2025 Autumn Conferment of Decorations

Name:	Joan Tomoko Suzuki
Decoration:	The Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays
Service:	Contributed to promoting Ikebana Art in the United States and friendship between Japan and the United States
Major Titles:	Former Director and Co-founder of Sogetsu San Francisco Bay Area Branch
Address:	Richmond, California, U.S.A.

Summary of Contributions:

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Ms. Joan Tomoko Suzuki has been an instructor in the Sogetsu School of Ikebana since 1953. In 1973 she co-founded the Sogetsu San Francisco Bay Area Branch, serving as deputy director for 32 years, followed by six years as director.
 
Ms. Suzuki has instructed many students over the years, with her students in turn going on to hold classes of their own throughout California and the United States, further contributing to the promotion and understanding of Japanese culture through ikebana. She has organized tours of Sogetsu students from across the United States to visit the Sogetsu headquarters in Japan and further deepen their understanding of ikebana and strengthening their connections with Japan.
 
Ms. Suzuki has served in leadership and advisory positions for the interdisciplinary ikebana organizations Ikebana International San Francisco Bay Area Branch and the Ikebana Teachers’ Federation, further contributing to the education and spread of ikebana and promoting cultural exchange between Japan and the United States.