is the oldest and largest school of ikebana, the Japanese art of floral design.
It was founded in the 15th century by the Buddhist monk Senno. The school is based at the Rokkaku-dō temple in Kyoto. The name is derived from a pond (ike) where Prince Shōtoku (聖徳太子) was bathing.
History
The custom of placing flowers on the altar began when Buddhism was introduced to Japan by way of emissaries to China in about 538. In Japan people tried to give deeper meaning to the thoughts accompanying flower arranging. In other words, they wished to arrange flowers (tateru, to arrange stems in an upright or standing manner), rather than casually placing them in a vase. An earlier attitude of passive appreciation developed into a more deeply considered approach. Early forms of Ikebana referred to as tatehana were arranged.
The Rokkaku-dō in Kyoto is the site of the birth and earliest development of ikebana. The name Rokkaku refers to the hexagonal shape of the temple. Rokkaku-dō temple was founded by Prince Shōtoku in the 6th century to enshrine a Nyoirin Kannon Bosatsu, the Goddess of Mercy.
Near a pond (ike) where Prince Shōtoku bathed, a small hut (bō; priest's lodge, monk's living house attached to a Buddhist temple) was built and became the home of succeeding generations of Buddhist priests. This gave rise to the name ikenobō. In the temple grounds, one stone is called Heso-ishi. It means "bellybutton stone". It is said that it was the foundation stone of the original temple. Because this temple existed before the transfer of the national capital to Kyoto in 794, it has been claimed to be the center of the city.
In the Heian period (794-1192), apart from altar offerings, the practice of enjoying flowers displayed beautifully in a vase became popular. Poems, novels and essays from that time contain many passages that describe the appreciation of flowers used in this way. In the early 7th century Ono no Imoko, a former Japanese envoy to China, became a Buddhist priest and started setting up flowers.
According to a 15th-century manuscript, the two of the most popular flower arrangers of the time were ikenobō master Senkei and Ryu-ami, a tea master. Unzen Taigyoku, a monk belonging to a Zen Monastery, first recorded the name Senkei in his journal called Hekizan Nichiroku. In an entry dated February 25 of the third year of the Kanshō era (1462), Unzen Taigyoku wrote, “at the invitation of Shunko, Senkei made a floral arrangement in a golden vase and denizens of Kyoto with refined tastes vied to see his work”. This written record marks the starting point for 550 years of recorded ikebana history. Additional historical documentation of Senkei’s work includes only one entry, on October 2, in the Nekizan Nichiroku journal describing how moved he was by the extraordinary beauty of chrysanthemums.
Rikka style
From the late Kamakura period to the Muromachi period (late 13th -16th century), flower arranging contests were held at the imperial court on the day of Tanabata (the festival of the star Vega, the seventh day of the seventh lunar month). These contests were called Tanabata-e . Aristocrats and monks vied with each other in demonstrating their skills, offering flowers in honor of the festival.
Use of the family name Ikenobō was granted by the Emperor of the time. Succeeding generations of head priests of the temple used this name.
Toward the end of the Muromachi period the earlier simple way of setting flowers in a vase developed into tatehana (tateru, standing; hana, flowers), a more complex style of ikebana. During this period the oldest extant manuscript of ikebana (Kao irai no Kadensho, 1486) and the famous manuscript about ikebana by Ikenobō Senno (Senno Kuden, 1542) were written. Senno, the founder of Ikenobō kadō, originated ikebana that was imbued with meaning (kadō or way of flowers). Previously, tatehana had more of a connection to the spiritual practice of Yorishiro.
The Azuchi-Momoyama period (late 16th century) brought a renaissance in ikebana as part of a cultural renaissance. Two Ikenobō masters named Senkō I and II, completed the rikka (立花) style (also meaning standing flowers, but with more complexity than tatehana) and Ikenobō reached a high point of its early history. Paintings depicting the rikka of Senkō II, a famous master of ikenobō, are preserved at the Manshuin Temple in Kyoto) the Yomei-bunko library of the Ninnaji Temple in Kyoto, the Tokyo National Museum and the library of ikenobō headquarters. The arranging of rikka as a style with severn main parts later developed into the modern standard nine part rikka (shin, soe, uke, mikoshi, nagashi, doe, hikai, maeoki, and shoe-shin) was established at this time.