Lahore, 24 November 2021 (TDI): The Counselor of the Embassy of Japan in Pakistan, Ryuji Iwasaki attended an event as a chief guest in Lahore. Ryuji Iwasaki is also the Head of the Public Affairs Section of the Embassy. The event was the inauguration ceremony of the Grand Annual Exhibition organized by Sogetsu Ikebana Lahore Group and was held in Packages Mall of Lahore.

Ikebana
Ryuji Iwasaki inaugurated the Grand Annual Exhibition in Lahore organized by the Sogetsu Ikebana Lahore Group
Ikebana

Ikebana is the Japanese art of arranging flowers, branches, blossoms, stems, and leaves. Ikebana literally means making flowers alive or arranging flowers, in Japanese. The tradition of arranging flowers dates back to the Heian period of Japanese history.

During that time flowers were used as offerings at the altars. In Japanese history, the Heian period starts from 794 to 1185. It is named after the location of the then imperial capital.

Ikebana: the epitome of tranquility and serenity
Sogetsu Ikebana

Sogetsu is a school of Ikebana. Sofu Teshigahara is the founder of the Sogetsu School. In 1927 he recognized Ikebana as a creative art. The theme behind the Sogetsu School is that anyone can enjoy it, anywhere, anytime, and by using any material.

Sogetsu Ikebana can be placed anywhere. It can be either the living room, kitchen table, alcove, at the door, hotel lobbies, shop windows, banquet hall, or any huge public space even.

The event was organized at the Packages Mall of Lahore

Counselor Ryuji Iwasaki appreciated the efforts of the Sogetsu Ikebana Study Group of Lahore, particularly its Director, Neveen Syed. He stated that such cultural activities play a vital role to strengthen ties between Pakistan and Japan. Moreover, he underscored that the serenity and harmony exuded by Ikebana has been a source of relief, mainly during the time of COVID-19.