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Outdoor ikebana works for the kikumatsuri in Belgium

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Dec 18, 2019Outdoor ikebana works for the kikumatsuri in Belgium

The Japanese garden of Hasselt ( Belgium ) is the largest of his kind in Europe (2,5ha). It was a gift from the city of Itami and Japanese firms as a symbolic presence for the twin sister city Hasselt. The garden was created by Professor Inoue Takayuki in 1990.To promote the Japanese culture many festivals are organized in the garden among which the Chrysanthemum festival is one of the most important.

 

Ikenobo Belgium Study group Belgium gives ikebana workshops in the garden, proposed to introduce ikebana for the 2019 Chrysant festival. This proposal was enthusiastically agreed on by local authorities. Ikebana outdoor works were to be presented next to western floral arrangements and compositions. The theme for the festival was ‘kiku – a range of emotions’, as chrysanthemum evokes different emotions depending on culture and personal feelings. It became a colorful spectacle of shapes and color. The Study Group created two large outdoor ikebana arrangements. There were also two Ikenobo arrangements in the korakan (ceremony house).

 

The festival took place from October 19th untill October 27th. Due to the overwhelming enthusiasm of the visitors it was extended one more week. It came in the newspapers and got a short broadcast on TV for a program on gardens & leisure.