IKEBANA International Johor Baru (IIJB) Chapter 235, celebrated the heritage of ikebana with a special tribute to charter president Tunku Shahariah Tuanku Abdul Rahman at its annual exhibition, recently.
Organised under the theme “Heritage of Flowers”, the event also celebrated the legacy of several schools of ikebana — Ikenobo, Ohara, Sogetsu, Ryuseiha and Ichiyo. Each school follows a particular set of rules and arrangement techniques.
While IIJB members recreated legacy arrangements by headmasters of the various schools of ikebana for the exhibition, the highlight of the event was a demonstration by guest representatives of the five schools.
Ikebana, or the Japanese art of flower arrangement, follows a fixed pattern of a triangle with three points representing heaven, earth and man. The key is to use as few plant materials as possible to compose an elegant arrangement.
In IIJB, members learn the art from experienced instructors as well as visiting masters. The emphasis is on linear perfection, colour, harmony, space and form, and the artist’s choice of plant materials is guided by the ideal of harmony between the materials and the vessels used.
“Today, there are still familiar faces among the 17 members who started the journey of Chapter 235 in Johor Baru. We honour them as well as the newer members who have joined IIJB over the years,” said IIJB president Gusti Puteri Retno Astrini.
She said it was Tunku Shahariah who encouraged her to join IIJB, where she would have the opportunity to meet many creative people.
“This is the privilege we still enjoy in Chapter 235 as well as in chapters around the world — the chance to enjoy the talent and company of creative people,” she added.
Guests had the pleasure of viewing ikebana arrangements from the schools of Sogetsu, Ohara and Ikenobo, presented by IIJB members.
These included an arrangement of the Ohara school by Ira Wolf; an arrangement of the Ikonobo school by Thanam Visvanathan-Suresh; and arrangements of the Sogetsu school by Dawn Ling and Rinataniwan Tan.
In IIJB, the Sogetsu-school ikebana study group is conducted by instructor Shirley Cheah, who is a student of Sogetsu Association Singapore president and Sogetsu master Kazue Kato Kim. The instructor of the Ohara-school study group is IIJB past president and Ohara School of Ikebana, Singapore Chapter president Datin Ong Kid Ching.
The IIJB heritage was presented in a collection of mementos and photos, and in Tunku Shahariah’s recounting of the inception of the JB chapter.
At the ikebana arrangement demonstration, Ikebana International Singapore was represented by Tan Bo Tan, who demonstrated the style of the Ikenobo school, Momoka Emmett, who showed the art of the Ryuseiha and Anju Bhardwaj, who did the Ichiyo school proud.
IIJB’s two instructors, Cheah and Ong each presented two arrangements of the Sogetsu and Ohara schools, respectively, to demonstrate how the same materials were used in different ways by the two schools.
The exhibition was a historic milestone for IIJB as it was the first time it was showcasing all five schools of ikebana in a single event.
Special guests in attendance were Japan Consul in Johor Baru Tsuneki Matsuda, Ikebana International Kuala Lumpur Chapter 72 president Datin Paulene Tunku Mu’tamir, Ikebana International Singapore Chapter 135 president Marvina Low and Chinese Women’s Association Singapore president Betty Chen.
Ikebana International Johor Baru membership is open to all with an interest in the Japanese art of flower arrangement.