It’s no easy task to earn a...

It’s no easy task to earn a First Degree of the Master Course in the Ohara School of Ikebana, one of the largest flower arranging schools in Japan.

San Gabriel resident Reiko Kawamura, 60, has been practicing the art since she began at the Ohara School in Kobe at age 13. She just earned her degree last year. The first degree is attained after many years of study and teaching. It is to Ikebana what a black belt is to karate.

“We have a strict curriculum to follow,” Kawamura said while arranging some pink tiger lilies and bells of Ireland in a flat porcelain dish--a classical Ikebana design with its asymmetrical, triangular shape.

Luckily, one doesn’t have to hold the first degree to enjoy Ikebana as a hobby. Kawamura will demonstrate some of the Ohara School’s flower-

arranging techniques today during a reception at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, 46 N. Los Robles Ave.

Kawamura, who immigrated to the United States in 1964 and has been teaching Ikebana since, is one of only a handful of first degree holders in the Los Angeles area. She conducts classes in her home and at the Los Angeles County Arboretum.

The museum reception--

which runs from 1 to 7:30 p.m.--also includes a presentation by origami artist Robert J. Lang and a slide lecture by Richard Miles, curator of an exhibit called “Elizabeth Keith, the Printed Works.”

The Ikebana demonstration begins at 2:30 p.m. The event is free, but seating is limited. To reserve space, call (818) 449-2742, Ext. 9.