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Flowers for Formal Tea

December 2, 2012, 2:58 pm
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Chabana, or tea flowers, is an integrated element of the Japanese tea ceremony. Chabana is a spontaneous type of flower arrangement, naturalistic and extremely simplistic. It's not even called an arrangement - the ideal is a natural "undesigned" look. On the one hand there are no rules for how to place the flowers. They are presented the way they grow in the nature and in a way that highlights their natural characteristics. On the other hand the chabana must always be in harmony with the tea ceremony as a whole and must therefore follow the season and the occasion of the ceremony.

Maple leaves is a beloved symbol of autumn in Japan. In this chabana I have chosen a single, rather tall branch and displayed it in a traditional metal vase. The idea is to show the natural beauty of the slanting maple branch and its fiery red leaves. Chabana with branches are most often smaller in size, so this is one is somewhat uncommon. Also, when arranging maple leaves the most popular way of showing off the leaves is to group them in a mass to get a strong colour effect. 

Chabana, ishu-ike, Japanese Maple.

Basically there are three levels of formality in tea ceremony; formal, semiformal, and informal or shin, gyo and so. A tea master has many sets of utensils and equipments, so that there is always a set that suits the level of formality and the season. There are also variations in the way the ceremony is performed. The chado blog SweetPersimmon has a short and informative article about this that you can read on this link.

According to the book "The Art of Chabana: Flowers for the Tea Ceremony" by Henry Mittwer, the vases and boards (dai) that the vases are placed on can be classified by grade of formality in the following way:

Shin: Bronze vases and Chinese or other porcelainware. Lacquered black board with the edges routed in a V-shape.
Gyo: Glazed pottery. Lacquered baord wtih the edges tapered to a point.
So: Unglazed or semiglazed pottery and basketware. Unfinished cedar or paulownia wood (wet with water to make it appear fresh), or a round board with tapered edge.

All vases should be without decoration. Containers made from bamboo stalk are considered either gyo or so.

"The Art of Chabana: Flowers for the Tea Ceremony"
by Henry Mittwer
Tuttle; 1st edition 1974
ISBN: 0804811113

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Semiformal - In the moment

December 3, 2012, 2:24 pm
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When choosing materials for chabana use flowers that "speak to you" in the moment. Put everything aside and be prepared to meet beauty in unexpected places. Then use the opportunity to create something from what you discover.

Chabana, Lythrum salicaria/Purple loosestrife?, Red clover, Marigold.

The glazed pottery vase makes this an semiformal chabana. As you can see I have chosen to use two old wooden planks for dai, instead of the prescribed lacquered board. In many situations such expressions of creativity are appreciated, as long as the change is adding to a harmonious whole.

In chabana no props are used to keep the flowers in place. You can use a stick in the opening of the vase if it's necessary, but absolutely no kenzan. Ideally you visualize the chabana as you pick your flowers in the garden. That way you don't cut any material that you won't need. Then you very quickly trim and arrange them directly in your hand to get a simple and natural look. The flowers are ready to be placed in the vase, and that's it. After they have been placed in the vase they are not to be altered in any way. It sounds simple, but to get a good result you have to practice a lot. It's all in the details and in being in the moment. As in all Japanese art forms the many years of working and practicing is what pays off.

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Informal - Old Roof Tile

December 4, 2012, 7:00 am
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Chabana, Snowberry, Wax flower and leaf. Old roof tile.

Imperfection is more beautiful than flawlessness. I guess this informal chabana is quite unusual. There is no proper vase, just some simple flowers growing out of an old roof tile.

Chabana brings the season into the tea room. Being closely related to the tea ceremony, chabana is also a reflection of the four principles of the tea ceremony:

Wa - Harmony between people and in relation to nature.
Kei - Respect and gratefulness for all things that are.
Sei - Purity and simplicity, to get rid of what is not needed.

Observing wa, kei and see gives you jaku - a situation of tranquility and spiritual rest.

Studying chabana is studying zen. And practicing chabana is an exercise in awareness for body and soul finding inner peace.

Follow this link for a series of photos showing the different grades of formality in chabana.

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After the Typhoon - Hong Kong Sogetsu Exhibition

December 5, 2012, 3:27 pm
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I regularly browse YouTube for interesting ikebana related videos. Recently I came across this video documentation of the latest exhibition with the Hong Kong Branch of Sogetsu Teachers' Association. The exhibition was held in November and was titled "After The Typhoon". 


It's a quite long amateur video, but it gives you a nice opportunity to explore this great exhibition. I especially like the avant-garde arrangement with tree trunks and branches flying in the storm and the large bamboo construction work. There are several other really nice arrangements too. Which one is your favorite?

