Chinese
Japanese
Nagiere
Moribana

Chinese
Although Japan is most well known for Oriental floral design, this type of floral style is not easily understood without first examining its forerunner, the floral art of early China, which was founded on the religious principles of Confucianism and Buddhism, and became an integral part of Chinese life. This style of floral art was even more stimulated by the development of ceramics, which produced porcelain and pottery which were superbly suited to accomodating and complementing the flowers which they held. Flowers in China were used for altars, for the household, and also for personal adornment. Unlike the lively, colorful designs of the Europeans, the Chinese style was founded upon religious and temporal relationships, such as the art of contemplation as practiced by Confucius, the preservation of life as taught by Buddhism, and floral symbolism as developed by centuries of foldlore. Although simplicity was generated by the ideas of Confucius, Buddhism became more influencial during the 4th and 5th Centuries, and massive floral arrangements adorned Buddhist altars. During the 6th Century A.D., the renown Chinese painter, art critic, and author, Hsieh No, published an article listing six canons, or artistic principles which, among other things, applied to floral arranging. Some of these are still the basis for the principles of modern floral design.

Japanese
The rules of the various schools of floral art in Japan today still apply the six principles laid down in the Canons of Hsieh Ho nearly 1500 years ago. During the 6th Century, Buddhism was introduced to Japan from China, together with the the Chinese language and writing methods, and with it was introduced the now highly-evolved system of arranging flowers. Several highly stylized floral art forms developed in Japan as a result of this.

• Rikkwa
  The name Rikkwa, meaning 'standing flowers', describes arrangements which were reproductions of those made by the Buddhist priests for their altars. Early Rikkwa styles -ere exemplified by huge upright symetrical arrangements, sometimes fifteen feet tall and twelve feet wide, made of foliage and bare branches, as well as flowers. A tall upright form such as a tree was often used in the center of the container as a foundation for the design. This upright was given the name of 'shin', which formed the vertical line of the piece. In these arrangements, the designers attempted to portray a scene in the natural landscape. With time, Rikkwa arrangements became very formalized.
• Ikebana
  In the 7th century, the art of Ikebana -as established near Kyoto, using Chinese rules of arranging as a basis for this new and different form of design. Ikebana was based upon the principles of dominance, proportion, balance, and rhythm, to symbolize the continued concepts of Buddhism. The emphasis is on line and asymmetry, not on color. In addition to being used on temple altars, the style of Ikebana floral arranging also became popular outside of religious influences. The form of this design has three elements which consist of lines representing heaven, man, and earth, each of which is fundamental to the design. Many traditional Japanese styles emerged from the early Ikebana after the 15th Century, but the 3 elements still remain in each of the styles. In them, form, not color, is most important. The primary line is tallest, and is called the Shin which represents Heaven. The Shin is most often a gracefully-curved vertical, 1 to 1.5 times the height of a tall container or width of a low container. A secondary line, which represents man, and is called Soe, is two-thirds to one-half of the Shin. A tertiary line called the Tai represents the earth, and is one-fourth to one-third o f the Shin, placed opposite the Soe, in a more horizontal position. Filler flowers, or helpers, named Nejime, are used to tie together the three main elements, in many Ikebana arrangements.
  Three general patterns emerged from the first two-dimensional stylized forms of Ikebana. The first and most formal was called Shin, named after the first Ikebana elemental line. Shin arrangements made use of plants or flowers in upright containers as they grew naturally. The second classification, which was less formal was called Cyo, and used curving, graceful lines of stems in upright vases also, which -ere some-.hat lower than those used in Shin designs. The third type called So was even less formal, and had broad, sweeping lines produced by forced bending of stems. So arrangements were more horizontal and low, and were made in low dishes or containers.

Nagiere
Although RIKKWA and IKEBANA were quite formal and classical in concept, another form of flower arrangement, named Nagiere, existed concurrently -hich was significantly more naturalistic and informal in style than Rikkwa or Ikebana. Nagiere was practiced in non-religious circles, and grew in popularity with the well-known tea ceremony, which it exemplified in simplicity. Nagiere arrangements were usually made in vases, and not in low dishes, and their popularity rivaled that of Ikebana during the period from the 16th to the 19th centuries. These arrangements consisted of stems forming lines which extended on a slant from the container.

Moribana
Western influence was responsible for the development of Moribana, which is purely naturalistic, and was developed for use in homes furnished in the Western manner, using native flowers of the Western world. Containers could be either upright or low.