Ichiyo means “one leaf.”
Arrangements in the manner of the Ichiyo School are intended to arouse our senses in a different way from traditional ikebana, giving the viewer an experience with nature that is unexpected, stimulating, and profound.
The Ichiyo School encourages personal interpretation. Imagination is considered as essential to creative designs as materials and containers. “If flower arranging is to be truly fulfilling, it should be a reflection of oneself.”
The current iemoto, Mr. Akihiro Kasuya, specializes in combining materials through a natural balance of their weights, rather than by fastening the materials down with a kenzan or komi. Through balancing the materials, he aims to bring materials and containers together into a mutually cooperative position.
The Ichiyo School uses a simplified and systematic method of teaching. There are 20 lessons at each of five levels: primary, secondary, advanced, research, and instructor. Textbooks are designed to enable students to progress through these levels within a short period of time.