MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- "Ikebana is not a mere decoration, it is an art," said Sofu Teshigahara, founder of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana. "Ikebana is not for Japan alone, it is for the whole world."
In the same spirit, a Thursday night class from 6-8 p.m. at the Arts and Crafts Store is available to Station residents interested in developing this deeply cultured skill.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs "Web Japan" Web site, Ikebana is the art of arranging cut stems, leaves and flowers in vases and other containers. To arrange the stems and flowers exactly as desired, a familiarity with many different ways of fastening and positioning them is necessary. These techniques are what classes instruct students in.
The Web site states that Ikebana has developed many different styles of arrangement over it's seven centuries of existence. Among the most common are the rikka (standing flowers), seika or shoka (living flowers), and nageire (flung flowers) styles when making arrangements in bowl-shaped vases; and the moribana (piled-up flowers) style when using dish-like containers.
According to Kuniko Tsuhara, the Station's Ikebana instructor, the choice of what flowers to arrange is guided by the desire to create harmony between flower and container and to find flowers that blend in well with their surroundings.
"Harmony and contrast is very important," said Tsuhara. "Just like music or a painting, the arrangement needs to have focus and movement."
Although layer after layer of flowers are used in Western floral arrangements, in Ikebana, the key consideration is to use as few stems and leaves as possible in composing elegant contours that highlight the flowers' beauty.
"I feel the most beautiful when I work with nature," said Tsuhara. "I want other people to know and find this beauty."
Tsuhara's enthusiasm for teaching Ikebana is emphasized by her conviction that anyone can do it.
"Everybody can learn to arrange flowers," she said. "Just a few stems or big arrangements - everybody can learn to do it for any occasion."
Like Teshigahara, Tsuhara believes Ikebana should be shared with the world. She offers a program of study alongside the class that gives Station residents a chance to earn certification as an Ikebana instructor.
For further information about the class, call the Arts and Crafts Store at 253-6621.