Kuniko Nakano

Kuniko Nakano has been teaching the Ohara School of Ikebana for over 15 years in Sydney and has been a committee member of the Ikebana International Sydney for the last 20 years.

Currently, she is the president of the Ohara School of Ikebana Sydney and she also holds the Ohara School of Ikebana Associate First Master Degree. However, her Ikebana involvement is not only with teaching.

Kuniko holds demonstrations at numerous events and functions, such as the Auburn Cherry Blossom Festival and the Cowra Japanese Garden Festival. At these events, she introduces Japanese traditional arrangements and also talks about Ikebana history and philosophy.

In 2016, she received an award from the Japanese Government Consul General for strengthening and promoting the Japanese/Australian relationship as well as promoting multiculturalism in Sydney and New South Wales.

Her Ikebana teaching style is easy to understand and put into practice. She emphasises a practical approach, focusing on the importance of the basic form. She wants her students to understand how beauty is communicated differently in Ikebana compared to Western flower arrangements.

Kuniko takes great pride in hearing her students enjoy her classes, many of which find her classes calming and meditative too.