If you are new to ikebana you might be wondering what tools will be necessary. Apart from scissors you will definitely need a kenzan.

Kenzan is the most useful and the most intriguing ikebana tool. It makes all the difference in the arrangement. It is irreplaceable for beginners and for advanced ikebanists. It is a heavy metal platform with pins for securing flowers (see pictures below).

Kenzans vary in size, shape, quality and price. Vastly. Japanese kenzans are of course the best. 🙂 To choose a good one please pay attention to the number of pins for a given size. If you see 2 kenzans of the same size and one is significantly cheaper than the other, look at the pin count to make sure you are comparing apples to apples.

For the begginers it is handy to buy a 2-in-1 kenzan. A so called “sun and moon” kenzan. The two parts could be used together as a bigger unit or separately as a normal round kenzan one and a small half moon shaped one, which could fit into narrower spaces in an oddly shaped container. This 2-in-1 kenzan would be enough for the first year or so.

If  you want a cheaper basic option just take a 60 mm round kenzan. You most probably will supplement it with another one as you continue your studies. But that is ok, I have many of them by now. Some are really large, heavy and cost a fortune. But this is more for professional use.

Here is how they look like. These I found on Amazon.de . Just make sure you get the ones with yellow looking pins, they are better quality.

2-in-1 “sun and moon” kenzan:

Simple round kenzan, about 80 mm diameter:

Enjoy your shopping for ikebana tools. If you have any questions or want to see what is better just drop me a line ekaterina@ikebanaweb.com

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