A monograph on the work of two 'masters' of contemporary Japanese floral art.

Japanese floral designs often outshine other floral arrangements in perfection and symmetry. The floral designs of Hiroyuki Oka are no exception to that rule. But next to fine, detailed craftsmanship, this young floral artist is gifted with a great sense of humour and an eye for quirk. Next to some of the more traditional Japanese floral designs, this monograph brims with captivating creativity, originality and witty designs destined to bring a smile to your face.

Keiko's unique approach to ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, combines traditional techniques with modern tastes. Her influences--which range from sculpture to today's Western floral design--come together to create one-of-a-kind arrangements that are authentic and eye-catching, simple and graceful, and possible for anyone to achieve. This book presents step-by-step instructions for creating 20 stunning ikebana arrangements in a range of sizes and styles. Each of the flower arrangements can be completed in just three simple steps and uses easy-to-find floral materials and containers. The book also includes an introduction to the history of ikebana as it relates to Japan and Japanese culture, as well as a guide to the basic rules of ikebana design and floral techniques. Suggestions for finding and choosing materials and supplies make it easy to learn how to arrange flowers and gain a hands-on appreciation of the art of Japanese flower arranging.

During America's Gilded Age (dates), the country was swept by a mania for all things Japanese. It spread from coast to coast, enticed everyone from robber barons to street vendors with its allure, and touched every aspect of life from patent medicines to wallpaper. Americans of the time found in Japanese art every design language: modernism or tradition, abstraction or realism, technical virtuosity or unfettered naturalism, craft or art, romance or functionalism. The art of Japan had a huge influence on American art and design. Title compares juxtapositions of American glass, silver and metal arts, ceramics, textiles, furniture, jewelry, advertising, and packaging with a spectrum of Japanese material ranging from expensive one-of-a-kind art crafts to mass-produced ephemera. Beginning in the Aesthetic movement, this book continues through the Arts & Crafts era and ends in Frank Lloyd Wright's vision, showing the reader how that model became transformed from Japanese to American in design and concept. Hannah Sigur is an art historian, writer, and editor with eight years' residence and study in East and Southeast Asia. She has a master's degree from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and is completing a PhD in the arts of Japan. Her writings include co-authoring A Master Guide to the Art of Floral Design (Timber Press, 2002), which is listed in "The Best Books of 2002" by The Christian Science Monitor and is now in its second edition; and "The Golden Ideal: Chinese Landscape Themes in Japanese Art," in Lotus Leaves, A Master Guide to the Art of Floral Design (2001). She lives in Berkeley.

The Japanese have an innate sense of style in the arts, architecture, interior design and especially in their attitude to flowers and plants within the home. Until now, in the West we haven't explored ikebana, the ancient art of arranging plant material, in any great depth. With the trend towards pared-down, simple rooms, now is the time to discover how its sculptural style can complement contemporary interiors. 'Ikebana' is much more than simply flower arranging. Over the centuries, Japanese masters have developed precise rules that take into consideration the natural shapes and lines of plants, the space around them and the best way of displaying them. In Japan, ikebana is practised by millions of people as a relaxing art form and is even part of the school curriculum. Diane Norman is a master of the Ohara School, which is known for its modern interpretation of traditional styles. Michelle Cornell has an art history background, and together they have written a book that brings ikebana into the twenty-first century, explaining how its sculptural qualities and calm creative techniques are perfectly suited to today's interiors, as well as being an ideal antidote to the stresses of modern living. After a brief history of ikebana, the book guides you through the basic techniques needed to create your own arrangements. Then a selection of arrangements illustrates the importance of the changing seasons in choosing plant material, while fantastic free-style designs show how ikebana can echo specific details of an interior.

If you think of flower arranging as an occupation for florists in pursuit of the perfect dome, think again. Because there is a generation of radical new artists who are reinventing what it means to arrange flowers, many of them inspired by the Japanese art of ikebana. Since its origins in the 6th century, ikebana has been as much a philosophy as an art, with its roots in Zen Buddism and a reverence for nature. Over hundreds of years it has developed a complex set of unwritten rules, that take a lifetime to master. But in recent years the distinctive look of ikebana - with its love of the asymmetric shapes to be found in nature and its willingness to embrace simple, natural materials - has found a new audience and opened the eyes of a generation of artists to a new way of working with flowers. This book showcases a selection of this new wave of floral artists, from Tokyo to New York. The authors Victoria Gaiger and Tom Loxley - the editors of the award-winning rakesprogress, the UK's leading independent magazine about the art of gardens, plants and flowers - have talked to 25 of the most exciting young florists working today about their art and inspiration. It includes an introduction to the history and evolution of Japanese floral art and beautiful images of the artists' studios and their floral creations.

"Additional outline plates and figures in the text have been introduced as well as new coloured prints from designs expressly made by Ogata Gekko, one of the best living artists of the Popular school" -- Preface Josiah Conder Tokio May, 1899.