Portland Japanese Garden

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.

• Find more information at Ikebana International
• Get involved locally with I.I.'s Portland Chapter

Sogetsu Ikebana Exhibition

Floral Installation by Internationally Famous Ikebana Master Tetsunori Kawana

June 12–13

10am-7pm 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 38 years, the Sogetsu School of Ikebana has presented their annual exhibition at the Garden as a sanctioned event of the Portland Rose Festival. We are pleased to announce, in addition to a selection of work by ikebana artists of the Portland chapter of the Sogetsu School, this year's exhibition will feature a major floral installation by internationally acclaimed Ikebana Master Tetsunori Kawana.

Mr. Kawana studied under past Grand Master Hiroshi Teshigahara and later served as art director for the Nagano City closing ceremony of the 1994 Winter Olympics. He is known today for his large-scale installations in bamboo and other materials that have been featured at galleries and performances throughout the world.

Video feature on Mr. Kawana's most recent project:

About the Sogetsu School

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 fourth Iemoto (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 2–3

10am-4pm in the Garden Pavilion

Included with Garden admission

On the weekend of October 2–3, the Garden hosts an autumn exhibition of the Ryusei-ha School of Ikebana, featuring the work of this school's local students and teachers.

Founder Kaun Yoshimura felt dissatisfied with his training in older styles and in 1886 created Ryusei-ha, which continues to be known for its appreciation of plant forms as they exist in nature, coupled with an adventurous approach to materials and the spirit of innovation. 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.

Portland is fortunate to have its own local branch of this Tokyo-based school. Master Teacher Reiko Granade seeks to give students an appreciation of nature which will enrich their lives—they not only gain 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.

Ikebana International Chrysanthemum Exhibition

October 9–10

10am-4pm in the Garden Pavilion

Included with Garden admission

The Garden’s Chrysanthemum Festival features a special display of cut and potted fancy chrysanthemums outdoors on the East Veranda of the Garden Pavilion. The festival begins with the two-day Ikebana International Chrysanthemum Exhibition of flower arrangements. More than two dozen exquisitely designed arrangements representing five major schools of Ikebana will be on view, including those of master teachers of the Ikenobo, Ohara, Ryusei-ha, Saga Goryu, and Sogetsu schools.

Annual Celebration

Hana Matsuri, the Flower Festival
Celebrating the Birth of Buddha

Saga Goryu Ikebana Exhibition

Celebrated yearly in spring

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, Mrs. Wako Henjyoji and Mr. David Komeiji of Henjyoji Buddhist Temple in Portland create a special shrine decorated with flowers in which a statue of the young Shaka Kyorai 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.