Category Archives: Noh no Ikebana

“My first encounter with Noh no Ikebana was an open class held regularly by Midori net–Akita, an Akita-based association that support local agricultural infrastructure development. The idea of making something artistic out of agricultural products moved me so much that I decided to joint the team and help it organize the open classes and promotional activities. Akita has an active agricultural industry, but not many of Akita people living in urban areas are interested in agriculture. Then, how can I make more people interested in agriculture? I have been thinking about it for a long time. So Noh no Ikebana is the best tool for communicating the charm of agriculture … Continue reading →

“It’s been over 20 years since I began Noh no Ikebana in one of the activities of our local agricultural cooperative. I was so impressed by the works of the senior members that I launched a Noh no Ikebana Group with my local friends. We exhibit our Ikebana, for example, at local agricultural fairs as well as parties for seniors. We also place our ikebana works at a farmers’ restaurant run by the group. First thing we do is to set the central theme, in many cases considering seasonal events and dishes. We always try to make it dynamic while using tools and materials as simple as possible. The theme … Continue reading →

Tokiko Shimizu, 75, from Ibaraki city, Ibaraki Prefecture, talked about the fun of Noh no Ikebana. “Overgrown vegetables are often thrown away, but with Noh no Ikebana, they can be excellent materials. I sometimes remove the leaves or hold them upside down to think about how I can arrange them. I enjoy doing so very much. I usually make my arrangement with seasonal agricultural products and flowers from my farmland and garden and put it in the entrance hall. As containers, I often chose thing like a wooden well bucket. They often catch the attention of my visitors and give us a fun topic to talk about. Some people said … Continue reading →

Today, let’s hear from Eiko Kotaka, 75, from Hadano City, Kanagawa Prefecture, about how she enjoys Noh no Ikebana. “I began Noh no Ikebana two years ago. I like making an arrangement at the beginning of a season, featuring seasonal vegetables and flowers. I use something like a two-legged daikon radish and loquats on a branch and with leaves to make my arrangements look as natural and lively as possible. With this arrangement, I wanted to reproduce a scene in the good old days when we hand spun cotton. This is like a long, complex story of cotton-making that stars from harvesting cotton and ends in spinning a thread. I … Continue reading →

“I decorate the entrance with a Noh no Ikebana arrangement to welcome my guests. Until 1999, my family used to run a dairy farm, so I often use milkers as my containers. My favorite materials are burdocks, carrots, Chinese cabbages and other vegetables that I grow for my family. I’ve been doing Noh no Ikebana for about 20 years. Whenever I find vegetables in unique shapes, I get excited and start thinking how I can use them in my arrangements. My husband also gives me an idea when he finds vegetables in funny shapes. That way, I want to respect individual characters of each piece of the vegetables. For this … Continue reading →