IKEBANA – the path of evolution
Orientals are simple: they find a way towards
lighting in anything of daily use
they have the tea ceremony
the path of brush
martial arts
omamori
origami
…
and they also have the way of flowers:
that simple move of placing two flowers in a vase on their home table,
that becomes for them a sacred ritual, complex and magnificent
it’s called Ikebana
sacred ritual, meditation occasion and path towards
the lighting, all by placing flowers in a vase
what does ikebana have to do with tattoos?
simple
you can tattoo floral compositions created by following the structures
of ikebana ^_^
why should I get an ikebana tattoo?
because they are very cool compositions ^_^
also because they teach us a method of image composition
which has the purpose of balancing unbalanced asymmetrical forces
to create a composition in harmony with the universe
basically what we all try to do every day with our life: trying to make things right despite
life gives us things that together do not fit at all
Ikebana structures are often vertical
when a plant grows upright, opposing the force of gravity, appearing resistant and vigorous, transmitting to the viewer a feeling of energy and determination
its asymmetrical structure instead immerses us in the concept of imperfect beauty that is an integral part of the Japanese sense of beauty
beauty can only be imperfect
and it is wonderful because it is imperfect
hence the imbalance of certain parts of the composition in a balanced combination attracts our attention and leads us to reflect, creating an immediate relationship between the observer and the composition
therefore, you would like to get a flowers tattoo and you are looking for a symbol of strength,
life determination despite its imperfections?
here it is, you have found it
ikebana is an exaltation of the force of life
it is difficult to create a harmonious composition of natural elements
unbalancing the weights to balance them and making them point straight towards
infinity and beyond
like in life
but in life we are somehow obliged to try to do it
and in ikebana, centuries of history give us guidelines on how to do it:
three elements are taken and arranged in a scalene triangle which points at the top
the first element at the bottom represents the earth, its stability and its
tangles
the third element at the top represents the sky, the spiritual elevation, the
lightness of soul
and in the middle, there is man
who fits between these two giants and tries to live his life untangling the skein of its roots to reach the upper floors where the sun shines
there is always a protagonist flower that must be highlighted by following the
two basic rules of asymmetry and dynamism, then there are other “helping” elements
who coexist without competition, respecting the principle of balance that gives birth to ikebana, helping the thrust upward
ikebana in a tattoo, as in reality, is the thrust towards the balance of forces different from each other
which create asymmetry
and they can still be super cool together
and in harmony despite the differences
which seems like the world is working on this wonderful concept little by little, right now
with love, but always irriverent
