Odaibana was the focus of this year’s Annual Hana Matsuri Exhibition, on April 7-8, at the Japanese Garden. In Odaibana, or “themed ikebana,” a word inspires a poem, which in turn inspires  an arrangement.  Every year, the Imperial Household  chooses a theme or word for reflection and it is introduced at the Utakai Hajime, the annual poetry reading on January 1st.

Daikaku-ji, Saga Goryu headquarters, adopted the idea of creating  arrangements inspired by the Utakai Hajime.  More recently, Daikaku-ji began to design and issue a vessel inspired by each year’s theme.

For this exhibition, participating Saga Goryu students were each assigned a vase/theme/year with its accompanying poetry.  Click to view Odaibana.