Sogetsu Ikebana and the Fundamental Energy of Plants

Ikebana, the traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement, has a 600 year history.  It began when the practice of offering small flower arrangements to Buddhist shrines were taken out of the religious context.  It originally developed as an art to enjoy nature, bringing flowers into the Japanese home.  Today, in this age of information technology, ikebana …

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flower, plant, nature

Sogetsu Ikebana Exhibition

Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement, has many different schools of thought.  On Asian Lifestyle Design, we have shown arrangements from Ikenobo and Ryuseiha Schools.  Today, I’d like to introduce another school called Sogetsu.  Compared to Ikenobo, the original school of ikebana with a 550 year history, the Ryuseiha School is 120 years old, …

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Finding Harmony in Your Life

We live in this digital age where everything is just a finger tip away.  Questions on anything and everything can be answered instantaneously.  Want to know a meaning of a word?  A good restaurant?  directions? title of a song?  artist?  history?  Immediate answers have become the norm. From an Asian philosophical perspective, as a society, we …

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Ikenobo Ikebana Grand Master Demonstration

Ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arrangement has a history of over 500 years.  Last week my girlfriend invited me to a demonstration by the 45th Headmaster of the Ikenobo Ikebana School, Sen’ei Ikenobo.   He was in Seattle to help celebrate the local Ikenobo Lake Washington’s 10th anniversary.  This was a wonderful experience and …

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How Japan Has Taught Us to be Zen

photo by Stephane D’Alu Zen Buddhism was introduced to Japan by a Japanese monk traveling back from China during the 12th Century. Since then, Zen teachings have become deeply engrained in Japanese life and culture. Ikebana (art of flower arrangement), chado (way of tea), and martial arts are a few examples of how Zen Buddhism …

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