Ikebana Lesson #1 Basic Upright

Okay, so after a demonstration at one of the charity events I attend regularly, I decided to take a couple of classes of Ikebana arranging...and it is turning out to be a great experience. The sensei is amazing...so cute, so wise and so funny all while being 85 years old if you can believe it. When asked by another student what that student could bring back for her from the States, the sensei replied, "a new boyfriend"...haha.

So the school of Ikebana that we are learning is the Sensho Ikenobo School and the style is Moribana (flat vase). We had to buy a few things for this class...a flat suiban (container), a kenzan (frog), and a pair of good hasami (cutters). I didn't have a container yet so I used a pottery bowl for this first lesson. I have since purchased a total of 2 containers, and 5 frogs...some of the smaller frogs are just for using in upright vases to keep my flowers from slumping over (non-ikebana arrangments).

Keiko-san sensei is our teacher and she is very well known in the Ikebana community...she has students that have been learning from her for decades and I am honored to have a chance to learn from her as well.

I am considering joining Ikebana International...we'll see how I feel after my classes.

Okay, on to lesson #1- Basic Upright.

First we had to do some math...figuring out the length to cut, and the location and angle of the flowers is all by formula for each type of arrangement (my kind of arranging...hehe). We learned about the Heaven, Earth, and Mankind parts of the arrangement. The points of consideration for an arrangement which are line, negative area, movement, and depth. We learned that the flower is not always the focal point of the arrangment (Main) and is sometimes just the Supplement.

For this first arrangment we were told we were using English broom (which was our Main) and then supplemented with Japanese/Chinese Bellflowers (purple) and Peacock Flower (white aster) as filler. The Peacock flower looks a bit like a daisy flower...

We actually measured and cut all our flowers in advance, and laid them out in three piles. We put the frog into the container where it needed to go (depends on the time of year), and marked off our frog into quadrants so we would have the parts of the arrangement in the right spot. Then we started putting flowers in, using the formula and rules for this style of arrangement. The senseis were there to help us as we went. Once we had the Main, the Supplement and the filler in, Keiko-san would come by to check it...if it was good, she would nod and then ask us politely to take it apart and re-do it so we could learn it without help.

Once we did it again on our own, she came by to give us the nod and we were done. We all keep notebooks for the class. I take pictures as I go so I can put them in my notebook for reference later. Each arrangement gets resituated when I get home as well as water added to the container...I have been really enjoying have fresh flowers in the house and proud of the arrangements I have made!!

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Three Years Ago on In My Words...Back in the Land of the Living