The most commonly used container for nageire is the cylindrical vase, a tall container with a mouth that is not very wide and sides that are nearly vertical. The natural curve of the spirea is emphasized with sweet pink marguerite mums in the example above. Choose a flexible material which creates beautiful lines balancing with flowers. Click either here or on the photograph at left to discover how this Cascading style Nageire arrangement was created. The side of an arrangement to be seen and appreciated is the side which appears most beautiful, or, in other words, the side arranged keeping in mind the direction from which the composition will be seen.
Every arrangement invariably has such a side.
Until recently, the side of an arrangement to be appreciated has been limited to one, because ikebana developed within the confines of the tokonoma alcove of Japanese homes. Since feudal times, the tokonoma has been the spiritual center of Japanese homes, the place where scrolls, antiques, etc. were displayed. Although only a corner of one room, the tokonoma has played an important role in the formation of the style of Japanese residential architecture. Virtually all flower arrangements were placed in the tokonoma, never in the center of the room or in another corner of the house. If a house lacked a tokonoma, a shelf or low platform served as a substitute, above which scrolls would be hung and on which ikebana could be displayed.