Ikebana (生け花, "arranging flowers") is the
Japanese art of
flower arrangement, also known as
kadō (華道, the "way of flowers"). The tradition dates back to the 7th century when floral offerings were made at altars. Later they were placed in the
tokonoma alcove of a home.
Ikebana reached its first zenith in the 16th century under the influence of Buddhist teamasters and has grown over the centuries, with over 1000 different schools in Japan and abroad. The best known schools are
Ikenobo,
Ohara-ryū, and
Sōgetsu-ryū.