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Ko
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Quick Facts
Also called:
Koryū
Related Topics:
Ikebana
seika
See all related content
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Ko

floral art
Also known as: Koryu
Written and fact-checked by
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

Ko, one of the four major schools of floral art in Japan. Dating from the Tokugawa period (1603–1868), the Ko school developed the shōka style of the earlier Ikenobō school into a more naturalistic type of arrangement. Calling the arrangements seika rather than shōka, the Ko school retained the tall, narrow-mouthed type of vase used in the shōka arrangements of the Ikenobō school. The mood of the arrangements was known as nageire, a fresh and spontaneous style that adheres only loosely to the classical rules of structure.