara founded the Ohara School in the late nineteenth century, when Japan opened itself to the influence of Western culture. He created the Moribana Style, which later led to the School's introduction of the Landscape Arrangement. Compared with the vertical or standing styles of ikebana of the past, in Moribana, flowers are "piled up" (moru) flat plate-like containers. In addition to Moribana, the forms of ikebana of the Ohara School include Hana-isho, Heika, and Hanamai. Hana-isho is a form of ikebana that can harmonize with the contemporary spaces where people live and work, and gives ample scope to the arranger's own individuality. Beginners start with the basic hana-isho, the most elementary stage, and what they learn at this stage is not only the elementary knowledge and techniques, but the fundamentals of Ohara ikebana as a whole. Heika is ikebana arranged in a tall vase with narrow mouth, and Hanamai is ikebana that expresses the three-dimensional, sculptural beauty of plants.

The History of the Ohara School

In 1995 the Ohara School celebrated its 100th anniversary. Unshin Ohara (1861-1916), the founder of the Ohara School of Ikebana, was born in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture. Unshin explored the fields and mountains and tried to develop a style of ikebana to express the beauty of natural scenery. He also searched for ways to arrange the brightly colorful Western flowers that had just begun to be imported into Japan. The result of his efforts was Moribana, the first brilliant step in modern ikebana. In 1897, the first public exhibition of ikebana in the Moribana Style was held. The Ohara School was officially founded in 1912, and in 1916, Unshin was succeeded by Second Headmaster Koun Ohara (1880-1938), who developed and established set techniques for Moribana. Koun held ikebana exhibitions in public places like department stores, and worked hard to promote Ohara ikebana to the great mass of ordinary people of that time. In addition, he paid considerable attention to developing practical teaching methods and to the systematic classification of expressive techniques. Third Headmaster Houn Ohara (1908-1995) succeeded his father in 1938. As soon as the Second World War was over, he began his creative activity. Within the school itself, he made efforts to expand and systematize the organization. He also deserves great credit for transforming the school into a world-wide organization. Houn's son Natsuki (1949-1992) became Headmaster Designate in 1972. Father and son held many joint exhibitions, and Natsuki embodied the future hopes and expectations of the Ohara School. He explored the possibilities of ikebana in search of richly creative forms appropriate for the new age, and originated Hanamai and Hana-isho. he was naturally expected to succeed his father, but he became ill and passed away while Houn was still Headmaster. Natsuki was posthumously named Fourth Master. Now led by Fifth Master Hiroki Ohara, the Ohara School, which claims more than one million members, is expanding its activities not only in Japan but throughout the world. 2 - Basic Hana-isho This is a decorative type of ikebana that emphasizes the individual characteristics of materials in compositions for display in the places where people live and work. Special characteristics: 1. It is a free kind of ikebana that even beginners can arrange easily. 2. It is not merely for mastering ikebana techniques, but can be adapted to everyday life, since it is suitable even for small rooms or spaces. 3. The compositions are simple and beautiful, and you can enjoy expressing the beauty of color combinations, form and the seasons. 4. With Hana-isho, you are able to display fully your individuality, because you can arrange the principal and auxiliary stems freely according to the characteristics of the materials. 5. There are two principal stems, the Subject and the Object. Rising Form The Rising Form expresses the beauty of the rising appearances of materials that are grouped at the center of the container. 2 – Inclining Form The Inclining Form expresses the beauty of the slanting appearances of materials that are grouped at the center of the container. 2 - Advanced Hana-isho After practicing Basic Hana-isho, the student proceeds to Advanced Hana-isho. Like the Basic forms, Advanced Hana-isho is a kind of ikebana that makes the most of the unique characteristics of the materials in highly decorative compositions created for the places where people live and work. In addition, some forms can be composed to be viewed from one side only, whereas others can be created to be viewed from many sides. Special features: 1. They can be created to decorate any kind of space. Possible containers include articles used in daily life. 2. Some arrangements are composed to be viewed only from the front, but multisided arrangements can also be created to harmonize with the space being decorated. 