Category Archives: Noh no Ikebana

  “In 1989, I talked to the members of the Women’s Group of the Shinden branch of an agricultural cooperative in Chita, Aichi Prefecture, (JA Aichi Chita, or JA Higashi-Chita back then), and started a local Noh no Ikebana club. Since then, we’ve been creating new arrangements for the entrance of the office of the Shinden Branch every Monday. We use sesame flowers, carrots flowers, two-legged Japanese radishes and all other materials you don’t usually get to see at your local supermarkets. So people often tell us that they never thought they were vegetable flowers or they’d never seen vegetables in such funny shape. We feel happy to hear these … Continue reading →

I began Noh no Ikebana five years ago. I love how we can freely enjoy arranging vegetables and flowers in whatever way we like, because in Noh no Ikebana, there are no ryuha (schools) or rules like the ones in traditional flower arrangements. We can apply our sense and feeling that we have from our daily work as farmers, and that’s why we can make such dynamic and lively arrangements. The title of this arrangement is “Spring has come.” A cabbage shows its face from the surface of the snow after long cold winter. Wild vegetables sprout amid thawing snow. I used them as the motifs to express how the … Continue reading →

With Noh no Ikebana, I often chose dishes such as kimchi and chirashi zushi (sushi with colorful toppings) as a theme for my arrangement, in addition to seasonal features and appreciation for agricultural products. In that case, I combine ingredients and tools I use for the dishes with flowers and other materials to give it a sense of seasons. The theme of this arrangement is “The first spring storm.” The container is a dead branch of Japanese apricot I found in my garden. I added several types of local specialties, such as mushrooms, strawberries, and hassaku oranges. I used no flowers, no plants. However, I used the mushrooms instead of … Continue reading →

One of the members of the Tokyo group of Noh no Ikebana invited me to join the activity. I’m thoroughly moved by the way they appreciate the uniqueness of each piece of vegetables, even those in irregular sizes and shapes, and use all of them effectively as part of their arrangements. So I launched the club in Tanashi city to let more people know about Noh no Ikebana. The club in Tanashi started holding exhibitions in 2011 at an open space at the entrance of Nishi-Tokyo City Hall. From those who saw the displays, we have feedbacks like “It’s nice to see those classic farm tools,” and “I haven’t seen … Continue reading →

“I began Noh no Ikebana six year ago after reading articles in Japan Agricultural News. I live close to a lot of mountains and fields which are the source of an unlimited number of materials, and I found it very interesting that I can make arrangements using natural materials in natural ways. I do traditional ikebana since I was a junior high school student, but I think Noh no Ikebana is very special in how we can use the materials in any forms ranging from buds to dry pieces to create brisk displays. For containers, I often chose tools that my family used a long time ago. Creating arrangements with … Continue reading →