Japanese Ikebana

Ikebana (arranged flower) is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as Kado ( the "way of flowers").This is a Japanese art of formal flower arrangement with special regard shown to balance, harmony and form.


In contrast to the massing of blooms, typical of flower arrangement in western countries, Japanese flower arrangement is based on the line of twigs and/or leaves filled in with a small number of blooms. The container is also a key element of the composition. The structure of a Japanese flower arrangement is based on a scalent triangle delineated by three main points, usually twigs, considered in some schools to symbolise heaven, earth and man and in others sun, moon and earth.



Ikebana, one of the traditional arts of Japan, has been practised for more than 600years. It developed from the Buddhist ritual of offering flowers to the spirits of the dead. By the middle of the 15th century, with the emergence of the 1st classical styles, Ikebana achieved the status of an art form independent of its religious origins, though it continues to retain strong symbolic and philosophical overtones. The first teachers and students were priests and members of the nobility. However as time passed, many different schools arose, styles changed, and Ikebana came to be practised at all levels of Japanese society.








According to Mandarax, the most beautiful flower arrangements have one or at the most three elements. In arrangements of the three elements , all three might be the same or the two of the three might be the same, but all three should never be different. Ikebana is said to be easily codified as the practise of modern medicine.