Japanese Flower Arranging Class: Ikebana

Event Details:

Japanese Flower Arranging Workshop - at Castle Rock AIKIDO (click here for directions)
Saturday, June 6th 2009
11am - 1pm

Cost $35, includes flowers and you may take the arrangement with you.

Pre-Register by Clicking Here. * Mother's Day Gift Idea - If this seems like fun, tell your family that this could be a great Mother's Day gift idea.

Castle Rock AIKIDO is honored and excited to host accomplished Ikebana instructors, Seiko Yoshikawa and Kyoko Kita for this hands-on beginner's Japanese flower arranging workshop. Mrs. Seiko Yoshikawa teaches in Colorado Springs and senior Ikebana instructor (called a "sensei" pronounced "sen-say"), Mrs. Kita, is well known throughout the Japan and United States Ikebana community.

This workshop comes at just the right time of year and is a great opportunity to learn a new, artful way of displaying your flowers all summer long.

Space is limited! Click Here to Pre-register today or call Castle Rock AIKIDO at 720-221-3665.

What is Ikebana?

Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arranging. It is a three dimensional art form and the philosophy expressing the interrelationship between the self and the outer world.

Sogestsu Ikebana Class

There are many different styles of Japanese flower arranging. Sogetsu is a modern (since the 1920s) and innovative school of Ikebana that encourages imagination, individual creativity, and the idea that anyone can create ikebana anywhere, any time, with anything. Line, open space, focal point and asymmetry are key elements of Sogetsu design. After mastering many basic forms to learn technique and the design principles, Sogetsu Ikebana students progress to free style designs where the only limits are those of imagination.

Castle Rock AIKIDO, a Japanese martial art exclusively for adults, is committed to offering quality Japanese cultural events to the Denver metro area. In the past they've hosted a chef from Nagasaki, Japan who cooked a delicious tempura dinner at the school, Zen meditation seminars with an Renzai Zen Master, and a lecture on Japanese sake alcohol. To find out more about their award winning program, please visit http://www.craikido.com/

Aikido Students Learn about Sake during Japanese Cultural Event

On Sunday, December 7th the instructors, staff, and students of Castle Rock AIKIDO, as well as some friends from a few other Colorado Aikido schools gathered at a student's home in Castle Rock for a Japanese 'sake' tasting event.

The event was hosted by sake specialist, Eric Dutton. In addition to being certified through the Sake Education Council, Eric is also a Level Two, Certified Sommelier (pronounced 'som'-maul-'yeah'), or wine steward, through the Court of Master Sommeliers (a French wine designation).

Eric is currently the bar manager for the restaurant, Sushi Den in Denver. Sushi Den, by the way is one of the top three sushi restaurants in the United States! Visit Sushi Den's web site by clicking HERE.

Eric guided us through the history of sake, how it is made, what makes one sake better than another, and how best to serve and taste sake. There was a lot challenging Japanese terminology to remember, but it was all quite fun.

For those of you who don't know, sake (pronounced 'sah'-'kay') is a popular, traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice. The rice used to make sake is called 'sakamai' and is typically higher in starch and lower in fats and proteins than rice grains used for food preparation. The most common type of sake is called 'futsu-shu' and would be considered a common table wine by comparison. But what Eric brought with him to our sake event was definitely the furthest thing from common table wine!

Eric brought four bottles (180ml each) of 'sake' each from a different region of Japan. Each sake was distinct in its flavor, aroma, and presentation. Unlike beer, sake is 16% alcohol, so it really packs a punch! It didn't take much to get everyone a bit tipsy.

Eric's presentation was first rate! He is available for your social event or gathering. We highly recommend him. You can contact Eric at: dutton.eric@gmail.com for more information.

Thanks, Eric!

At Castle Rock AIKIDO we strive to create not only an authentic martial arts experience but also provide Japanese cultural events. To find out what other activities we've hosted and future events, visit www.CRaikido.com.