Poster For 2025 Autumn Tanabata Exhibition “Our Lives Shall Bloom”
The Pride of Ikenobo: The Autumn Tanabata Exhibition or “Kyu Tanabata-e”
Ikenobo, The Origin of Ikebana, will once again hold our Autumn Tanabata Exhibition, the largest and oldest ikebana exhibition in the world.
Kyoto 1626, year 3 of the Kan’ei Era. 400 years before now.
Emperor Gomizunoo, the driving force behind the Kan’ei cultural salons, caused an uproar in Kyoto with a magnificent imperial procession of over 9000 people when he visited Nijo Castle.
Our Tanabata Exhibition has its roots in the “Tanabata Rikka-e” (Star Festival Rikka Gathering) that Emperor Gomizunoo held in the imperial palace. The emperor was so enthusiastic about rikka, that in some years he held upwards of 30 rikka gatherings and even arranged his own. Ikenobo Senko II, celebrated as the “Perfector of Rikka,” was entrusted to guide these gatherings.
Since then, Ikenobo has guarded the tradition of rikka that the emperor loved so much. The Tanabata exhibition moved from the palace to Rokkakudo in the early Edo period, and through the Edo period it served as a poetic chronicle of the age that was loved by the local leaders of Kyoto. With the advent of the Meiji era, and the abolishment of the old seasonal festivals (including Tanabata), then-headmaster Ikenobo Sensho chose to continue the exhibition under the name “Kyu Tanabata-e,” or “The Old Calendar Tanabata Gathering,” to honor the memory of Emperor Gomizunoo. It has been held continuously from then to today.
We welcome you to our “oldest and newest” exhibition, where the beloved rikka of Emperor Gomizunoo is displayed along with shoka and free style works arranged by and for modern people.
From “Recreation of the Reception of Emperor Gomizunoo by Third Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu” in 2016
Arrangement by Headmaster Designate Ikenobo Senko for Nijo Castle’s registration as a World Heritage Site and National Treasure in the Ninomaru Palace
Photographer: Yukiyo Daido
◎ Venue: Ikenobo Headquarters Building and Kyoto Daimaru Department Store
◎ Date: November 12 to 17, 2025
【Ikenobo Headquarters Building Venue】
November 14 to 17, 2025
10:00 AM- 5:00 PM
*Entry will be permitted until 30 minutes before closing
Dojo, 8F to 4F of Ikenobo Headquarters Building (Google Map)
*There will be no exhibition in the WEST18 building
Ticket: 1,000 yen (available at entrance / can also be used at Daimaru Venue / admission free for high school students or younger)
【Kyoto Daimaru Department Store Venue】
November 12 to 17, 2025
10:00 AM – 7:00 PM (Nov. 13, 15: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM / Nov. 14: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM)
*Entry will be permitted until 30 minutes before closing
6F Daimaru Museum (Google Map)
Ticket: 1,000 yen (available at entrance / can also be used at Headquarters Venue / Admission free for high school students or younger)
Related Information:
Ikenobo Hana-no-Koshien 2025 National Tournament
Ikebana from highschoolers in the Spring of Life! Winning teams representing 12 regions and our Remote Tournament will gather in Kyoto at Ikenobo, the birthplace of ikebana, to strive for victory. It will be held on Sunday, November 16 in the second-floor hall of Ikenobo Headquarters.
Ikenobo Hana-no-Koshien website (Japanese)
Nihon Kadosha:
Selling the Tools and Books that Support the Traditions of Ikenobo
Nihon Kadosha, located on the 8th floor of Ikenobo Headquarters, develops and sells tools and books for the beginner all the way to the professor. They will be releasing new books and products to mark the start of the Tanabata Exhibition, as well as hosting a special exhibition space for the duration.
Nihon Kadosha Online Store Karaku
Ikebana Historical Museum:
“Yukei, The World of Rikka —Chapter 2: Arranging in a Sunabachi—” Special Exhibit
Spanning 3 years, Professor Extraordinary Yukei Miura will display Edo period rikka vessels from his personal collection in our Ikebana Historical Museum on the 3rd floor of Ikenobo Headquarters. This year marks the 2nd year, and there will be vessels and arrangements on display in the theme of “Sunabachi,” or “sand vessels.”
◆ To Ikenobo Headquarters / Rokkakudo Temple
Subway: Karasuma Oike (Exit 5)
Kyoto City Bus: Karasuma Sanjo
Hankyu Railways: Karasuma (Exit 21)
◆ To Kyoto Daimaru Department Store
Hankyu Railways: 1 minute walk from Kyoto Line Karasuma Station (underpass direct connection)
City Subway: 2 minutes walk from Karasuma Line Shijo Station (underpass direct connection)
Inquiries:
Ikenobo Society of Floral Art, International Section
TEL: +81-75-231-4922（Ask for English）
email: intevent@ikenobo.jp