Ikebana, or ‘the way of flowers,’ dates back more than 500 years in Japan, according to Reuters.

The Rokkakudo temple, which is said to be the site associated with the birth of Ikebana, in Kyoto, Japan is currently the headquarters of Ikenobo, the oldest and largest school of the Japanese art of floral design.

This supplied photo shows a flower arrangement created by a Vietnamese Ikebana practitioner on display at the 2022 Ikenobo Autumn Tanabata Exhibition in Kyoto, Japan.

This supplied photo shows a flower arrangement created by a Vietnamese Ikebana practitioner on display at the 2022 Ikenobo Autumn Tanabata Exhibition in Kyoto, Japan.

Every year, Ikenobo organizes major Ikebana events at the temple, typically the hatsuke (first arranging) ritual, and the spring and autumn Ikebana exhibitions, or Tanabata.

Among those, the Ikenobo Autumn Tanabata Exhibition gathers flower arrangements created by students of Ikenobo schools across Japan and from overseas branches.

This year, the exhibition is themed ‘Unconstrained Beauty’ and features around 900 ikebana arrangements, according to Ikenobo’s website.

This supplied photo shows a flower arrangement created by a Vietnamese Ikebana practitioner on display at the 2022 Ikenobo Autumn Tanabata Exhibition in Kyoto, Japan.

This supplied photo shows a flower arrangement created by a Vietnamese Ikebana practitioner on display at the 2022 Ikenobo Autumn Tanabata Exhibition in Kyoto, Japan.

The organizer said that these Ikebana works show a different, fresh expression influenced by the harsh experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is in line with Ikenobo Ikebana’s spirit, which is not rigidly bound to any existing forms, is subject to daily life’s changes, and allows artists to creatively conduct arrangements.

This supplied photo shows a flower arrangement created by a Vietnamese Ikebana practitioner on display at the 2022 Ikenobo Autumn Tanabata Exhibition in Kyoto, Japan.

This supplied photo shows a flower arrangement created by a Vietnamese Ikebana practitioner on display at the 2022 Ikenobo Autumn Tanabata Exhibition in Kyoto, Japan.

On this occasion, students from Ikenobo Vietnam joined the exhibition for the first time, displaying four works in total.

The exhibition kicked off on November 9 and concluded on Monday.

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