On May 12, 2011, the Faculty of Oriental Studies organized a presentation and instruction on the art of Ikebana flower arrangement of the Ikenobo school. Professor Sasaki Yasuhito - Cultural Ambassador of the Japanese government - from the Ikenobo School Central Research Institute (School of Ikebana Art) directly participated in the presentation and instruction of the Shoka Shofutai flower arrangement style to students.Ikenobo is the origin of Japanese Ikebana. For more than 550 years, Ikenobo has always been harmonious and close to people, creating a variety of flower arrangement styles to reflect the soul of people of the time.
One thing that all Ikebana flower arrangements have in common, even though they look different, is the "beauty of plants." The most important aesthetic element of Ikebana is the appreciation of the natural beauty and the will to live for the future of each flower. In the art of Ikenobo flower arrangement, not only blooming flowers but also buds, branches and leaves are used to express the beauty of life, because it is full of vitality towards the future.
Past, present, future... in every moment, plants and humans are all adapting to the constantly changing environment. Like plants, humans are also an essential element of nature, and when arranging flowers, we feel that more deeply. Today, the Ikenobo school has 3 flower arrangement styles: "Rikka" (Flower arrangement), "Shoka" (Flower birth), and the modern form "Jijuka" (Flower freedom). At the presentation, Professor Sasaki Yasuhito gave specific and detailed instructions to students about the Shoka Shofutai flower arrangement style - a flower arrangement style that expresses the natural beauty of plants in a simple way by using few branches and leaves. This style represents the growth towards the sun and the unique characteristics of plants. Student Phung Thu Ha (K55, majoring in Japanese Studies) said: The extracurricular class helped me accumulate more knowledge, not only giving me the opportunity to practice Japanese but also learning more about Japanese culture. It is known that the presentation and instruction on Ikebana flower arrangement is one of the extracurricular activities of students majoring in Japanese Studies, creating conditions for students to perfect their Japanese and learn about Japanese culture. On May 16, the Faculty of Oriental Studies will also organize the second "Japanese Gala" program.
