The Saga Goryu School of Ikebana (Japanese flower design) will present its first flower show in the small conference room at the Orcas Library on Friday, Sept. 21 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Saturday, Sept. 22 from 10 a.m.-noon. All are welcome!

This is a very special year for the Saga Goryu School of Ikebana, as it marks the 1,200th anniversary of the foundation of Saga ikebana in Japan. At that time, Emperor Saga created the first Saga flower arrangement with wild chrysanthemums growing on the grounds of his summer palace (now Daikakuji Temple, the headquarters of the Saga Goryu School of Ikebana in Kyoto). This year’s anniversary event will include a large-scale ikebana exhibition by master designers, memorial services, and viewing of Emperor Saga’s hand copied Heart Sutra only unveiled once every 60 years. A few members of the Orcas Island Saga School will travel to Japan this October to partake in this very extraordinary celebration, and to attend an ikebana workshop led by master teacher Kakihana sensei.

Joan Stamm, the teacher of Saga ikebana on Orcas has been offering classes here for 10 years. She is the author of “Heaven and Earth are Flowers: Reflections on Ikebana and Buddhism” and more recently “A Pilgrimage in Japan: the 33 Temples of Kannon.” She and her students – Mark Nichols, Joni Vader, Gwen Stamm, Antoinette Botsford and Alexis Terry Bouchard – will create a variety of ikebana arrangements.

“Please come and see the show, sign the guestbook, and join the Saga Ikebana School in celebrating Emperor Saga’s wish to ‘convey the idea of a peaceful mind through flowers,’” said Stamm.