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Fresh Snow for Christmas

December 7, 2012, 8:19 am
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Mass arrangement. Gypsophila, red roses, red tinsel, Taxus.

It's a bit early for Christmas ikebana, but I know that many people have started their Christmas preparations and are looking for ideas. Why not try a simple mass arrangement with a lot of snowy feeling to it? If you like you can add a line as a contrast to the mass. In this case I think the room between the vases is enough to create the needed contrast. I also don't want too many materials since that often makes the arrangement less peaceful.

Red, white and green are the Christmas colours also in ikebana. Add a little glitter for a more festive feeling - and there you are! Interestingly enough, Japanese ikebana artists tend to use more sparkle and bling in their Christmas arrangements than Westerners do. Maybe it comes from being more minimalist the rest of the year and needing to let loose for Christmas? Who knows?

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Golden Lining

December 16, 2012, 4:08 pm
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Dried bamboo, roses, fabric with gold threads, pine, Christmas balls.

Christmas is getting nearer. As every year my teacher prepared a Christmas themed workshop in her studio to round of the year. This is one of the ikebana arrangements from there. The idea was to use tall Anthurium, but I just couldn't get any. You don't get the same movement with roses but it works in a way. Anyhow I hope it brings some inspiration for your own Christmas ikebana. What is it going to be this year?

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Merry Christmas

December 22, 2012, 4:29 pm
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Moribana, Variation no. 2, slanting,
Taxus, Roses Gypsophila, tinsel.

With this peaceful and traditional ikebana I'd like to wish all of my ikebana friends around the world

a Joyful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

~ • ~

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Spencer Byles - A Year in a French Forest

January 3, 2013, 1:45 pm
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Somewhere in the forests close to Mougins in South of France a collection of land art sculptures are hidden like secret treasures in a remote landscape. The 20 or so site-specific temporary installations are part of the project A Year in a French Forest 2011-2012 by British artist Spencer Byles. "Their hidden quality is something that I feel is integral to this aspect of my work", Byles says. The temporary nature of the sculptures is another relevant aspect: "I feel my sculptures are only really completed when nature begins to take hold again and gradually weave its way back into the materials". The project is continually being documented on a blog with photos of the sculptures and the process of making them.

Wowen Frame, photo: Spencer Byles.
This photo is from an earlier project in England. From an ikebana perspective I think this is one of Byles more interesting sculptures. It has a line and mass structure and a nice contrast in colour and texture. It also has movement and well defined areas of space, and the design is asymmetric. What else? This excursion into the forest is part of a study in land art and a search for a vocabulary. What qualities would you look for in ikebana related land art?

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New Year Ikebana by Megumi

January 5, 2013, 9:28 am
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Megumi Schacher is a Sogetsu ikebana teacher based in Seattle, US. I came across this video where she demonstrates a beautiful New Year arrangement with Pine and Mizuhiki, a special paper cord often used in New Year's ikebana arrangements. Note how the plant materials are placed in groups and kept apart, highlighting the colour of each material.


In Japanese culture New Year is usually celebrated over several days, so it's not too late it you want to try a New Year arrangement at home.

There are more nice ikebana arrangements on the website Ikebana by Megumi.

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Art Photo - Trees and Lines

January 11, 2013, 6:27 pm
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A naked tree trunk can be an inspiring starting point for a work of art. These land art works, the first by Flemish photographer Michiel Hendryckx and the two last by Welsh photographer Zander Olsen,   bears some striking similarities. With an emphasis on straight lines, both photographers are using white colour to mark the horizon behind the trees on the tree trunk. While Hendryckx is using paint, Olsen is using some kind of fabric.

Zander Olsens series Tree, line has been widely spread on the internet. He defines his works as "site specific intervention of the landscape”, wrapping trees with white material “to construct a visual relationship between tree, not-tree and the line of horizon according to the camera’s viewpoint".

Michiel Hendryckx, Brandenburg - 1995

To me it looks like these works were created with the photographic result in mind and with the perspective of looking through the camera lens from the very start of the creative process.

These photos also remind me of ikebana artist Kieta Kawasaki and his tree works that I posted in an earlier blog post. You'll find the blog post on Kieta Kawasaki through this link. Kawasaki also relates the tree to it's natural surrounding landscape by adding lines on the tree trunks. But in his work it is not in relation to the horizon behind the tree, but rather to the beams of sunlight in between the trunks, which is of course also more related to the organic life of the tree.


Zander Olsen, Beeches 2004

   Zander Olsen, Untitled (Cader) 2008


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Metal and Stones

January 14, 2013, 2:18 pm
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"Zen Writing", metal strips, stones, dried Aspidistra leaf.

