Ikenobo Ikebana Celebrates Diamond Jubilee

Ikenobo Ikebana Society of Los Angeles will celebrate its diamond jubilee with a special floral art presentation on Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, 244 S. San Pedro St. in Little Tokyo.

Headmaster Sen’ei Ikenobo

Sixty years ago, 45th Headmaster Sen’ei Ikenobo visited Los Angeles to dedicate the first chapter of Ikenobo Ikebana outside of Japan for students of this floral art. He is returning on Sept. 23 to celebrate this special anniversary.

A ceremonial ribbon-cutting will take place at 11 a.m. for the exhibition of more than 100 floral arrangements. Featured works will be by Sen’ei Ikenobo, Ikenobo professors, visiting members from Japan and members of the L.A. Chapter.

The exhibition is free to the public and will continue through Sunday, Sept. 24. On Saturday at 1 p.m., the headmaster will give a public lecture and demonstration of Ikenobo at the Aratani Theatre, next door to JACCC. A highlight will be the presentation of traditional Reishiki ike floral tribute, a formal ceremony passed down through the centuries.

Tickets for this unique afternoon event are $40. For more information, contact Ginny Nishigaya (English) at gnishigaya@yahoo.com or Masako Kakimoto (Japanese) at masakoyo@aol.com.