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Kitajima Sensei's Biography

Kitajima sensei is Ikkyu Shihan Riji of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana. His dynamic arrangements use elements of bamboo, pine and wood materials as well as the most delicate flowers.

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He began studying Sogetsu Ikebana under Seiyo Sato in Tokyo at age 18. He graduated from Meisei University of Engineering and received his first teaching diploma from Sogetsu at age 22. He then entered the employ of Musashino Landscape Company, where he mastered the art of Japanese Landscape and subsequently received a degree for Landscape Design from the Japanese Government.

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At age 26 he came to the United States and became a member of Ikebana International. He was director of Sogetsu, Los Angeles Branch, from 1991 to 1995, and of Nanka Ikebana Kyojukai teacher’s guild from 1997 to 1999. In 2005 he received the Japan Agriculture Society Agricultural Achievement Award, in 2007 the Sogetsu Ikebana Overseas Award and in 2019 the Sogetsu Ikebana Overseas Award.

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At present, he is the proprietor of NK Nursery, a nursery for Japanese Gardens, specializing in Japanese pine, in the City of Industry. He teaches ikebana at the San Gabriel Japanese Community Center and the Pasadena Japanese Community Center. Click here to learn more about Kitajima sensei.

The opportunity to see Kitajima sensei's demonstration is not to be missed. Below are examples of his arrangements. New Year ikebana arrangements by our members of various schools will also be on display. For fundraising, we will run a silent auction of ikebana items for you to bid on.  Click here to register for the New Year's Luncheon.

Next Event: January 5, 2025 • New Year's Luncheon

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