One of the specialities of the Sogetsu school is ikebana without flowers. When Sofu Teshigahara, first  headmaster and founder of the school, introduced zen-eibana or avant-garde ikebana it was a sensation and the talk of the town. Sofu felt that ikebana could be arranged with any kind of materials and should always be in dialogue with contemporary culture. At this time he was very fascinated with the modern European art movements, such as Cubism and Surrealsim. Sofu's son, Hiroshi Teshigahara, later said that one should only use flowers in ikebana when there is a need for it, and every single flower should  have a purpose. Because flowers are beautiful by nature they can easily make an arrangement too "pretty" or decorative. When that happens the ikebana arrangement will loose its strength. Now, that's an interesting and different perspective, isn't it?

When working with this metal strip material I felt attracted to its sweeping qualities. It also reminded me of the artistic paint brush strokes of Japanese calligraphy. That's how I came up with the idea that the metal could mimic an experience of intuitive zen writing. The dried Aspidistra leaf adds a reference to traditional ikebana.

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Ikebana House - Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale

January 17, 2013, 2:41 pm
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Every three years the worlds largest outdoor art festival, The Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale is held in the Echigo-Tsumari region, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. In an attempt to bring fresh attention to this depopulated part of Japan art works are displayed in abandoned houses and outdoors around the village over a vast area. From the information I've found it looks like there is a nice mix between well established artists and more experimental works. For example one of the houses holds the installation Dream House by Marina Abramovic.

What really got me ticking while reading about Echigo-Tsumari is that there is also a house with modern experimental ikebana installations. The Ikebana House started as a project in 2006 as a show place for modern ikebana installations. Through a series of festivals, 2006, 2009 and 2012 Group F consisting of ikebana artists from different schools have displayed in the abandoned town community building in Yomogihira as part of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale.

Group F is an all male group with the following members: Udagawa Riou, Otuka Risi, Oyoshi Shozan, Kasuya Akihiro, Kato Satoru, Shimoda Takatoshi, Nagai Rihito, Hayakawa Shodo, Hinata Yoichi, Yoshimura Takashi, Otsubo Kosen, Koizumi Michio.

Please leave a comment or send me a message if you now more about the Ikebana House or have been there yourself. I'm very much interested in learning more about this project.



This video takes you on a tour of the 2009 ikebana house exhibition.

If you want to see more from this exhibition there are quite a few pictures from a visit to the 2009 festival on this blog. The blogger really enjoyed the stop at the ikebana house and gives a good report of the installations and the artists.

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Hiroki Ohara at Echigo-Tsumari

January 20, 2013, 2:26 pm
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In addition to the exhibition in the Ikebana House there have also been other ikebana related works exhibited at the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennal. Hiroki Ohara headmaster of the Ohara School of ikebana  was represented in 2009 and in 2012 with the following works:


"Approximately 400 painted plywood panels are placed along the gutters of rice paddy fields. Grass and flowers poke out through numerous holes in the panels [The exhibit lasted 3 months]. The work conveys the strength of nature’s life force against the backdrop of the artificial colors of the panels." 

"In a location inside a shrine with a great view of the Kiyotsu River flowing by, a large object of art is placed. Using driftwood as the main material and applying a variety of treatments, the artist has created a bold work of ikebana."

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Beehive Cubism

January 21, 2013, 10:37 am
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Beehive boxes, dried Hydrangea, Mitsumata, Pine.

It's time to post another avant-garde style ikebana arrangement. My Sogetsu ikebana teacher challenged me to us some old wooden boxes from beehives that she had found out in the forest. The boxes have a strong expression and a lot of wabi-sabi quality to them. You just have to let them play the leading role, letting their straight lines and the heavy mass feeling define the arrangement.

As I wrote in an earlier blog post, cubism was one of the modern art movements that inspired Sofu Teshigahara to leave out the flowers for untraditional materials in his modernized avant-garde approach to ikebana. Cubism and beehives goes well together. The obscure darkness and the flowing lines of Mitsumata also ads a dreamlike surrealist influence.

This other photo shows an earlier an more complex version of the beehive arrangement. This one has more of a Fernand Léger cubism feeling to it. On the other hand it is not as peaceful as the later version. Which one do you prefer?

Beehive boxes, Mitsumata, Ornamental kale.

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Yayoi Kusama at Echigo-Tsumari

January 23, 2013, 2:23 pm
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Yayoi Kusama, Tsumari in bloom (2203).

