About Me, Daniela Jost
When I was ten years old, I won a prize at a fancy dress party wearing a
Japanese hat and kimono. Little did I know then that, working for the
Foreign Ministry, I would one day be posted to the Swiss Embassy in Tokyo
and become fascinated by the culture of Japan.
Arriving in 1987, after
having worked in Switzerland and in Brussels, I liked this new adventure
from the start. |
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My colleagues at the embassy began to introduce me to the
many facets of Japanese life. Unknown sounds and smells, new eating and
drinking experiences - not to mention the inevitable language
misunderstandings - had me learning every day! Soon I got interested in
pottery and then in Ikebana, which hooked me right from the start.
Tomiyuki Minomura,
teacher of the well known Sogetsu school of Ikebana, became my
personal tutor. At my home every week, he taught me the essence of
Ikebana, and also told me about the Japanese way of life and his memories
of wartime Tokyo. Tomi-Sensei was an extremely experienced Ikebana master
and regularly created arrangements for many of the best hotels in Tokyo. |
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It was Tomi-Sensei who
encouraged me to work for my Teacher's Certificate. This allowed me to
start teaching my own students when I returned to Switzerland after almost
six years of living in Japan. Since 1995 I have taught Ikebana based on
the Sogetsu school in both English and German to small groups at my
home in Geroldswil. Recognising a need for Ikebana
containers,
kenzan,
scissors and other accessories, I began to import these and am now able to
offer authentic materials to Ikebana enthusiasts all over Europe.
I continue to enhance my
knowledge by taking lessons myself and am a member of both the Sogetsu
Study Group Zurich and the Sogetsu Branch Switzerland.
I also take part in
activities organised by
Ikebana International and
other
exhibitions.
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Ikebana Exhibition 1999
Museum Rietberg, Zürich
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Education
1991 Sogetsu Teachers Certificate 4th Grade
1999 Sogetsu Teachers Certificate 3rd Grade
1995 Training with Iemoto Hiroshi Teshigahara
1995
Training with Tetsunori Kawana
2004
Training with Iemoto Akane Teshigahara
2007 Training with Lucille Evans
2008
Training and workshop with Master Teacher
Koka Fukushima
2009 Training with Lucille Evans
2014 Training with Master Teacher
Koka Fukushima
2017 Training and workshop with Master Teacher
Koka Fukushima, Sogetsu Textbook 5 A & B
Participation in courses
and seminars in Switzerland and abroad.
Flower name: Kokei
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