The Ohara School of Ikebana was founded by Unshin Ohara (1861-1916). Unshin explored the fields and mountains and tried to develop a style of ikebana to express the beauty of natural scenery. He also searched for ways to arrange Western flowers that had just begun to be imported into Japan and created a new style called Moribana. It is considered to be the first brilliant step in modern ikebana. Unshin’s sensational introduction of Moribana brought nearly all Ikebana schools have their own Moribana style today.
Yuko Inoue Darcy
Since 2005, Ms. Inoue has been teaching Ikebana in Chicagoland. She is a member of and an instructor in the Ohara School of Ikebana, both in Japan and in the U.S. Originally from Japan, Ms. Inoue practiced Ikebana, Tea Ceremony and Incense Ceremony from a young age. She moved to the U.S. where she received a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature from Washington University in St. Louis. Then she accepted a teaching position at West Side High School, a public high school in Gary, Indiana.
Currently, Ms. Inoue is an active Ikebana lecturer, exhibiter and demonstrator who travels nationally and internationally. She has an active study group in Sofia, Bulgaria. Her principal teachers are the late Hougyoku Hirai, the late Kazuko Ernst, and Houhatsu Takeuchi. Ms. Inoue was also an Aikido student under late Fumio Toyoda Shihan.
Class Schedule and Cost
Wednesday
1:00-2:30 (90 min)
Thursday
6:00-7:30 or 6:30- 8:00 (90 min)
6 weeks Beginners Ikebana $270
(includes $15 flower fee every week)
After taking 2 sessions on Beginners Ikebana, a student may take Intermediate Ikebana
($288 includes flower fee every week)
Kenzan+stopper $25
Scissors $35
Beginners’ container $12 (optional)