3. While the beauty of color is central to creating Hana-isho, combinations of materials that express seasonal beauty or formal, sculptural beauty are also possible. 4. The length of the main stems and auxiliary stems, their angles and the positions at which they are inserted are free. 5. With the exception of the Combined Form, all forms of Advanced Hana-isho have three main stems, the Subject, the Secondary, and the Object. 6. The Radial Form can be arranged either in a shallow container or in a tall vase. Hana Isho Le Hana isho est un bouquet dont l'exécution est proposée par l'école Ohara à ceux qui commencent à pratiquer l'ikebana. Il se réalise dans de petits contenants, haut ou bas, et peut décorer toutes sortes d'espaces, même réduits. Il en existe deux catégories : - les Hana isho de base qui peuvent être de forme montante ou inclinée. - les Hana isho élaborés réalisables sous quatre formes : radiale, circulaire, en ligne et combinée. Le Hana isho (dessin de fleurs) utilise en priorité des fleurs, mais il peut se réaliser aussi avec des feuillages ou des branchages. Pour voir les bouquets, cliquez sur la miniature 2 d - Le Hana isho est un bouquet dont l'exécution est proposée par l'école Ohara à ceux qui commencent à pratiquer l'ikebana. Il se réalise dans de petits contenants, haut ou bas, et peut décorer toutes sortes d'espaces, même réduits. Il en existe deux catégories : - les Hana isho de base qui peuvent être de forme montante ou inclinée. - les Hana isho élaborés réalisables sous quatre formes : radiale, circulaire, en ligne et combinée. Le Hana isho (dessin de fleurs) utilise en priorité des fleurs, mais il peut se réaliser aussi avec des feuillages ou des branchages. Pour voir les bouquets, cliquez sur la miniature 3 - Ohara School CURRICULUM * 1 unit = 1 lesson Beginners' Course (8 units) Basic Hana-isho: - Rising Form - Inclining Form 4 units 4 units Advanced Course (16 units) Advanced Hana-isho: - Radial Form - One-Row Form - Circular Form Basic Hana-isho (Arrangement in tall vases included): - Rising Form - Inclining Form 4 units 4 units 4 units 2 units 2 units First Assistant Teachers' Course (16 units) Basic Hana-isho (Arangment in tall vases): - Rising Form (tall vase) - Inclining Form (tall vase) Advanced Hana-isho: - Radial Form - One-Row Form - Circular Form - Combined Form 2 units 2 units 3 units 3 units 3 units 3 units Second Assistant Teachers' Course (16 units) Color Scheme Moribana, Color Method: - Upright Style - Slanting Style Heika: - Slanting Style - Upright Style Advanced Hana-isho Free Selection 3 units 3 units 3 units 3 units 2 units 2 units Instructors' Course (16 units) Color Scheme Moribana, Color Method: - Upright Style - Slanting Style - Water Reflecting Style Color Scheme Moribana, Traditional Method: - Upright Style Landscape Moribana, Traditional Method: - Upright Style Heika: - Slanting Style - Upright Style - Cascading Style Hanamai Free Selection 2 units 1 unit 1 unit 1 unit 2 units 2 units 2 units 1 unit 2 units 2 units The 4th Masters' Course (48 units) Moribana: - Color Scheme Moribana, Color Method - Color Scheme Moribana, Traditional Method - Landscape Arrangement, Traditional Method - Landscape Arrangement, Realistic Method Heika: Hanamai: Hana-isho: Free Style (Emphasizing the beauty of form): 10 units 3 units 1 unit 3 units 10 units 4 units 7 units 10 units The 3rd Masters' Course (48 units) Moribana: - Color Scheme Moribana, Color Method - Color Scheme Moribana, Traditional Method - Landscape Arrangement, Traditional Method - Landscape Arrangement, Realistic Method Heika: Hanamai: Hana-isho: Free Style (Emphasizing the beauty of form): 10 units 2 units 2 units 4 units 8 units 4 units 8 units 10 units The 2nd Associate Masters' Course (144 units) Moribana: - Color Scheme Moribana, Color Method - Color Scheme Moribana, Traditional Method - Landscape Arrangement, Traditional Method - Landscape Arrangement, Realistic Method Heika: Hanamai: Hana-isho: Rimpa Arrangment: Bunjin Arrangement: Free Style (Including Sculptural Arrangement): 20 units 2 units 12 units 12 units 20 units 8 units 24 units 8 units 8 units 30 units The 2nd Masters' Course (4 years or 192 units) Practice of the full range of the curriculum repeatedly The 1st Associate Masters' Course (5 years or 240 units) Practice of the full range of the curriculum repeatedly The 1st Masters' Course (5 years or 240 units) Practice of the full range of the curriculum repeatedly