Japanese Wooden Kanban – Ohara-ryu Ikebana School, Wall Decoration, 1950s

Decorative Japanese wooden kanban from an ikebana school, 1950s–1960s.

Dimensions: height 62 cm, width 16 cm, depth 1.5 cm.

Gracefully carved wooden sign, painted dark green, with raised white calligraphy. The text refers to a “research/teaching studio for moribana and heika of the Ohara school.” The Ohara school is one of the major Japanese ikebana schools, and a sign like this would typically hang at a classroom or studio where flower-arranging lessons were given. Moribana and heika are two classic styles within Japanese ikebana.

The background has been hand-chiselled so the characters stand out in relief. The white characters show craquelure and light ageing, giving the piece a genuine Japanese look. The back is plain wood with a hanging hole, ready to mount on the wall. A decorative, one-of-a-kind piece, perfect as wall art in a Japanese, wabi-sabi or creative interior.