Press release

japanese ikebana demonstration & certificate award ceremony
held at the national art gallery, islamabad

Islamabad: 28th March 2013

Ikebana (Japanese art of flower arrangement) Demonstration and Certificates Award Ceremony was held at the National Art Gallery, Pakistan National Council of the Arts, on 28th March 2013. Mr. Toshikazu Isomura, Counselor & Head of Public Affairs Section, Embassy of Japan, awarded certificates to the participants of the Ikebana workshop at the concluding ceremony. An exhibition of the Ikebana which was made by the students of the workshop was also displayed at the National Art Gallery.

Expressing his views about the Ikebana, Mr. Toshikazu Isomura said that ikebana (Japanese art of flower arrangement), which literally means “flower kept alive”, developed into a distinct art form in Japan in the 15th century, and is now practiced all over the world, including Pakistan. He explained that the attention given to the choice of flowers and containers, the placement of branches, harmonization of the flower, its leaves and stems, and the branches, and the relationship of the arrangement to the container and the surrounding space, has sublimated this work into the art, distinguishing from simply decorative uses of flowers. Also, he expressed his hope that the students habitually make the flower arrangement at home or somewhere so that a fragrance and beauty of Pakistani flowers yet arranged in the Japanese style would make people around the flowers feel happy.

Mr. Isomura appreciated the services of Prof. Asifa Ataka, for teaching the art of ikebana to the Pakistani people specially women for the last many years. Prof. Asifa Ataka was specially invited from Karachi to conduct the workshop/demonstration. She has taught this art in Pakistan since 1994 in the manner of the Ikenobo School, one of the leading flower arrangement schools in Japan.

At the concluding ceremony, Mr. Toshikazu Isomura mentioned the late Syed Ijlal Haider Zaidi, President of the PJCA Islamabad (Pakistan-Japan Cultural Association), who played a vital role in enhancing the cultural understanding among the people of Japan and Pakistan. He expressed his deep grief and condolences over his sad demise.

The Ikebana workshop, in which around 50 ladies participated, was held at the National Art Gallery, from 21 March to 28 March 2013. The Embassy of Japan organized this workshop in collaboration with the Pakistan National Council of the Arts. (End)