Our Chapter
鎌倉支部の歴史
鎌倉支部は、1961年3月20日に、米海軍将校夫人ルシール ・ユキコ・ディヴィス夫人と高徳院住職夫人佐藤治子さんのご尽力により、51番目の支部として設立されました。
ディヴィス夫人については、上坂冬子氏の「三つの祖国」という本に紹介されています。
その本によりますと、ディヴィス夫人は、1956年8月17日にジャパンタイムズの記事で、いけばなインターナショナルが設立されたことを知りました。
自らもいけばなのお稽古をしていて、多くのアメリカ人がディヴィス邸を訪問していたこともあり、伝統的日本文化の中心である鎌倉に支部を設立することを思い立たれました。1961年1月26日に、ディヴィス夫人の邸宅(旧華頂宮邸)に16人が集まり、設立会議が開かれました。
設立会員は20名で、湘南地域に住んでいる方たちでした。その中には森井露山さん、野中光洋さんもいらっしゃいました。次第に横須賀米海軍基地の司令官夫人や将校夫人が加わりました。
当時例会は、ディヴィス邸と大仏殿を中心に、主に各流派のお家元によるいけばなや日本文化の紹介が行われました。
Ikebana International Kamakura Chapter became the 51st chapter on March 20th 1961, when it was founded by the devoted efforts of Mrs. Lucille (Yukiko) Davis, wife of an U.S. Naval Officer and Mrs. Haruko Sato, wife of the Head Priest of Daibutsu (Kotoku-in).
Mrs. Davis’ dramatic life was written by Fuyuko Kamisaka in the book “My Three Countries”.
According to this book, Mrs. Davis found an article on the Japan Times about Ikebana International on August 17th 1956. The title was “Friendship Through Flowers.” This organization was founded by an American lady for the purpose of the friendship and the study of ikebana beyond the countries and ikebana schools.
Yukiko had been learning ikebana and also she and her husband entertained many Americans at their residence. She thought it was a wonderful idea to found a chapter in Kamakura, one of the very historical and cultural cities in Japan where many ladies learn ikebana.
The first organizing meeting was held at Mrs. Davis’ residence on January 26th 1961. Fourteen ladies and two gentlemen met there. Since then, by courtesy of Mrs. Haruko Sato, monthly meetings have often been held at Daibutsu-den. Among 20 founding members there were Mrs. Rozan Morii and Mrs. Koyo Nonaka. Most of the members were living in the Shonan area. Gradually the wives of admirals and officers of the U.S. Naval Base in Yokosuka joined the Chapter.
Ikebana and various Japanese cultural programs were introduced at either Mrs. Davis’ Kacho-no-miya residence or Daibutsu-den. (Hall at the Daibutsu)
Past Presidents 歴代支部長
1st | Lucille Davis | 1961-1962 |
2nd | Lucille Davis | 1962-1963 |
3rd | Haruko Sato | 1963-1964 |
4th | Haruko Sato | 1964-1965 |
5th | Rose Ostby | 1965-1966 |
6th | Rose Ostby | 1966-1967 |
7th | Momoyo Fujise | 1967-1968 |
8th | Mariko Mathews | 1968-1969 |
9th | Don Gorham | 1969-1970 |
10th | Nancy Inman | 1970-1971 |
11th | Patricia Burfield | 1971-1972 |
12th | Mary G. MacDonald | 1972-1973 |
13th | Toshika Kurimura | 1973-1974 |
14th | Toshika Kurimura | 1974-1975 |
15th | Mimi Cullison | 1975-1976 |
16th | Keiko Nakazaki | 1976-1977 |
17th | Jane Martine/Fumiho Hashimoto | 1977-1978 |
18th | Toshika Kurimura | 1978-1979 |
19th | Toshika Kurimura | 1979-1980 |
20th | Mary Doerr | 1980-1981 |
21st | Doborah Trimble | 1981-1982 |
22nd | Yuriko Ishida | 1982-1983 |
23rd | Pat Meinecke | 1983-1984 |
24th | Atsuko Nakajima | 1984-1985 |
25th | Michele Helseley | 1985-1986 |
26th | Yukiko Kato | 1986-1987 |
27th | Risa Killen | 1987-1988 |
28th | Hisako Noguchi | 1988-1989 |
29th | Mary Boyd | 1989-1990 |
30th | Tomoyo Nagayama | 1990-1991 |
31st | Cheryle Patty | 1991-1992 |
32nd | Atsuko Suzuki | 1992-1993 |
33rd | Laura Idsinga | 1993-1994 |
34th | Shizuko Asakura | 1994-1995 |
35th | Eiko Mori | 1995-1996 |
36th | Joanne Gratton | 1996-1997 |
37th | Midori Mikami | 1997-1998 |
38th | Cheryl Waldron | 1998-1999 |
39th | Nobuko Matsubara | 1999-2000 |
40th | Junko Okubo | 2000-2001 |
41st | Yasuko Mori | 2001-2002 |
42nd | Jeri El-Swaify | 2002-2003 |
43rd | Tenise Pettigrew | 2003-2004 |
44th | Nuiko Morokuma | 2004-2005 |
45th | Ellen Will | 2005-2006 |
46th | Junko Narui | 2006-2007 |
47th | Diana Salansky | 2007-2008 |
48th | Junko Katano | 2008-2009 |
49th | Kathy Tai | 2009-2010 |
50th | Noriyo Nagasaki | 2010-2011 |
51st | Cheryl Barber | 2011-2012 |
52nd | Hisako Ooe | 2012-2013 |
53rd | Angelene Lockwood | 2013-2014 |
54th | Yoko Hanada | 2014-2015 |
55th | Camilla Wenke | 2015-2016 |
56th | Heather Bennett | 2016-2017 |
57th | Yuko Sasaya | 2017-2018 |
58th | Leah Johns | 2018-2019 |
59th | Hiroko Otsuka | 2019-2020 |
60th | Mikiko Yahagi | 2020-2021 |
61st | Elizabeth Neto | 2021-2022 |
62nd | Miriam Arai | 2022-2023 |
63rd | Midori Yamagiwa | 2023-2024 |