"Tsumari is a noble land. It is a land enriched by tolerance that embraces all forms of art. As I watched my huge open-air flower sculpture being installed I felt a deep serenity. Like the flowers, I basked in the air of Echigo-Tsumari and the beatiful sunshine pouring from heavens. I hope that people from all over the world come to see this Triennial and are impressed by finding so much art nestled in its green forests and deep groves. Hurrah for the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial! Tsumari in Bloom is my favorite among all of the open-air sculptures that I have created for several places in Japan and other parts of the world."


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Ryusaku Matsuda - Bamboo Works

January 27, 2013, 2:53 pm
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Today I would like to draw your attention to a contemporary ikebana artist that have also made Land Art related works. Ryusaku Matsuda (b.1948) is one of the more well known Japanese flower artists, with numerous exhibitions in the U.S., Canada and Japan on his record. Ryusaku Matsuda started up as a student at the Mami Flower Design School, so he has been influenced by the same design ideas as Keita Kawasaki whom I've written about in an earlier blog post on ikebana and Land Art. He also had a year of studies in Europe quite early in his career. Since 1993 he's been running Studio Matsuda. Interesting to know is also that another leading contemporary ikebana artist, Naoki Sasaki, is a former student of Matsuda.

Impermanence is the central concept in Matsuda's large-scale installations. He sees his works not as art objects but rather as snapshots within a process. The plants themselves are the key players, helped out by time they tell their own story. 'I've tried to discover the reasons why I create works that take both so much trouble and time and I've realized that my motives are likely to stem from my desire to spend as much time with plants as possible', Matsuda says.

Ryusaku Matsuda was one of the ikebana artist featured at the 2006 Echigo-Tsumari art festival, the first year of the festival's ikebana project. The photos of Matsuda's work are no longer on the Echigo-Tsumari website, but the description is still there if you want to read it.

For this blog post I've chosen works from two different series using bamboo as material. The first is "The shape of air", voluminous forms made from split bamboo that Matsuda have exhibited both as Land Art and in gallery exhibitions. The second series I've chosen, "Bamboo, shape", consists of variations on the natural shape of bamboo.

Ryusaka Matsuda
The Shape of Air.
Ryusaku Matsuda
The Shape of Air. Light Version.
Ryusaku Matsuda
Bamboo, Shape 1_1.
Ryusaku Matsuda
Bamboo, Shape 1_20.

The work of Ryusaku Matsuda has been featured in a Stichting book in their floral design series:

Contemporary Floral Art
by Ryusaku Matsuda
Stichting Kunstboek, 2008
ISBN: 9789058562999

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Enduring Winter

February 13, 2013, 10:00 am
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Naturalistic Freestyle, vertical arrangement.
"Bamboo" Knotweed, Pine, White trumpet lily, Ilex berries, Lisianthus

Surviving winter can be a tough challenge if you are a delicate flower - no matter if you're a human being or a plant. In ikebana, plants that can endure hard times are celebrated as carriers of strength and symbolic meaning.

A much loved motive in East asian art is the Three Friends of Winter; bamboo, pine and plum.  In Japan these three plants are known as 'the three auspicious friends' and are associated with the start of the lunar New Year, bringing good wishes for the year to come. Although the Japanese New Year is nowadays celebrated on January 1st., it is still sometimes marked on the traditional day following the Chinese lunar calendar.  In 2013 the date of the Lunar New Year was February 10th, so this blog post is not that far out.

Bamboo symbolises longevity, pine prosperity, and plum steadfastness. Together they bring stamina and staying power. Plum flowers are of course also a messenger of spring and new life. In every winter arrangement there should always be a hint of spring - an assurance of new life.

In this New Years arrangement, using the traditional colours white, red and green, the bamboo is cut in a fashion typical to the kadomatsu New Years decoration. Actually it is not bamboo, but Knotweed which is easier to grow in a cold climate such as the Norwegian. As you can see there are no plum branches. But there is pine and there is a hint of spring.

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Satoru Kato - Installation Works

February 16, 2013, 4:37 pm
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A gigantic red ribbon lingers between Bamboo trunks in a London park. It's an ikebana installation by contemporary ikebana artist Satoru Kato for the Crossover uk 2001 festival. The horizontal red line  near the ground contrasts the vertical lines of the bamboo trunks and the many green colours of the park. Crossover uk uses the visual arts to facilitate the exchange of ideas to promote cultural awareness between communities of different cultural origins and backgrounds. They have a special focus on Japan and South East Asia, and Satoru Kato has been involved in organizing exhibitions and participated in the 2001 and 2005 festival.

