 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Types Of Ikebana? SHOKA
What is Shoka? Shoka is a style that is less formal than Rikka, but at the same time, not as free flowing as Chabana. It combines the dignity if Rikka with the simplicity of Chabana. The Chabana style came into the limelight as a decoration for the alcove. Shoka's origins are in the simpler Ikebana of the 18th century. Shoka came fully into bloom in the 19th century under Headmaster Senjo Ikenobo. Shoka shofutai's three main branches, shin, soe, and tai, form a unity, which expresses life's perpetual change and renewal. The impression of a plant's essence is presented simply and beautifully. Shoka rises gracefully from the water's edge ("misugiwa") filled with our feeling of the life hidden in each branch, leaf, and flower. Shoka Shinputai, a new style developed by the present headmaster, Sen'ei Ikenobo, presents a bright, modern feeling. The two main parts, shu and yo, respond to each other with contrasting yet harmonious qualities. A third part, ashirai, is often added as a finishing touch.
History of Shoka Shoka's origins lie in the 17th century wherein Rikka and Chabana interacted on each other, and towards the beginning of the 18th century there emerged Shoka in which some of the principles of Rikka remained, but in a much simpler form. Shoka came to its own under Senjo Ikenobo. Gradually, the Nagarie style of the late seventeenth century developed into the "heaven-earth-man" Seika style. This was the popularization of flower arrangement reflecting the taste of the merchants who had risen to power. Formalization of the Shoka style was a natural result of its popularity, but it was the ease and simplicity of this basic form that made it ideally suited for room decoration. Marked by its popularity among women, it was regarded as one of their gracious accomplishments. By 1868, the time of the Imperial Restoration, the Seika (Shoka) style dominated the field of flower arrangement and the word Seika had become a synonym of Ikebana.
A Shoka Arrangement The theory of the Shoka style is based upon an intellectual concept that is basically appealing. In their version of the Shoka style the flower masters discovered a formula for creating this natural look and at the same time appealing to the imagination of those creating it. They said that the container symbolized the earth from which all plants spring. Therefore, they put great emphasis upon the beginning part of the arrangement, the part just above the rim of the container, which should rise free, as in nature and never touch upon mother earth. Hence the basic Shoka pattern is upright, the way most plants grow in their natural state. Some slant is permitted, however, since most plants tend to lean towards the sun. So the arrangement starts on earth and reaches towards heaven, and as the branch or flower climbs, it leaves behind its earthly origins and becomes spiritual until the very tip is floating free. In metaphysical allegory this may be seen as the life span of all living things, from earth to spirit. To make the allegory understandable, names were given to the three main elements of Shoka arrangement- Shin, Soe and Tai - new names to express the same basic concept of heaven-earth-man. 'The principle of three' taken from Buddhist philosophy - explaining Realization as harmony between the pulls exerted by the three different realms and the priests cum flower masters tried to represent man's desire for a material life on earth and a spiritual life in Heaven. The finished Shoka then rises through three successive stages before the eye.
|
