Ikebana Exhibitions

Ikebana, the traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement, is both an ancient and modern art. In basic form, an ikebana arrangement follows a fixed pattern: a triangle of three points representing heaven, earth, and man. Emphasis is placed on linear perfection, color harmony, space, and form. An ikebana usually contains the foliage and flowers of the current season, and all are used in their natural state except for the deft “cut” of the arranger’s clippers which perfects the line of a branch or the shape of a bud.

What distinguishes ikebana from other approaches to flower arrangement are its use of asymmetry and “empty” space as essential features of the composition. A sense of harmony among the materials, container, and setting is also crucial. Ikebana shares these aesthetic characteristics with traditional Japanese paintings, gardens, architecture, and design.

These exhibitions are underwritten in part by the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation.

Ohara Ikebana Exhibition

March 3-4, 2012
10 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Pavilion
Included with Garden admission

What distinguishes ikebana from other approaches to flower arrangement is its asymmetrical form and the use of “empty” space as essential features of the composition. A sense of harmony among the materials, the container, and the setting is also crucial. Ikebana shares these aesthetic characteristics with traditional Japanese paintings, gardens, architecture, and design. Members of the Portland Chapter of the Ohara School of Ikebana set the tone for early spring with an array of exquisite designs on display in the Garden Pavilion. The school is noted for developing the moribana style, which broke with the more formal vertical style of the past to create new horizontal “landscape” arrangements, with flowers “heaped” (moru) in lower platelike containers expressing the spirit of a time of great transition in Japan.

Hana Matsuri, the Flower Festival Celebrating the Birth of Buddha

Saga Goryu Ikebana Exhibition

March 31-April 1, 2012
10 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Pavilion
Included with Garden admission

In Japan, religious festivals are often connected with seasonal changes when people give thanks for the blessings of nature. Hana Matsuri both celebrates the fleeting beauty of the delicate cherry blossom and honors the birth of Buddha, traditionally celebrated on April 8 in Japan. Those who visit a temple on his birthday take an offering of fresh spring flowers, and the festival has become known as Hana Matsuri, the Flower Festival. As the highlight of the Saga Goryu School of Ikebana’s spring exhibition, Reverends Wako Henjyoji and David Komeiji of Henjyoji Buddhist Temple in Portland create a special shrine decorated with flowers in which a statue of the young Shaka Nyorai Buddha is enshrined. It is often said that tea rained down on the day of the Buddha’s birth, and participants take turns offering incense and pouring a ladle of floral tea over the head of the Buddha as part of this ceremonial ritual. The prayer ceremony will be held at 10am on both days of the festival and exhibition, and a demonstration of Chado, The Way of Tea will be presented both days at 2pm.

Sogetsu Ikebana Exhibition

June 2-3, 2012
10 a.m.-6 p.m. in the Pavilion
Included with Garden admission
Official Portland Rose Festival Event

“Always I am listening to the heart beat of the Earth, and my creations echo this pulse of Nature.”

Each year for the past 40 years, the Sogetsu School of Ikebana has presented their annual exhibition at the Garden as a sanctioned event of the Portland Rose Festival.

Not every school of ikebana embraces the use of Western floral materials such as the rose, but the Sogetsu School is known for its willingness to explore new ideas and materials. The founder, Sofu Teshigawara, broke away from tradition in 1927 to establish his new school based on the belief that anyone can arrange ikebana anywhere, and with almost anything. The Sogetsu philosophy advocates that ikebana should be part of a lifestyle, appreciated by many people from all over the world, rather than being considered an exclusive aspect of Japanese culture to be enjoyed by a limited number of people. Just as people are different from each other, Sogetsu School encourages ikebana students to be individual and imaginative.

Now under the direction of Akane Teshigahara, Sogetsu School’s fourthIemoto (Grand Master), the school seeks to stay in tune with the times and continue to explore the boundaries of the field of contemporary ikebana in Japan. As the daughter of film director Hiroshi Teshigahara (the third Iemoto of the Sogetsu School), she approaches her art form with intense creativity and a lively spirit that inspires her students worldwide.

Ryusei-ha Ikebana Exhibition

October 6-7, 2012
10 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Pavilion
Included with Garden admission

According to Founder Kaun Yoshimura, the Ryusei-ha School of Ikebana seeks to explore the many “faces of plants,” helping us to rediscover their essential vitality.

On the weekend of October 6-7, the Garden is pleased to host an autumn exhibition of the Ryusei-ha School of Ikebana, featuring the work of students and teachers of the Portland branch of this school, which is headquartered in Tokyo. Founder Kaun Yoshimura began his own studies of flower arrangement at the Ikenobo School, but became dissatisfied with older styles and started his own school in 1886, which is known today for fostering an appreciation for the natural form of plants as they exist in nature, coupled with an adventurous approach to materials and the spirit of innovation. His successor, Kakyu Yoshimura, the second headmaster, enhanced the founder’s ideas by further developing the traditional forms and laying the ground work for what has become the modern style.

Although students in this school must demonstrate mastery of traditional forms, they also create free style installations that blur the boundaries between flower arrangement and sculpture. Some prefer not to use artificially made containers, but, instead, use natural materials as containers.

Portland is fortunate to have a branch of this school, headed by Reiko Granade. Based on tradition, yet very contemporary, the Portland branch of Ryusei-ha School seeks to give students an appreciation of nature which will enrich their lives. Students gain not only an understanding of the beauty found in plant material (expressed in their designs) but also achieve an increased sensitivity within, to the beauty of life itself.

To learn more about the Ryusei-ha School in Portland, visit Ikebana International Chapter 47 or the Ryusei-has headquarters in Tokyo.

Ikebana International Chrysanthemum Exhibition: celebrating Kiku Matsuri

October 20-21, 2012
10 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Pavilion
Included with Garden admission

White mums, yellow mums
and even the moon
Autumn ending
–Shiki

Jonathan Ley

There is a gentle sadness that drifts across the gardens and lingers over rice fields in the autumn breeze in Japan. There comes that brief moment of awareness in the garden every fall—summer is gone and the approach of winter is inevitable—made all the more poignant with the knowledge of how quickly life fades away. Each passing season is celebrated for the special beauty it holds in Japan. Autumn brings with it one last brilliant moment of color to share with the earth—the flamboyant red of the maples and the gold, rust, lavender, and white hues of the chrysanthemum, the flower that symbolizes an entire nation.

The Ikebana International Chrysanthemum Exhibition, celebrating Kiku Matsuri, comes this year to the Garden Pavilion. It is the fifth of the five seasonal Go-Sekku festivals in the traditional Japanese calendar.

The chrysanthemum is the official flower of Japan. It has been cultivated there since the 8th century when it was introduced from China. The imperial family crest bears the symbol of the 16-petaled chrysanthemum, which has long been a symbol of longevity, dignity, and nobility.