Tall and broad, to harmonize with the lofty temple buildings, rikka was designed to function almost like a miniature physical universe, representing a landscape with mountains, streams, and lowlands. It towered high above bronze vases that were borrowed, along with other religious ornaments, from China. The tips of the branches and flowers pointed toward heaven in an expression of religious devotion.

Rikka arrangements evolved to grow wider and less rigid in appearance. No less intricate in scope, however, rikka continued to be the primary form of Buddhist floral art in castles, palaces, and temples until the establishment of the Kamakura government in the twelfth century. All rikka arrangements were an evolution of a particular kind of flowering sculpture of Shumisen, the holy Buddhist mountain, which symbolized the Universe.

Central to all truly classical versions of rikka, then and now, is a five- or six-foot pine tree, representing the beauty of the Japanese landscape, where pines can be found everywhere from the beaches of Nippon, to the mountainous regions. It is usually placed in the center of the vase. Cedars, cypresses, and bamboo are also commonly put to use in rikka. Rock and stones in the miniature rikka cosmos are represented by pine branches; rivers and streams by white chrysanthemums; sunlight, shady areas, and various seasonal colors are likewise symbolized by the use of plant settings arranged in the right spot.

The Beginning of Naturalistic Arrangement
During the Momoyama period (1560-1600), many magnificent castles were constructed. During the same period, noblemen and royal retainers were doing large decorative rikka pieces. The rikka style was considered a most appropriate decoration for those castles. (Presently, rikka is often reserved for more formal occasions or ceremonies. It is also constructed for festivals, and it is certainly no longer the field of the Buddhist priesthood. In some circles it is seen as being somewhat old-fashioned, while traditionalists strive to preserve its unique characteristics.)

Momoyama era style was, in general, notable for its flamboyance. During this same era, the tea ceremony made its appearance, in sharp contrast to the prevailing extravagant style. The tea ceremony's emphasis on rustic simplicity (wabi/sabi) contrasted sharply with Momoyama embellishment. Tea ceremony enthusiasts developed a simple, complimentary style called chabana, or "tea flowers."

By 1600, the religious significance of ikebana had diminished, and as the result, floral arrangements gradually became a lay art. In the Edo period (early seventeenth to mid-nineteenth centuries), the simplicity of chabana helped create the nageire, or "thrown-in" style. It was this less-structured design which led to the development of "seika," or "shoka" style, as it is called in the Ikenobo School. This style is characterized by a tight bundle of stems that form a triangular three-branched asymmetrical structure. Shoka is somewhat similar to rikka, except it has fewer rules, which are less strict. It originated in the mid-eighteenth century. This form is now considered classic, and schools that teach it are counted among the "classical schools."

It is the more formal school that created the "ten-chi-jin," a.k.a. "shin-soe-tai," (heaven-earth-humankind) principle that all kado systems now follow. In essence, the goal of kado is to arrange the floral sprays in such a way that they represent heaven, earth, and humanity. For example, if just one plant is used, the primary portion that shoots upward functions to represent "heaven." A twig on the right might then be bent sideways to symbolize "human beings," while the bottom branch or twig on the left would be ever so slightly bent so that it points upward to represent "earth." It is also possible to embody the ten-chi-jin principle by making use of three different plants or branches. To illustrate, bamboo can be used to evoke "ten," pine can symbolize "jin," and plum blossom can depict "chi." These two different versions of the ten-chi-jin principle are sometimes referred to as "in" and "yo" arrangements. In this case, "in" represents the female aspect of Nature and "yo" can be thought of as the male form. In and yo (yin and yang in Chinese) symbolize a dualism that creates the complimentary, but opposite, aspects of Nature, which ultimately form the one harmonious whole that is the Universe.