Joseph Lam

Teaches at Richmond Art Center

Joseph Lam is a Sokatoku professor of Ikenobo, the school that gave birth to Ikebana in Kyoto, Japan, in 1462. Sokatoku is the highest of 18 ranks bestowed by Ikenobo.

Professor Lam's art fuses traditional Ikenobo philosophies and techniques with Western materials. He creates classical Shoka, Rikka, and freestyle (Jiyuka) Ikebana inspired by seasonal flowers and plants found in North America.

In 2018, with the support of Headmaster Sen-ei Ikenobo, Professor Lam formed the Ikenobo California Pacific Chapter with members in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. He went on to serve as the Chapter's President until July 2022.