Yesterday at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden we had a visit from a master – Tetsunori Kawana. Mr. Kawana is an installation artist and master teacher of Sogetsu Ikebana.

So, you may be asking – what is Ikebana? Very simply, it’s the Japanese art of arranging flowers. But really, it is so much more! I hesitate to even write about Ikebana because of its complex nature.

So I though I’d show a few images from yesterday’s presentation with some web links if you want to learn more. Oh, and if you REALLY want to learn more, Ikebana of Richmond meets here at the Garden on the first Thursday of each month. In fact, it was really their program that I attended yesterday.

Just one more quick paragraph about Ikebana before I insert photos – you know how in Western culture we tend to arrange flowers in a mass of blooms? Well, Ikebana is based on a triangular framework created by the line of twigs and/or leaves. Some schools (yes, there are schools of Ikebana!) say the three main “points” represent heaven, earth and man. There is also great emphasis on negative space.

But back to Mr. Kawana!

The grand finale of yesterday’s program was a large (and I mean large!) scale installation. In a fascinating and frenzied fifteen minutes, huge boughs cut from the Garden were assembled into a remarkable display – honest to goodness, the action and drama almost had a rock concert quality to it!

Mr. Kawana and his assistants create the basic framework of the piece.

Mr. Kawana “fills in” space (at times he almost disappeared into the installation!)

Mr. Kawana takes a step back for an overview; gestures to an assistant to bring just the right bough...

Time is almost up! Last-minute touches are made.

The finished piece.

If you’d like to learn more:
Information about Ikebana on Wikipedia: Ikebana
More about Mr. Kawana-Tetsunori (his work is fascinating!): Kawana-Tetsunori

Well, I’ve tried my best to tell you a little about Ikebana. (One of my very good friends reads this blog from her home in Japan – Akiko, how have I done?) If anyone has questions, please comment!

Beth Monroe is public relations director at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.

Hi Beth!

Thank you very much for calling me!
I always enjoy reading your gardening blog. The article on Ikebana is very interesting. I learned a lot from the article, too. Ikebana is not only art but also a kind of ritual or a philosophical deed, isn’t it?

I imagine people in Richmond are enjoying beautiful colored leaves now. I miss the magnificent autumn scenery in Richmond.

Are you going to make jack-o’-lanterns?

Akiko

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