In modern ages, with devouring crew of hard work, it is very essential to represent hand work with reasonable, descent and attractive way. Representation of work has much more prominence. Some nations have natural aptitude to embellish their work by using resourceful use of extraordinary creative techniques. Amalgamation of hand work and inventiveness along with positive enthusiasm results in marvellous universal attainments. Technology can only ease the man but creative hand work can amuse, placate and please the man and also provide more gratification then mechanical work. In this context many nations made their reputation and renown but Japanese have marvellous talent in positioning Ikebana and disseminating it in to whole world.
Ikebana, one of the old-style arts of Japan that has been experienced for more than 600 years. It developed from the Buddhist ceremonial of offering flowers to the spirits of the dead. From the middle of the 15th century, ikebana attained the grade of an art formula independent of its religious origins, and hold durable symbolic and philosophical implications. The beginning of ikebana can be drawn to the 6th century introduction of Buddhism to the Japanese. Part of the worship involved the offering of flowers on the altar in honour of Buddha. In India, the birthplace of Buddhism, the flowers were positioned very informally, and sometimes only petals were scattered around. However, by the time of 10th century Japan, the Japanese were presenting their offering in containers. The altar offerings were the responsibility of the priests of the temple. The first teachers and students were priests and members of the nobility. Patterns and styles evolved so that by the late 15th century, thus began the development of an art form with secure requirements. Texts were written, the oldest being Sendensho, a compilation covering the years from 1443 to 1536. However, as time passed, many different schools arose, styles changed, and ikebana came to be practiced at all levels of Japanese society. Ohara school, Ryuseiha, Chikoschool, Ikenobo, Rikka style, Mishu school, Kukubana and Shinka are different styles of Ikebana.
Ikebana is more than purely placing flowers in a container, vessel, and bowl or in pot. It is a well-organized art custom in which the arrangement is a living thing where nature and humanity are fetched together. It is lovely recipe of indoors and outdoors, by corresponding nature with handsome expression. It is immersed in the idea of developing an intimacy with nature. Ikebana skilled worker become more patient and forbearing of differences, not only in nature, but more commonly in other people. Ikebana can inspire you to identify with beauty in all art forms Ikebana is creative appearance within definite rules of manufacturing. Its materials are living branches, leaves, grasses, and blossoms. Its sentiment is the prettiness resulting from colour blends, natural profiles, and elegant lines. Ikebana is, therefore, much more than simple floral decoration that held in common floral exhibitions. In Japan there is no much variance between paintings and ikebana flower arrangement, these are deliberated alike fashion.
The extraordinarily great progress of floral art in Japan can be credited to the Japanese love of nature. People in all countries escalate natural beauty, but in Japan, the appreciation amounts almost to a religion. Japanese enthusiasm to flowers have principally associated with their mode of life style, as they acquire religious happiness from flowers, all Japanese, no alteration of young and old, man and women. The Japanese have always touched a strong bond of intimacy with their natural surroundings, and even in fashionable concrete-and-asphalt urban developments, they display unusually sturdy wish to have a bit of nature nigh them. Foreign invitees to Tokyo are often amazed to notice that their taxi driver has hung a little vase with a flower or two at the edge of the windshield. The Japanese house that has no flower stock is considered as deprived family, but it merely occurs.
Flower industry of Pakistan is flourishing nowadays, as many business men are coming in flowers industry and also taking steps for better processing of flowers. Annually, many flower exhibitions are being held to introduce many new varieties and working firms. For example PHA, Jinnah Park chrysanthemum exhibition Lahore, Karachi flower exhibitions, Sargodha PAF base exhibition Islamabad etc. These are firms, nurseries and departments are a key to the survival of flower industry. As far as ikebana is concerned, on September 9 and 10, 2013, the Consulate-General of Japan at Karachi and Ikebana International, Karachi Chapter co-organized ikebana workshop at the Japan Information and Culture Center on the occasion of a world-famous ikebana master from Singapore, Mr. Christopher Lims visit to Karachi. Akira Ouchi, Consul-General of Japan in Karachi, in his opening speech stated that today, He highlighted that ikebana is an art which ties people and nature and both Japanese and Pakistani people share such common cultural values.
Introducing of this efficient technique in Pakistan will be very fruitful because it has a hidden idea of peace, prosperity and unity which will be expressed by combining creative ideas using natural materials. It will be valuable monetarily for producers. Offensive and frowned people can be transformed into confident, skillful, determined and pleasurable nation. It will make unity discrepancy for all Pakistani workers in all over the world with multiplying Pakistani culture. This will be a gadget to enter in peaceful culture growth of Pakistan. By this resourceful work, happiness can be purchased and disseminated to deprive one.
Arrangement at national level can make the whole country socially and economically better then present depressed circumstances. Students must be aware of their floral industry and some flower arrangement techniques should be taught from their childhood. There must be the floral arrangement competitions between different institutions at provincial and national level. On domestic level, each year there should be internships for technical learning skills of floral arrangements for non-educated villagers, especially women, which have capability towards creative and hand-made techniques. They should be motivated, trained, encouraged and financed. As Ikebana directly links to flower production sector, we have to maintain our production by growing more and more flowers on small level e.g. in homes and nearby parks.
Department of Horticulture, University college of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan.
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