Comstock's magazine 1018 - October 2018 | Page 109

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NATURAL CONNECTION
Lisa Taira has been practicing ikebana for
almost 50 years, and her approach to this
traditional Japanese flower arrangement
artform has evolved over time. She
adheres to ikebana’s core principle —
representing humanity, spirituality and
nature through floral arrangement — but
“then it’s my interpretation,” says Taira,
who owns Kiyo’s Floral Design in Midtown
Sacramento. Curly willow branches and lily
grass are central to Taira’s arrangements,
due to their unique shape and flow. Taira
began learning ikebana in fifth grade,
when her Japan-born mother, Mutsuko
Tokunaga, enrolled her in weekly lessons
to connect Taira to her heritage. In 1976
her mother bought the florist shop, and the
mother-daughter duo ran Kiyo’s together
until Tokunaga retired in 2001 and Taira
took over (her mother passed away in
2007). Today, Kiyo’s ikebana-inspired
designs are the shop’s most popular type
of floral arrangement. Taira says she is
inspired by the relationships she has built
with customers over the past decades:
"Each arrangement that I do is from my
heart. I feel as if I'm the ambassador of
all the people that order flowers here,
because I know that there is meaning in
everything that they send." n
October 2018 | comstocksmag.com
109