The Ohara School of Ikebana was founded by Unshin Ohara (1861-1916), who was born in Matsue City, Shimane prefecture, Japan. He explored the fields and mountains and developed a style of ikebana to express the beauty of natural scenery. Four headmasters succeeded Unshin, each making his own distinctive artistic and organizational contributions to the School. Currently the School is under the leadership of the young Fifth Headmaster, Hiroki Ohara. The Ohara School has over a million students throughout the world. With main offices in Tokyo, Osaka and Kobe, there are 158 Chapters in japan as well as 56 Chapters and 34 Study groups outside Japan. More details can be found on the headquarter site.

The Ottawa Chapter was established in 1989 by a founding group of six members. The Chapter currently has over 60 members each year. The Ottawa Chapter encourages the tranquil art of ikebana through lessons by qualified teachers, workshops for members to introduce new styles, as well as demonstrations for interested community organizations and members of the public. Members participate in the annual Ohara School public exhibition which has been kindly hosted by the Ottawa Embassy of Japan for a number of years.

The Chapter is committed to providing learning opportunities for our teachers and all members. We have a policy of bringing in an Ohara master or professor from North America or Headquarters every second year or as feasible.  Chapter members participate in fundraising activities to cover costs of exhibitions and visiting master events.