Senkei Ikenobo - Senkei Ikenobo

Japanese: 池坊専慶 - いけのぼう・せんけい

Years of birth: unknown. A monk of Chohoji Temple (commonly known as Rokkakudo) in Kyoto in the mid-Muromachi period, and a master of standing flowers. He is considered to be the originator of Ikenobo Ikebana. Around the time of the Kansho era (1460-1466), there were people with a knack for flower arrangement, such as the monk Ryoken, the Dohoshu members Ritsuami and Bunami, and the nobles Yamashina Nobutokuni and Ichijoin Kyokaku. In the entry for the third year of the Kansho era in the Hekizan Nichiroku, there is a passage that reads, "Senkei invited Senkei to place several dozen flowers in a golden vase, and connoisseurs from around Kyoto came and competed to view it," and "Senkei came and folded chrysanthemums and placed them in a vase. Everyone was amazed at how beautiful it was." The skill of placing seasonal flowers in a vase, which is essential for daily religious services, created the art of standing flowers, and it probably became a decoration for special occasions and entertainment for the shogun and high-ranking officials. There are no drawings that show the flowers arranged by Senkei, but the oldest book with a record of the transmission of flowers from 1499, "The Book of Flowers Since Kao," contains illustrations of flowers suitable for various occasions, such as doyo flowers, flowers for offering to Buddha, flowers for the bride and groom, flowers for sake mats, and flowers for waiting for people, and the secrets of their techniques, which are thought to reflect the appearance of flowers in Senkei's time. <References> Yamane Yuzo, "The Establishment of Ikebana" ("Complete Works of Ikebana," Volume 2)

(Kouzo Okada)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

生年：生没年不詳
室町中期,京都頂法寺(通称六角堂)の僧,立花巧者。池坊花道の元祖とされる。寛正(1460～66)前後には,僧良賢,同朋衆の立阿弥・文阿弥,公家の山科言国・一条院経覚ら花立て数奇者の存在があった。『碧山日録』の寛正3年の条には,武将佐々木高秀が「専慶を招き,草花を金瓶に挿す数十枚,洛中の好事者来て競いてこれを観る」「専慶来りて,菊を折り瓶に挿す。皆其の妙に嘆ず」という記述がみられる。毎日の勤行に欠かせない当季の草花を花瓶に挿す供花の巧みが,立花の芸をつくりあげ,将軍,高家御成りの晴れの飾り,遊興の飾りとなったものであろう。専慶の挿した花姿を写す図は皆無だが,明応8(1499)年相伝年記のある最古の伝書『花王以来の花伝書』にみられる土用花,仏供養花,聟嫁取花,酒筵花,人待花などあらゆる行事に相応した花の絵図とその技法秘事は,専慶時代の花の面影を写すものと考えられている。<参考文献>山根有三「いけばなの成立」(『いけばな美術全集』2巻)

(岡田幸三)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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