"80 Years of Ichiyo Ikebana"

Presented by: Elaine Jo of Atlanta, Georiga - Executive Master - Ichiyo School of Ikebana

Elaine Jo is one of three Executive Masters in the U.S. of the Ichiyo School. Elaine was President for eleven years of the former Ichiyo Art Center (1994-2005) in Atlanta and is the current President of the Ichiyo Atlanta Chapter. She continues to teach twice a week.  She started the Ichiyo Retreat in 2006 which is a three-day intensive workshop and it has continued to the present day. Her passion has remained constant through the years. She especially loves teaching, drawing inspiration and joy from the creativity of her students, and the passion they too feel for the art. "We grow together".

Elaine Jo gave a beautiful and interesting demonstration talking about the history of the Ichiyo School entitled “A Celebration of 80 Years of Ichiyo Ikebana”.  The school was established in 1937 with Meikof Kasuya and his sister (her flower name was Ichiyo which means One Leaf). Ichiyo was the first headmaster of the school. Elaine studied with three of the Ichiyo iemotos when she began taking lessons with the second, Meikof Kasuya, who was an airline pilot; a very dignified man that had personality plus.  Elaine went to his workshops while living in Japan from 1975-1989. He developed the primary course and the curriculum for the school that is progressive in content.  His son, Akihiro Kasuya assisted him very quietly.  Akihiro became the third iemoto of the Ichiyo School of Ikebana in 1983 and Elaine studied under him as well.  Naohiro Kasuya became the fourth iemoto last year in 2018.



The four principals of Meikof Kasuya’s plan for Ichiyo Ikebana were:

Placement – where the arrangement is placed in the home or site

Space – some “designed space” is essential, open space is not accidental

Materials – study the materials, choose carefully

Self-Interpretation – develop your own imagination, put yourself into your arrangement

Slide show viewing: click on + in lower right corner of first photo. Click on > to see photos individually. Then move cursor down screen to remove obstruction.