Crossovers Ikebana Installation 2001
Crossovers, Ikebana Installation (2001), Mile End Park, London.
Born in 1944 and having practiced Ikebana since the 1960s, Satoru Kato is no longer a newcomer. With a focus on presenting the "life of material itself", he is producing artistic events, installations and performances, working as an ikebana artist, ikebana critic and curator.

In praise of shadows at Tsumari
In praise of shadows at Tsumari (2009), Koshirakura, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale.
As a member of Group F, Satoru Kato has also been part of the Ikebana House exhibitions at the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennales. The 2009 installation In praise of shadows at Tsumari consisted of weaves of plant materials in a modern expression, creating a dialogue with the old wooden building where it was exhibited. The description on the exhibition website gives the background for the work:
"Burning rice husks in the garden — a scene from the artist’s hometown evoked in his memory. Identifying memories of his hometown with Yomogihira village, the artist weaves together the memory of these landscapes. In sensing the subtle breathing of the house, the artist spontaneously alters his artwork. This is an approach that is unique to Ikebana artists. Similar to creating poems by association, the creation of art is associated and processed as a whole".
In the 2012 installation Tsumaarikourin the main element was a large red ball shaped object filling up the whole room.

Tsumaarikourin
Tsumaarikourin (2012), Koshirakura, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale.
When I was looking for information on the work by Satoru Kato I came across a photo book documenting his sculptural ikebana and installations from the 1980s. I was able to buy this rare book and it is now part of my ikebana library. This last picture is from the book and it shows an avant-garde ikebana installation with large cardboard tubes. I love the colours and the use of straight and curved lines in this 3 meter high sculpture.

Satoru Kato, Untitled (1982) Cardboard tubes, 300 x 90 x 300.


Hana: Natural Material Art Arrangements of Satoru Kato
by Satoru Kato
Soft cover
Published by Satoru Kato 1989










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A Bud of Promise

February 18, 2013, 11:49 am
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Moribana. Slanting variation 1. Magnolia and Lisianthus.
Kenzan covered with broken glass for an icy effect.

A bud bears a promise of spring and new life. That's why buds are so important in ikebana, perhaps even more important than the open flowers. With a winter as long as the Norwegian, buds on naked branch awakens deep feelings. The bud is a symbol of hope.

In this arrangement, variation number 1 slanting style, the main feature is the big open space between the Magnolia branches. It symbolises the greatness of universe, a bit like when you get awe-struck by nature. A human being is quite small when standing under the big open sky, wether it is a starry night or a crispy cold winters day. In the slanting style the tallest branch stretches out in a soft elegant diagonal movement. Heaven is  close to the earth - and not necessary that far away from anyone of us. Every ikebana arrangement bears a message about relationships and relatedness. The message of this style is that of both distance and closeness at the same time.


Icy wintry wind
Magnolia buds closed tight
Patiently waiting

(Haiku by AshiAkira)

Looking for poetry on Magnolias I found this nice haiku that I would like to share with you. It's a newly posted haiku from AshiAkira's blog. If you like haiku and other poetry I recommend that you  visit this blog. It has a lot of inspiring stuff and it's all original work.


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Olav Christopher Jenssen - Abstract Painting and Ikebana

March 4, 2013, 10:42 am
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I ran into an ikebana related painting when I stopped at one of Oslo's leading art galleries the other day. Norwegian painter Olav Christopher Jenssen's exhibition at Galleri Riis in Olso consists of selected works from two new series of large scale paintings Panorama Second Generation and The Letharia Paintings. In addition there is also room with a series of smaller Grenadine Paintings, and this is were I found the painting titled Ikebana.

Ikebana / Grenadine Paintings, 2011
Olav Christopher Jenssen: Ikebana / Grenadine Paintings, 2011
Ikebana is a typical abstract Jenssen painting with many layers of paint partly covering each other. The title still makes me look for a more figurative reference. Is the green shape a vase? What do the read lines represent? The exhibition text invites further exploration: "The paintings open up a philosophical space for dialogue and reflection, encouraging the viewer to unveil strata of paint and decipher cryptic symbols, as on an archaeological journey through the hundred year history of abstract painting". 

The painting made me curious. What experiences lies behind this reference to the art of ikebana? What meanings do the concept of ikebana have to a contemporary abstract painter? What layers do you see in the painting?

The exhibition OLAV CHRISTOPHER JENSSEN Panorama Second Generation / The Letharia Paintings runs until March 10 at Galleri Riis in Oslo.

If you want more stimulation you're also welcome to visit earlier blogposts on ikebana as a motive in modern art. The story about ikebana in the pop art of Andy Warhol should make a nice contrast to Olav Christopher Jenssen.

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