Yasuko Spence is a Sei-Shihan (Master Teacher) of the Hijiri Ikenobo School of Ikebana. She was raised in Japan and after meeting her late husband, David Spence, while they were both working for General Electric, they eventually got married and moved to the United States. She joined Ikebana International Rochester Chapter 53 in 1997 and …
Now that Governor Cuomo has stated that 70% of the population of New York State has had at least one COVID vaccine shot, he is opening up the state to more of our usual activities. This means that starting in next month–July–we will be meeting back at the First Baptist Church of Rochester on the …
Rochester, NY, Ikebana International Chapter Getting Back to Normal. Read More »
The Ichiyo School of Ikebana was started in 1937 by a brother and sister–Meikof and Ichiyo Kasuya. They sought to create an original ikebana what was suitable for the modern lifestyle. What was started as a small endeavor now has grown to include chapters and practitioners all across the world. The first headmaster of the …
A New Headmaster of the Ichiyo School of Ikebana Read More »
Saskia Eller is a 2nd Term Master of the Ohara School of Ikebana and is a former President of Rochester’s Ikebana International chapter. After being born in the Netherlands and raised in North Africa, East Africa and Europe, Saskia became a US citizen and now lives in the Finger Lakes region of New York. In …
In the Rochester, NY, Ikebana International Chapter, we are very fortunate to have a very well trained and experienced ikebana master of the Ichiyo School of Ikebana–Ms. Karen Napoli. She has trained in Japan and in the United States, and has spent years teaching the art of Ichiyo Ikebana to countless students. She is the …
Yasuko Spence is the Sei-Shihan (Master Teacher) of the Hijiri Ikenobo School. She was born in China during the Second World War while her father was an administrator for a Japanese Hospital in northern China. When the war ended in 1945, she moved back to Japan with her family where she attended schools in …
Our dear chapter member, Fudeko Maruyama, passed away on December 24, 2020 from complications associated with Covid 19. She was 91. Fudeko studied Hijiri Ikenobo with Yasuko Spence and enjoyed making the traditional ikebana arrangements. The group she took classes with enjoyed her gentle, sweet nature and quiet sense of humor. Not many knew that …
Rochester, NY Ikebana International member obituary Read More »
One of the many pleasant things ikebana practitioners do is make holiday arrangements. Ikebana reflects our lives. And these arrangements may reflect the seasons, joyous, but also sad times. This month, we have some special arrangements to show from members of the Ikebana International Rochester Chapter 53. Many times these arrangements will use certain materials …
One of the best ways that the different schools of ikebana share with one another is through exhibitions. Prior to the COVID restrictions, the Ikebana International Rochester chapter had regular public annual exhibitions. And at these exhibitions, all the different schools were represented by their respective arrangements. Also, during these exhibitions, demonstrations would be done …
Sharing Among the Ikebana Schools in Rochester, New York Read More »
Finding an ikebana teacher can be difficult as there may be people who say that they do ikebana, but actually are self-styled hobbyists with no formal training. In the Ikebana International Rochester Chapter 53 there are 16 members who have teaching certificates. They have passed their ikebana school’s requirements to teach students. If one is …
Finding an authentic ikebana teacher in the Rochester and Buffalo areas: Read More »