NM Sogetsu ikebana show heralds spring

Nadine Kam photos
A shopper stops for a closer look at one of the Sogetsu ikebana arrangements that were on view at Neiman Marcus.

On the anniversary of 3/11, the tragedy of the Japan earthquake and tsunami, a display of Sogetsu ikebana flower arrangements served as a symbol of man's resilience in the wake of disaster.

It was also nice to see flowers in bloom prior to the first day of spring, March 20.

The three-day "Art of Flowers ... Now" celebration of spring, art, fashion and flowers, took place at Neiman Marcus, which Sensei Linda Hamasaki and her 40 students of Sogetsu School of Ikebana, dressed with their dramatic creations March 11 through 13.

In a tie-in to the retailers' fashion, many of the Japanese-style arrangements featuring red, the color of the season. Arrangements incorporated local tropical plants, seasonal flowers and some spring flowers flown in from Japan.

Hamasaki, who has been practicing Sogetsu ikebana for more than 20 years, said that's not very long in terms that learning is a never-ending journey.

She said that the Sogetsu School stresses movement that expresses the energy of the living materials. It's the students' task to understand their plant materials and bring out their best.

She said that given the same materials and same lessons, each student will come out with something different.

"With any kind of artform, you're working with color, harmony and movement, but when you're working with living materials, you can't force it to do what you want, you have to adapt to it," she said.

Here's a look:

The artists posed for a photo during the opening of the exhibition.

Instructor Linda Hamasaki, with some of her students' work in the background.

Joyce “Seika” Tomonari created a towering display, including a base of metal that resembled branches.

A creation by Dorothy "Seien" Nitta and Barb Matsumoto that was on view in the Shoe Salon.

A manikin peers from behind a protea arrangement by Tracie Iha and Joanne Chang.

An arrangement of nanohana flowers imported from Japan.

Even a "3 Stones" art installation was festooned by Shevaun Low.

Sheets of pink and red plastic were cut and manipulated with heat to accompany an ikebana anthurium arrangement by Joyce "Seika" Tomonari in the Jonathan Adler shop.

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Nadine Kam is Style Editor and staff restaurant critic at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; her coverage is in print on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact her via email at nkam@staradvertiser.com and follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Rebel Mouse.