Ikebana means "make flowers come alive," "make flowers active," or "make flowers fresh."  In order to be arranged, flowers are cut off from the roots, which means their life is biologically terminated. Yet, in ikebana, as the name indicates, the artist is expected to give life to already cut flowers. Each flower must be carefully studied to bring out its beauty to the fullest. When displayed to their full advantage, flowers enhance each other, take on new life or present an illusion of life. jfa-down.jpg (12598 bytes) rikka1.jpg (29776 bytes)
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The first principle to be applied in arranging flowers is to deploy the concept of "dominant," "subdominant," and "subordinate" so that materials do not clash with each other, and only a few are needed to achieve a maximum effect.

The next important consideration is to make use of space and incorporate the unfilled or the blank space into the composition.

Another unique element of Japanese flower arrangement is its asymmetrical structure, which can suggest movement and growth as opposed to symmetrical structure, which tends to be static and denies the viewer’s participation.