Sogetsu School Seattle Branch

The Seattle Branch of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana is a non-profit organization comprised of teachers and students who explore the ancient Japanese floral art of ikebana within the context of the modern world. Inspired by words of encouragement given by Sogetsu School founding Iemoto (headmaster) Sofu Teshigahara when she moved to Seattle, Mrs. Aiko Ii continued to teach ikebana in the U.S. and established the Sogetsu School Seattle Branch in 1988. Following Aiko Ii’s retirement as Branch Director, Nobuko Relnick served as Director for three terms. The current Branch Director is Diane Elliott. The Branch presently has about 50 members, most of who live in Seattle and surrounding areas of the Puget Sound region.

 

The many memorable Branch events have included visits by several Sogetsu Headquarters Master Instructors and international teachers. For the Sogetsu 80th Anniversary, the Branch collaborated with other area Sogetsu groups to host a demonstration and workshops by HQ Master Instructor Tetsunori Kawana in 2007. Members also enjoy classes given by our teachers, membership meetings and parties with teacher demonstrations and workshops, and an annual Branch magazine filled with color photos, educational articles, and activity reports. We have held our annual ikebana exhibitions in various venues including schools, churches, art and natural history museums, horticultural centers and shopping malls. Through our activities, we strive to promote creative ikebana in the Emerald City and beyond, and welcome new members to share our art.