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History of the Ohara School

      With the Meiji Restoration of 1868, waves of cultural reawakening covered all of Japan and the public greedily devoured the advanced culture of America and Europe. The world of flowers was not an exception. Western flowers with their vibrant colors were imported to Japan one after the other. However, because the floral arts of the past were bound by set tradition and forms, it was very difficult to incorporate and utilize these western flowers.
      To break this wall, Moribana, a new form of Ikebana came into existence. The concept of an arrangement of wider space and depth was born. For the 400 year old tradition of flower arrangement, this was a drastic innovation. With the creation of Moribana by Unshin Ohara around 1890, modern Ikebana was actually begun.

      Unshin was replacing the tall vase with a small opening previously used, he originated, and actually designed and fired the low flat wide surfaced containers for the many colorful flowers from the West.
      This new container greatly enlarged the scope of expression available to Ikebana. The appearance of Moribana created a great sensation in the world of Ikebana. With the birth of the Ohara School of Ikebana, the history of Ikebana took on new dimensions. Since then, Moribana has become the main trend of Ikebana and has contributed enormously to its popularity.