The three fundamental ten-chi-jin sprays were created in Japan's days of yore to depict the harmonious balance that should exist between human beings and the Universe. Arranging flowers according to the ten-chi-jin principle requires strict adherence to aesthetic form, which in turn serves as a method of spiritual refinement.

The Appearance of the Ryu
New ryu ("schools" or "handed-down traditions") also began to appear, and most were derived from the original Ikenobo tradition. Each had its individual interpretation of shoka. The first school of kado, Ikenobo, pointed the base of the stems directly down, using a komi, or "forked stick" to hold them in place. Other systems developed unique variations, which can be seen in their approach to shoka. The Ko Ryu School, for example, placed the komi at an angle, and the ends of the stems were cut at a slant and propped against the side of the vessel. However, the Enshu School exaggerated the curves of the branches by cutting slits in them, bending them, and inserting triangular plugs into the slits, so that these branches held the desired curve.

Three ryu predominate at the present time: Ikenobo, Ohara, and Sogetsu. But several million people in Japan participate in over 20 well-recognized kado schools. Ikenobo, Sogetsu Ryu, Misho Ryu, Saga Ryu, Ohara Ryu, Kyofu Ryu, Ko Ryu, Enshu Ryu, Nakayama Bumpo-kai, and Adachi-shiki are a few of the most well known versions of flower arrangement in Japan. More than two thousand different schools of ikebana are registered with the Japanese Ministry of Education. However, a detailed discussion of the various systems of kado is beyond the scope of this online article.

From Form return to the Formless
Like all Japanese arts, kado requires that one start with the strict observation of, and adherence to, traditional and formal techniques. Through the study of these formalized arrangements one ultimately encounters the transcendent form of the Universe itself--the void--spoken of in Musashi's Go Rin no Sho as well as countless other Asian martial and religious texts. Kado's formal techniques, nevertheless, vary from the traditionalists who favor a natural arrangement of living flowers, and the schools developed after World War II, which employ artificial materials such plastic, metal, and glass to give the sensation of life through the effervescence of form.

Every system has its own methods, but all schools of ikebana involve deliberate ways of pruning, cutting, and caring for flowers. All make use of the ten-chi-jin concept, and usually an odd number of branches or stalks are applied to create an asymmetrical balance that more successfully imitates Nature, and which is favored in Japanese aesthetics. Five, seven, and nine stems are often used, which is in keeping with the Buddhist concept of "becoming," that is, continuing to travel on the path to enlightenment, as opposed to having arrived at a state of perfection, which could be implied by even numbers.

Traditional and modern styles all make use of flowers for the purpose of interior decoration, on both a personal and commercial basis. Ikebana, nonetheless, is not limited to the use of flowers. It also makes liberal use of flowerless shrubs and trees such as maple, bamboo, pine, and willow. In kado, the word hana, or "flower," is used very broadly; and in the Japanese home, flower arrangements are often shown in the tokonoma.