Ikebana: Japanese Flower Arrangement

Other forms of flower arrangements fix flowers in place using a wet floral foam. (© Pixta)

Ikebana uses kenzan, heavy metal plates with needles for placing flowers. (© Pixta)

Special flower cutting scissors (hanabasami) and kenzan are essential tools for ikebana. (© Pixta)

A Japanese flower arrangement in a broad container. (© Pixta)

A chabana (tea flowers) and hanging scroll decorate a tokonoma.

A moribana style of arrangement with flowers “piled up” in a wide, shallow suiban bowl. (© Ohara School of Ikebana)

An arrangement in the rikka shinputai style by forty-fifth headmaster Ikenobō San’ei for a ceremony celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Agency of Cultural Affairs. (Courtesy Ikenobō Kadōkai)

A rikka shinputai arrangement by forty-fifth headmaster Ikenobō Sen’ei. (© Ikenobō Kadōkai)

An arrangement of flowering quince and tulips by Teshigahara Akane, fourth headmaster of the Sōgetsu school. (Courtesy Megumu Wada; © Sogetsu School of Ikebana)

An Ohara-style moribana arrangement in a suiban container. (© Ohara-ryū)