Ikebana as Industry: Traditional Arts in the Era of High-Speed Growth

Aesthetics and cultural traditions occupy a central role in Japanese national identity to a degree unparalleled among the world’s wealthiest nations, yet few scholars have explored the economic and social dynamics of Japan’s twentieth-century cultural institutions. This article examines how the “three kingdoms” of ikebana—the Ikenobo, Ohara, and Sōgetsu schools—grew to massive postwar proportions, arguing that they engaged in the same strategies that supported corporate high-speed growth from the 1950s through the 1970s, such as creation of strong brand identity, diversification, and rationalization. The resulting worldwide boom in ikebana served to further underscore Japan’s global reputation as a “country of culture.”