Japan is a nation of islands and mountains. Much of the country is covered with dense green forests, laced with rivers, ponds and lakes. There is an abundant variety of trees, grasses, flowers and water plants. The four seasons, each with its own distinctive beauty, has nurtured Japanese culture throughout the centuries, taking root in the Japanese mind and inspiring religion, art and flower arranging. 

The introduction and spread of Buddhism from the 6th to 8th centuries had a profound impact on the development of ikebana, which emerged from Buddhist floral offerings. The most common form of floral arrangement consisted of three stems in one container. They were gathered closely at the base, and rose from the water as one. The three stems became the basis for the first styles of Ikebana, but it wasn’t until the Muromachi Period (1338-1573) that flower arranging became an art form of its own. 

Arrangements created from three branches created a basic form for all the schools of Ikebana. Even as more modern schools of Ikebana developed, the three-branch, asymmetrical scalene triariangle remained the foundation for all arrangements (both classical and modern).