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Chieko Mihori's commitment to bringing Japanese culture to South Florida is deep-rooted.
She began by teaching ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, in the 1960s. Her activities expanded when she and her husband, James (Sungi), encouraged George Sukeji Morikami to donate land to Palm Beach County in 1973, which eventually became the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach.
Mihori, 84, has been involved with the Morikami ever since then, first helping to fill the museum with Japanese art and then leading activities like kabuki dance and the Japanese tea ceremony. Today, however, she's most likely to be found teaching ikebana at either the Morikami or the Boca Raton Museum Art School.
"Ikebana is really three-dimensional flower sculpture," she explains. "It's not just putting flowers into a vase."
Today, she is the coordinator of the Eastern Branch of the Sogetsu School, a contemporary branch of ikebana, which she founded here in 1969 - 23 years after it was founded in Tokyo. When Mihori decided to teach sogetsu, she returned to Japan to study and attain the highest leadership rank, riji. Sogetsu differs dramatically from other schools of ikebana in that it's more flexible and reflective of a contemporary lifestyle.
"Sogetsu emphasizes creativity and originality," Mihori explains, adding that the name combines the Japanese words for "grass" and "moon." "That combination means that sogetsu is not only for Japanese people but for people anywhere."
When Mihori came to the United States in the 1950s, her husband was a graduate student at the University of Miami. The couple soon moved to Delray Beach, where they raised three children: Warren, James Jr. and Charlotte (Kasumi). In 2012, Mihori received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver, from the emperor of Japan for spreading an understanding of Japanese culture in the U.S. Today, she continues this mission, primarily through ikebana.
"Flowers don't need a language," she says. "Everyone loves flowers. I enjoy creating beauty and hope we can use that beauty to create a world of friendship and peace." O