Abe Hanna (Lê Phạm Việt Hà) is currently teaching flower arrangement and tea ceremony classes in Hanoi. She is the representative of Ikenobo Vietnam Tachibanakai Study Group, which is officially recognised by Ikenobo Society of Floral Art – the oldest school of Ikebana flower arrangement in Japan. Her space Yohaku on Hue street (Hanoi, Vietnam) welcomes whoever has the interest in flower, tea and culture of the Land of the Rising Sun.
The coming talk shares about the art of flower arrangement, Abe Hanna’s career path and her views on traditional values. On behalf on Abe Hanna, I – the editor would like to tell the story to you – readers through the lens of an insider.
Abe Hanna is teaching students about Ikebana at Yohaku. Photo: Trần Trung Hiếu
I was born and raised in Hanoi. Since I was little, I was brought up with the image of my maternal grandfather wandered inside the house brewing tea, smoking and taking care of his orchids. My childhood memories growing with the garden influenced my habits unconsciously. Not until being a grown- up, I have realised that I rarely use perfume in order not to overwhelm the natural scent of the garden.
After having married, I changed my family name according to my Japanese husband. We are living in Osaka. I had many thought during the time Yohaku was an idea for me to do in Hanoi. Should I buy or rent an old house and then renovate? Or might just get a place in the suburb to hold the class? Finally, despite the noisy hectic townhouse and its difficulty that might mismatch Yohaku’s criteria, I decided to come back to where I was born and raised because it sparks in me the passion for flower and tea.
Ikebana in Japanese literally means ‘living flowers’, it can be understood as ‘to give a life to flowers’ when they are cut from the plant. Today, this noun is typically used to indicate the Japanese flower arrangement art. The journey that brings me to Ikebana was very natural. By chance, I registered for a flower arrangement course while studying abroad in Japan, a short while later I realised that Ikebana is definitely something for me.
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Text: Nguyễn Hạnh
Photo: Trần Trung Hiếu, Triệu Chiến
