Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
Flowers foster Korea-Japan friendship at exhibition in Seoul
A teacher from the Ohara School of Ikebana demonstrates Japan’s traditional art of flower arrangement in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Embassy of Japan in Korea
By Anna J. Park
Ohara School of Ikebana's Seoul chapter celebrates 10th anniversary
The Japanese Embassy in Seoul opened a special flower exhibition Wednesday to mark the 10th anniversary of the Ohara School of Ikebana's Seoul chapter, presenting ikebana, or the traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement, as a symbol of cultural exchange between the two countries.
Organized jointly by the embassy and the Ohara School Seoul Chapter, the two-day exhibition runs through Thursday at the embassy's Public Information and Culture Center in central Seoul. The event commemorates the ten-year anniversarry of the establishment of the Seoul branch and highlights the role of traditional arts in fostering people-to-people exchanges.
Ikebana dates back centuries and emphasizes harmony, balance and the beauty of nature over elaborate decoration. The Ohara School, one of Japan's leading ikebana institutions, was founded in 1895 and is particularly renowned for its "moribana" style, which recreates natural landscapes using seasonal flowers and branches set in shallow containers.
A teacher from the Ohara School of Ikebana, right, demonstrates traditional lower arrangement in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Anna J. Park
The exhibition features more than 50 floral arrangements by 42 artists from the Ohara School's Seoul and Tokyo chapters, as well as its Hangzhou Shuangcheng chapter in China. The works range in size and style, reflecting the school's philosophy of expressing the beauty of nature through seasonal compositions.
The opening ceremony was followed by a live demonstration by three instructors from Japan. Using flowers and greenery that evoke the summer season, the artists demonstrated the techniques and aesthetic principles behind the centuries-old art form, offering visitors a closer look at the delicate craftsmanship and philosophy of ikebana.
A teacher from the Ohara School of Ikebana demonstrates the traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Embassy of Japan in Korea
In his opening remarks, Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Mizushima said he was delighted to host the exhibition in collaboration with the Ohara School Seoul Chapter to mark its milestone anniversary.
"Ikebana is one of Japan's representative traditional cultural arts, expressing the beauty of nature indoors," he said. "Japan and Korea are countries that share four beautiful seasons, and I hope visitors will enjoy both the charm of Japanese flower arrangement and the beauty of Korea's seasonal landscape through this exhibition."
Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Mizushima, third from left, joins instructors from the Ohara School of Ikebana during a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the opening of an ikebana exhibition in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of the Embassy of Japan
Mizushima also expressed hope that the collaboration among artists and organizers from Japan, Korea and China would further strengthen cultural ties across the region.
"Just as these beautiful works were created through collaboration among Ohara School artists and members active in Japan, Korea and China, I sincerely hope our relationships will continue to develop even further," he said.
More than 50 floral arrangements by 42 artists from the Ohara School of Ikebana's Seoul and Tokyo chapters, as well as its Hangzhou Shuangcheng chapter in China, are displayed at the Japanese embassy's Public Information and Culture Center in central Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Anna J. Park
Established in 2014, the Ohara School Seoul Chapter was officially recognized by the institution's headquarters in Japan in 2019, becoming the first accredited Ohara branch in Korea. Following the same curriculum as its Japanese counterpart, the chapter trains ikebana practitioners while organizing annual exhibitions, demonstrations and special workshops to introduce the art form to Korean audiences.
Its members also take part each year in the Korea-Japan Festival, presenting live ikebana demonstrations as part of broader efforts to promote cultural exchange and friendship between the two neighboring countries.
Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Mizushima, fourth from left in the front row, sits along with instructors and artists from the Ohara School Institute during the opening ceremony of an ikebana exhibition in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of the Embassy of Japan