There are many different schools of ikebana. Each school started and developed in its own unique way. Subsequently, each school has its own style or visual flavor. The Ichiyo School of Ikebana tends to emphasis the use of live materials. Of course there are some materials which are used and are not living materials such as the containers or supporting structures (frames, grids, paper, etc.) that are included in the arrangement, but they are used to augment the beauty of the live materials. In this post, different arrangements will be shown that use items which are characteristic of the Ichiyo School of Ikebana.
These arrangements are shown courtesy of Ms. Valerie Eccleston. She is an Executive Master in the Ichiyo School of Ikebana who lives in the Washington, DC area. There is no higher title than “Executive Master” in the Ichiyo School of Ikebana other than being the headmaster (Iemoto).
She started her training in ikebana in the 1970’s while living in Japan. Even though she has subsequently lived in England, Canada, Connecticut, Texas, Arizona and now Virginia, she has continued her training through those years. She has also demonstrated, taught, and exhibited in the United States and Canada in places such as the Metropolitan Museum Asian Galleries in New York and participated in an Ichiyo School Exhibition in Soho. She is presently the President of the Ichiyo School of Ikebana, Washington DC Chapter.