history of ikebana

BUDDHISM AND IKEBANA

Buddhism, introduced into ancient Japan through the Chinese mainland from the sixth and seventh centuries on, developed further in Japan, where it greatly influenced all aspects of life, culture and the arts.  
Formal offertory flowers on the Buddhist altar combined with the aristocratic taste for floral decoration fused into a refined form which evolved into ikebana.

In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, when Buddhism spread among the common people, the architectural style which became prominent was one which included the tokonoma. In this "alcove" Buddhist scrolls were hung and the custom arose of placing flowers there as offerings.

In time the tokonoma took on a decorative function, the Buddhist scrolls were replaced by scroll paintings, calligraphy, and by antiques, and with this change the flowers placed in the tokonoma lost their religious meaning, leading to the development of flower arranging as an art.