Hatsuike Ceremony was held at Ikenobo Headquarters, Kyoto, Japan on January 5, 2022. About 400 Ikenobo disciples came from all over Japan gathered and arranged their first ikebana of a year at Iemoto Dojo (the training hall next to the Rokkakudo temple), the Headquarters building and WEST 18 building this year.
For this year, 21 young disciples arranged their first ikebana work at Iemoto Dojo. They, first, offered prayers at the Rokkakudo Temple and prayed their future improvement of ikebana.
Young disciples arranged their first work by receiving advice from the Headmaster designate, Senko Ikenobo at Iemoto Dojo. Mr. Seiya Seto (Azabutachibana-kai Chapter), the youngest disciple participated this year, spoke ‘I arranged the work with auspicious, new year like image by using many flowers. I would like to practice more to improve my ikebana skill.”
The Headmaster designate used red pine, black pine, narcissus, rose and Iris japonica for her first work. After she completed her work, the Headmaster designate and young disciples took a pledge to devote themselves to ikebana for this year as well, and close the ceremony.
The 45th Headmaster Sen’ei Ikenobo, the Headmaster designate, the Representative of Youth Group Mika Ikenobo and the Secretary General Masafumi Ikenobo observed works displayed at the second floor of Iemoto Dojo, the Headquarters building and WEST 18 building and exchange new year greetings with disciples.
The work by the Headmaster
Title: Growing feelings
Floral Pattern: Shoka Shimputai
I normally use pine, bamboo and plum tree for new year to express auspicious feeling. For this year too, I used plum tree which bloom flowers enduring cold. By using plum tree, I would like to express that we live a life though this challenging situation. I also used an orchid flower. An orchid flower showing its back seems have a little warmth even in the severe winter and give us a hope that it will look back to us. I arranged Nishuike work of plum tree and orchid to make the most of them and named the work as “Growing feelings.”
The work by the Headmaster designate
Title: Arata (New)
Floral Pattern: Tatehana
I hope this year will be a year of growth, a new step after the difficulties even though we are still in the pandemic. It is like, all the plants sprout in spring and we find a hope in the growing plants. I arranged Tatehana, the oldest and origin of ikebana, the floral pattern which is said that was established with prayers of our predecessors.