Ikebana
The Japanese art of arranging flowers, branches and leaves, built on line, balance and empty space.
Also: kadō, kado, Japanese flower arrangement
Ikebana means, roughly, giving life to flowers. It is also called kadō, the way of flowers. It grew from flower offerings in Buddhist temples and became a studied art with schools and teachers. Unlike a massed Western bouquet, an ikebana work uses few stems. Each line is placed with care, and the space around it is part of the design. Branches, buds, leaves and even withered material are valued. The main schools include Ikenobo, Ohara and Sogetsu.