The first tokonoma, or alcoves, were built in their homes and palaces no doubt to display suits of armour, but once the unification of the nation was established and peaceful times arrived, art objects, including flower arrangements, began to be displayed. With the ascendency of the samurai class from the 14th century, feudal lords gained stature and supremacy, and they wished to display their wealth and power. It was the custom to place flowers before images of the Buddha, and over the centuries these floral offerings acquired a fairly elaborate form.ĭuring Heian times (8th to 12th centuries) it was a common custom to send poetry attached to a flowering branch as an expression of admiration and sentiment.

Simple floral arrangements were made as early as the 7th century when Buddhism was introduced to Japan from China. This is so because Ikebana is an art in Japan in the same sense that painting and sculpture are arts elsewhere. The Japanese art of flower arranging has been described as being at once more subtle, more sensitive, and more sophisticated than the methods of arranging flowers usually employed in other cultures. In this article, we will discuss the origins of Ikebana, and includes some of the arrangements and techniques that you will need to create your own floral art. Today it is a popular and innovative living art, unique to Japan, that is cherished by both experts and novices. To give focus to noh as not only a continuously performed theatre art, but also one that is continuously developing and expanding its reach.Japanese flower arranging, or Ikebana, has come a long way from its humble roots as temple offerings centuries ago. To highlight the creative connections between noh, and other forms of art, culture and society To improve international cultural relations and development through cross cultural artistic engagement To foster a better understanding of the key elements of noh internationally (as well as in Japan) from ‘page to stage’ To contribute to the development of new audiences for traditional and contemporary noh Noh is a powerful art form that can be used to support how we learn more about each other – no matter where we come from in the world. The art of noh is an excellent vehicle for all these challenges to be explored and it is our hope that many more people will Get to Noh through the project activities. To look deeper inside ourselves - the contemporary language used in English noh enables an accessible, deeper engagement with the poetic forms for everyone, Japanese and non-Japanese alikeĪnd (working with new noh) to create and explore stories that relate to our time - and, therefore, to contribute to our own legacy.Īrt has the potential to provide us with a creative mirror through which we can reflect on our impact on the wider society. To look outside our cultural norms - even Japanese, many of whom are not well connected with an art form they have inherited The esoteric art of noh challenges us at many levels, for example: English language noh, developed over the last 40 years, has given particular focus to the latter while using the traditions that have been handed down over the centuries in Japan. Our vision is not only to help others understand the wonderful art of noh, and how it has been preserved and continuously performed for the past six centuries, but also to highlight that it is a living art form that serves to reflect contemporary societies worldwide. The art of noh provides an excellent vehicle for exploring our common humanity. Young and old alike can enjoy an engagement with noh and key elements of noh can inspire and be transferred to other creative formats / genres The education and outreach activities of our Getting to noh programme will give a better understanding of noh for many

Noh can be appreciated both in terms of its classical traditions and contemporary relevance Noh can continue to ‘ earnestly and brilliantly cross national borders’*

Japanese living art form