 |
| A Hana-isho radial arrangement in the Ohara school of ikebana will certainly enhance a dining table setting |
There are several schools of ikebana that follow a particular set of rules and arrangement techniques with the more popular Ikenobo, Ohara, Sogetsu, Koryu, Ryuseiha and Ichiyo schools of ikebana and in this year’s exhibition, IIJB members will be creating legacy arrangements by various headmasters from selected schools.
 |
| Shirley Cheah, Sogetsu instructor, helping study group students in their selection of flowers |
IIJB members study ikebana or the art
of Japanese flower arrangement that follows a fixed pattern of a triangle with three points
that represent Heaven, Earth and Man, from
experienced instructors as well as visiting flower masters. The key
consideration in ikebana is to use as few plant materials as possible to
compose an elegant arrangement.
The
emphasis is on linear perfection, colour, harmony, space and form, and the
choice of plant materials is guided by the artist’s desire to create harmony
between the materials and the vessels used.
 |
| Sogetsu student, YM Gusti Puteri Retno Astrini practicing her flower arrangement using dried twigs |
The heritage of the IIJB chapter in the
Sogetsu, Ohara and Ikenobo schools of ikebana will be showcased in the coming
exhibition through arrangements by members of IIJB and invited guests that
represent the schools of ikebana that they are studying. To prepare for the exhibition, the students
are planning and practicing the arrangements for their ikebana presentations
under the tutelage of their respective instructors. This annual exhibition is an eagerly
anticipated event because it is an opportunity for students in the study groups
for the Sogetsu and Ohara schools of ikebana here to exhibit their floral art
to the public.
 |
| Japanese students, Tomoko Shinohara [Left] and Shizuyo Hiroi in the Sogetsu study group |
Study group students in the Sogetsu and
Ohara schools of ikebana meet twice a week for lessons that follow ikebana textbooks
and take examinations to qualify before going on to the next grade. The study group in the Sogetsu school of
ikebana is guided by instructor, Shirley Cheah, an accomplished Sogetsu
practitioner who has been a student of a Master of Sogetsu and President of the
Sogetsu Association of Singapore, Mrs Kazue Kato Kim, since 2007.
With more than 30 years as an ikebana
practitioner, Past President of IIJB and President of the Ohara School of
Ikebana, Singapore Chapter, Datin Ong Kid Ching, is the instructor for the
study group in the Ohara school of ikebana.
“An exhibition is a real opportunity to
display the personality of the Sogetsu Study group and for us to learn from the
experience of exhibiting our floral art,” said Cheah on how her students are
preparing a range of floral arrangements for the exhibition in the Sogetsu
school of ikebana. While it is usually a
more mature audience who may appreciate the art of flower arrangements, Cheah
aims to promote ikebana to younger people and even students. She said this year’s trend in Tokyo is the
use of dried twigs so her students are encouraged to use them in their
arrangements for the coming exhibition.
 |
| Ohara instructor, Datin Ong Kid Ching [2nd from Left] demonstrating an arrangement with some of her Ohara study group students |
“In the Ohara school of ikebana, less
is more,” said Ong, a Third Master in the Ohara school of ikebana who also
holds the Komon (Advisory Grade) in the Sogetsu school of ikebana in
Japan.
Ong encourages students in her
study group to draw inspiration from plants and colours that exist in Nature
and try to recreate Nature in their arrangements because Ohara arrangements
have a lot of green as its base colour that emulate Nature and the
seasons. All Ohara arrangements for the
exhibition will use unique ceramic vessels made by Ong who is also a talented
ceramic artist.
 |
| Datin Ong giving her comments to student, Ira Wolf, on her Hana-isho rising form arrangement by Natsuki Ohara |
The public is
invited to “Heritage of Flowers,” the IIJB annual ikebana exhibition that will
be held in the lobby of the Puteri Pacific Hotel on June 1 & 2.
The highlight of the programme on June 2 is a
guest demonstration in five schools of ikebana by accomplished ikebana
practitioners like Tan Bo Tan who will demonstrate for the Ikenobo school,
Momoka Emmett for the Ryuseiha school, Anju Bhardwaj for the Ichiyo school,
Shirley Cheah for the Sogetsu school and Datin Ong Kid Ching for the Ohara
school. While the demonstrators will be
provided one common material for each of the two arrangements they will
demonstrate simultaneously, containers and other materials will be chosen by
them to express the style of their respective schools of ikebana.
Membership in Ikebana International
Johor Baru is open to all who are interested in the Japanese art of flower
arrangement. Visit Facebook
page: http://www.facebook.com/IkebanaJB for membership enquiries and more info
about the activities of IIJB Chapter 235.
A gallery of Ohara floral art is
available on www.facebook.com/oharacircle while enquiries on the study group for the Sogetsu school of ikebana
may be sent to email: sogetsujohor@gmail.com
A version of this article was published in The New Straits Times, Streets Johor on 28 May 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment