DEMONSTRATION in collaboration with Ikenobo, Ikebana Society of Michigan
A featured addition to the Fourth Annual Japanese Bon Festival at Cranbrook will be an an exclusive Ikenobo demonstration in Cranbrook House.
Ikenobo (池坊) is the oldest and largest school of ikebana, the Japanese practice of giving plants and flowers invigorated new life. Ikenobo’s individual styles include one of the most contemporary, Free Style, in which plants and flowers—including twigs and buds—are arranged freely from careful observation of their distinct shapes and textures.
The Ikenobo Ikebana Demonstration is SOLD OUT.
Presented by Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
The demonstration will be presented by the Japanese master, Professor Emiko Suzuki, who is a Senior Professor First Grade of the Ikenobo School of Ikebana, which is headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. Attendees will have the opportunity to observe and ask questions about the art form during a formal Ikenobo demonstration.
ABOUT IKENOBO
Ikebana (which means "arranging flowers" or "making flowers alive") is the Japanese art of floral arrangement. The tradition goes back to the seventh century when floral offerings were made at altars and reached its first zenith in the sixteenth century under the influence of Buddhist tea masters. There now are over 1,000 different types of schools of ikebana throughout the world today. Of these, the oldest school is Ikenobo—ikebana began with Ikenobo.
Ikenobo marks its beginnings from the construction of the Rokkaku-dō, the second oldest Buddhist temple in Japan. The Rokkakudo Temple is said to have been founded by Prince Shotoku about 1400 years ago. Priests who made floral offerings at the Buddhist altar of this temple lived near a pond (the Japanese word “ike”), in a small hut (called “bo”). For this reason people began to call the priests by the name “Ikenobo.”
In 1462, the name Senkei Ikenobo first appeared in historic records as “master of flower arranging.” Senno Ikenobo, who was active in the late Muromachi period (mid-16th century), established the philosophy of ikebana, completing a compilation of Ikenobo teachings called “Senno Kuden.” Senno Ikenobo taught: “Not only beautiful flowers but also buds and withered flowers have life, and each has its own beauty. By arranging flowers with reverence, one refines oneself.” Arranging flowers and finding beauty in flowers—these are linked to a heart that values nature and cares for other people. This is the spirit of Ikenobo Ikebana.
For more information on Ikenobo, please visit the Ikenobo Society of Floral Art website.
About the PRESENTER
Professor Emiko Suzuki is a Senior Professor First Grade of the Ikenobo School of Ikebana, headquartered in Kyoto. She is dedicated to sharing Japanese culture through ikebana, the Omote-Senke tea ceremony, kimono, and other traditional arts.
She began studying Ikenobo, one of the three main schools of ikebana, in 1986 in Aichi, Japan. She completed the three-year Sogo-Tokubetsu-ka Rikka program under Professor Shunso Kobayashi. She received the Tachibana Prize for her Free Style arrangement at the Shisaku-ten final examinations of Tokubetsuka. After teaching ikebana to students of all ages in Japan for 13 years, she moved to Western North Carolina in 2007.
Professor Suzuki earned a Master of Arts in Education (2011) and a Master of Fine Arts in mixed Media Sculpture (2014) from Western Carolina University in North Carolina. Since 2018, she has served as President of the Blue Ridge Chapter of the Ikenobo Ikebana Society and is a member of Ikebana International. In April 2025, she was appointed a Specially Entrusted Overseas Professor by Ikenobo Headquarters.
LOCATION And Parking
Cranbrook House & Gardens is located at 380 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304. Parking is available onsite in our main lot. Additional parking is available on Lone Pine Road.
Accessibility
Accessible parking is available just south of the Cranbrook House Courtyard. Parking is permitted in marked areas only. There is a ramp to enter the main entrance of Cranbrook House, and all programming will take place on the first floor of the building, but there are a few small steps down into the Oak Room. Please contact the Center at 248.645.3307 with any accessibility questions.
SERVICE ANIMAL POLICY
Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research is glad to accommodate visitors accompanied by service animals, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), on its tours and at its lectures, including those at Cranbrook House. Under the ADA, a “service animal” is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person’s disability. Regretfully, we cannot accommodate visitors accompanied by emotional support animals or pets.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For additional information in advance of the lecture, please call the Center at 248.645.3307.