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Mrs Yuko Cowin and Ms Fumiko Nakasato led the workshop on Saturday 28th January, 2017. The theme of the workshop was ‘ Let’s Enjoy Kakeiho’, January, 2017.

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This Workshop, Let’s enjoy Kakeiho, was led by Mrs Yuko Cowin and Ms Fumiko Nakasato at the Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel. Both are well qualified Sogetsu teachers. Yuko has been practicing ikebana with Mrs Ikuyo Morrison since 2000. Fumiko had started Sogetsu in 1972 in Japan, and since 2008 she has been practicing with Ikuyo. Both are Teaching Grade 1st Somu.

The Workshop was focused on Kakeiho, the Basic Styles and Variations in the Sogetsu School. Yuko started by demonstrating a Basic Upright Moribana, reminding us of the dimensions of main branches, Shin, Soe and Hikae relative to Container Size, and to each other. She then did a Variation Number one arrangement with moribana container, using Euonymus (E. Japonicus ‘Aureopictus’) branches.  She followed this up with a Nageire arrangement in which a Soegi-dome, a vertical stick slightly shorter than the height of the nageire container, Corkscrew willow (Salix matsudana ‘Tortuosa’) was used to secure the main branches of Shin and Soe. This was also a Variation No 1 arrangement, in which the basic position of Shin moves from left of vertical to right of vertical. Whitish Anthurium was used for Hikae. She stressed the importance of Jushi supporting, and not dominating, the main stems.

Fumiko then followed with two arrangements. The first was a Variation No 5 in a larger moribana container, in which two kenzans were used. The kenzan on the left was for Shin and Soe, a kind of Magnolia, and the kenzan on the right had Hikae, a pink rose, with Jushi. The next arrangement was Variation No 8, using two containers, a nageire container with Shin and Soe, Viburnum bodnantense ‘Charles Lamont’, and a yellow chrysanthemum for Hikae, and to the right, a red moribana container featuring Variation No 4, a Magnolia branch was used for Shin and Hikae being a pink rose. Pink viburnum was used for Jushi. Fumiko emphasised the importance of the water in the moribana container being clear and clean.

Members then did an arrangement over the next 50 minutes, using ideas from the demonstrations, which showed the importance of maintaining clean lines. This varied from moribana to nageire to combined arrangements. Yuko and Fumiko then went around the tables to comment and critique the arrangements. We all agreed that the demonstrations had been very effective in driving home the basic principles of Kakeiho and it had been very useful to revisit basic principles.

(The article – by Dr Annie Lau King)

<Last edited by Ikuyo Morrison on February 12, 2017 at 9:02 pm>