Amin Abbas

ABU DHABI: UAE’s Ikebana school has held a Sakura flower workshop at the Minna gift shop, which is located in Abu Dhabi’s Souq Al Mina. 

Ikebana, also known in Japanese as kadō or ‘the way of the flower,’ is one of the practices considered to be a Japanese “dō,” meaning ‘path’ or ‘way of living.’ 

The workshop was conducted by Amani Alshehhi, the first UAE national to obtain the certification of an Ikebana instructor from Japan’s Ohara School of Ikebana. She also received the Ikebana name Misaki (美咲), which means ‘beautiful bloom.’

“The Sakura workshop is our most popular workshop and participants anticipate it annually because it’s a unique chance to have cherry blossoms directly from Japan and enjoy arranging them,” Alshehhi told Arab News Japan. “We often get inquiries even after registration closes, so we will look into expanding the workshop into two sessions next year.”

The workshop had nine Emirati participants, who were introduced to the history of Ikebana and its characteristics. They also used the “Kenzan” flower holder, which is a sustainable equivalent to a green sponge used in flower shops to make it last for a lifetime. 

After the introduction, Alshehhi demonstrated how to arrange a ‘rising form’ arrangement using cherry blossom branches. “This kind of arrangement highlights the beauty of the ‘length’ of Sakura branches, so participants were instructed how to carefully select the main branch of the arrangement in a way that showcases the beauty of Sakura, and how to select the other flowers to compliment the Sakura,” she shared. 

Participants were amazed to learn that the Ikebana arrangements had rules regarding the length and angles to position the flowers. “It was interesting for them to see that at the end they all followed the same rules but each ended up with a unique arrangement that reflects their personality,” Alshehhi said. 

“They were grateful for the experience of arranging beautiful Sakura in a relaxing and fun atmosphere,” the instructor reflected on the students’ feedback. “At the end of the workshop, there was a segment dedicated to questions and discussion. I’m also grateful that I introduced them to this art and sparked their curiosity.”