Buddhist monks in China, originally started flower arrangement, and decorated their temples with altar flowers. When Buddhism entered Japan in the sixth century, the Japanese monks gave special attention and started arranging flowers artistically. Flower arrangement became a passtime of kings and warriors in ancient Japan, and was considered an aristocratic accomplishment. This art of arranging flowers is called Ikebana in Japanese.
Japanese have developed many floral styles including miniature ponds, rustic scenes, and Japan's beautiful Mount Fuji. The charm of many of these flower arrangements lies in their simplicity. Here each flower or branch is arranged so that it stands out in clear-cut form in a vase or a plain bowl. In Ikebana the container is never crowded. One important difference between Japanese Ikebana and Western flower arrangement is that in Ikebana ornaments are not used in flower arrangement. Western floral design frequently combines ornaments.
Traditional Ikebana is based on a triangle, known as the symbolic triad. Here the tallest line stands for heaven; the secondary line, man; and the third line, earth. The triangle may include only flowers, bunch flower, or branches or foliage, or they may be combined.
The flower arrangement must also give a feeling of natural growth. For example: if only flowers are used to for the triangle, each blossom should be selected in a different stage of development - from bud to open flower. When all three- flowers, branches and foliage are used, the tallest line could be a branch; the secondary line, flowers; and the third line, foliage. Each line should be placed in the holder either slightly forward or backward to give a natural rhythm and composition.