Our February program and lovely Maymont was a wonderful exploration of Japanese traditional musical instruments and music. Yumiko (Yumi) Hwang and her associate Thomas Fulks, who are members of the River City Taiko headquarterd in Richmond, treated us to a slide presentation featuring photos of Yumi’s family and temple home. In addition, they brought Japanese drums and smaller instruments which they played for us. The assortment of handmade Taiko drums ranged from about 18 inches to 30 inches in diameter. In addition, Yumi brought her great grandmother’s harp which featured a hand carved horizontal wooden case approximately six feet long and had many strings. While Yumi is still learning to play this complex instrument, she shared its wonderful ethereal sound with us.
Yumi was born and raised in the Buddhist temple in Yamaguchi prefecture in Japan. She studied ballet, but in 2012 became a Taiko player. Besides being a performing member of River City Taiko, Yumiko has collaborated as a guest artist with Kenny Endo, Taiko master in Hawaii, and UnitOne in California. In Japan, the Taiko is believed to be the most powerful spiritual purification instrument, and it is understandably Yumiko’s favorite. The Taiko as well as the stands are handmade by a River City Taiko member.
The program ended with an exciting performance on the Taiko drums by Yumi and Thomas which fully demonstrated to the enjoyment of all their artistry and skill.

​The workshop following the program resulted in the public introduction of the first two Ikebana of Richmond Taiko ensembles. Yumi Whang demonstrated Taiko techniques to two groups of five participants.  Some members were asked to keep time with drumsticks or play special hand-held instruments to accompany the drums. Players were able to experience drums in all sizes each of which had its own special sound and touch. By the end of the workshop, the two ensembles performed a complete song with Yumi acting as maestro. 
This workshop was all about letting go and having a blast!

In November, our Ellen Gordon Allen (EGA) program featured Joan Fairs, a Sangetsu Master Instructor, from Vancouver, Canada. She has studied in Japan, Tucson, AZ, Los Angeles, CA and Vancouver. In addition to teaching Sangetsu Ikebana, Joan has demonstrated and exhibited in a variety of venues as well as providing Ikebana arrangements for heads of state at an international conference.

Joan has been practicing Ikebana for over 40 years. She first took up it up at the suggestion of her step-mother who suggested she might enjoy arranging fresh flowers in a natural Japanese style. Indeed, she did enjoy it, so she continued studying and became an instructor in 1995. She attained the top designation of Master Instructor in 2013. She is also a member of the Sangetsu Directive Council and has been President of the Vancouver Ikebana Association three times.

Along the way, Joan also studied Commercial Floristry at Kwantlen University and enjoys providing florals for weddings and special events.

​In her delightful IOR Program entitled “Ikebana Around the House,” Joan presented seven charming tabletop designs suitable for the home in containers ranging from a basket to unique containers created by Helena Arouca. We were also fortunate to have assisting Mary Jane Sasser, a Sangetsu teacher who presented a program to IOR in 2022.

Joan Fairs Workshop Planes and Mass
After the wonderful Sangetsu program, Joan Fairs taught participants how to arrange a moribana design using chrysanthemums, fancy fern and solidago. Energized by Joan’s thoughtful presentation, every one went to work with delight and put their creativity to work. The day ended with smiles all around.​

​The October program opened with a haiku which set the stage for our demonstrator/members who were celebrating the bounty of the season with freestyle morimono.

​Libby Haynes followed by describing the origins of the traditional morimono in the Edo period of Japan and displaying an example of a traditional morimono. This exhibit served as a contrast to the freestyle designs which were created during the program.

Entitled Artistic Expressions Reflecting Autumn Featuring Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts and Seeds, the program featured three IOR members from different Ikebana schools. Each explained their approach based on the principles of their school while demonstrating their creativity. The members in the audience were treated to three masterful presentations that reflected the individual artistry of each designer.

(Please click on photos to enlarge.)

Helena Arouca represented Sangetsu.

Janice Whitehead represented Ikenobo.

Kumiko Suzuki represented Sogetsu.

The program concluded with tips about handling fruits and vegetables in arrangements. The presentation from the program, a list of plant materials for consideration and the workshop handout are available for members to download at the end of the articles.

Freestyle Workshop
​The workshop which followed was led by Libby Haynes who demonstrated multiple designs. Libby began studying Ikebana in 2006 and is a Jonin Somu of the Sogetsu School as well as a former president of IOR. Following her lead and with her encouragement, participants from different schools allowed their artistry to flow and enthusiastically explored the outer limits of freestyle morimono.

Three designs Libby demonstrated during the workshop.

Libby also demonstrated how to incorporate red onion skins in an arrangement.

She also built a martini glass design.

Finished martini arrangement.

Download IOR October 2023 Presentation
Download Plant Materials for Consideration
Download Workshop Handout

The September IOR program featured Timothy Brown, PhD who took members on an enchanting journey through Japan illustrating the relationship to trees and nature that is intrinsic to Buddhism and the culture. We learned about the origins of the Buddhist connection to nature in Japan, and how this was expressed through art, poetry and most recently a new practice called “forest-bathing” which is the seeking of calm and quiet among trees. He underscored these centuries old traditions by focusing on three Japanese Buddhist poet-monks whose work he highlighted in his
presentation: Saigyo, Basho and Ryokan.

Dr. Brown is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Randolph-Macon College where he has taught for 15 years. He has a Ph.D. in Religion from Syracuse University, an MA from New York University, and a BA from Wabash College. Dr. Brown teaches a broad range of classes in Religious Studies, including courses on Buddhism, Hinduism, Asian Religions, Native American Religions, New Religious Movements, Religions and Ecology, and travel courses on Japanese Religions. His recent research interest is “arboreal religion,” which uses a comparative approach to examine tree-human relations in traditional and contemporary religions and spiritual traditions.

Accompanying the program, five IOR member designers representing different schools creatively reflected poems provided by Dr. Brown through their arrangements. The designers and the poems they interpreted were:

Ikenobo: Evelyn Klumb
“Just a brief stop”
I said when stepping off the road
Into a willow’s shade
Where a bubbling stream flows by…
As has time since my “brief stop” began.
Poem by 12th century, Japanese Buddhist Monk, Saigyo (1118-1190)

Find out more about the playful Edo culture that resonates to this day through this underrated card game. Experience this fun game and see why it survived a 200-year ban. Learn how to play Hana-Awase and Koi-Koi using Hanafuda cards, and Bozu-Mekuri using the Hyankunin-Isshu cards.