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INTRODUCTION
The earth laughs in flowers

I moved to Harare, Zimbabwe in 1991. It was fashionable in those days for young ladies to learn
the art of flower arranging and my mother-in-law’s wish was for me to do so, too. One of the
RALPH WALDO EMERSON reasons our spacious garden is so picturesque was because my mother-in-law was a keen gardener.
With three young kids in tow, and a life-changing move with my husband to a new country, combined
with working as a pharmacist full-time, I barely had any spare free time. However, I would attend
flower exhibitions with my mother-in-law and I soon found that I quite enjoyed them. Almost ten
years later, in 2002, I attended my first Ikebana exhibition and absolutely loved it. And with my kids
more grown-up by this time, I decided to find out exactly what Ikebana is all about.

Ikebana. Even its name is flower like. It’s described as the Japanese art of flower arrangement
– but it is so much more than simply putting flowers in a container. Ikebana is a disciplined art form
in which nature and humanity are brought together. Like most things Japanese, it’s an employment of
minimalism. Over the seven centuries of its evolution, Ikebana has developed many different styles
of arrangement and hence there are many different schools. I was fortunate enough to learn from
the teachings of Sogetsu. Sogetsu School of Ikebana was founded by Sofu Teshigahara in 1927. The
well-known sculptor and Ikebana master gave new impetus to modern trends, so that modern and
abstract arrangements are made. His motto was ‘Ikebana anywhere, anytime with any material’.

I started my lessons with Lyn Pozzo who, at the time, was president of the Ikebana chapter of
Harare. The curriculum of Sogetsu consists of four textbooks with 20 lessons each. Working with
Lyn, who was very patient with me, I completed the first textbook. Unfortunately soon after this, she
stopped teaching. And due to economics and politics, we lost our Harare chapter with the Ikebana
International but a few of us carried on (and are still going strong) with Ikebana Zimbabwe.

My next teacher was Beth Mussell. She taught me all the disciplines of Ikebana and we practiced
different forms every week. I completed the full curriculum with her and achieved the four certificates
and the Teacher’s Course 4th Grade. There are a further eight grades in the teacher’s diploma.
Riji is one of the highest master degrees of Sogetsu school – something I’d like to attempt one day,
and I have been having advanced lessons with an excellent Riji teacher, Mary Marques . Her unique
knowledge of Ikebana is one of the reasons I enjoy my Ikebana practice mornings with her. I continue
to learn something new. Mary has now upgraded me to the Teacher’s Course 3rd Grade certificate.

Ikebana is no longer just a hobby or a passing interest. It’s a way of life for me. I hope you will be
able to share my passion through my arrangements in the pages of this book.

Anita

Eishun

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