Page:Japanese flower arrangement.djvu/38

. This occurring at the end of the period caused a feeling of disgust with Rikkwa, and Nageire again revived. Until then only one branch of Ike-bana had been taught at a time, and this followed the taste of the day; but now rival teachers in both Rikkwa and Nageire existed.

Rikkwa reached its greatest popularity in the Genroku period, and also then commenced its decline. From the decline of Rikkwa, Nageire, the origin of the present Ike-bana, grew in power. From this time on it ceased to be called Nageire and took the name of Ike-bana. In the Tenmei Age (1781-1789) Nageire or Ike-bana advanced rapidly in favor and developed great beauty of line. At this date the exponents of the art not only studied nature freely, but combined this knowledge with that of Rikkwa, the result bringing Ike-bana to a very perfect state of development. After Tenmei the purest and best taste in Ike-bana began to diminish and a formal and artificial form of arrangement came into existence. This is [32]