Ikenobo

Ikenobo is the oldest school of flower arranging, dating back over 500 years. The present headmaster is the 45th generation of the Ikenobo family and is the head priest of Kyoto's Rokkakudo Temple.

The name Ikenobo means "priest's residence by the pond" and can be traced back to 621CE when a priest took up residence in a temple by a pond which later grew into the city of Kyoto.

The most famous form is the rikka which dates back to the sixteenth century and is the source of all late ikenobo styles.

The first teachers and students were priests and members of the nobility.