The enjoyment of placing flowers into a vase has been practiced from olden times all over the world. However in no other country but Japan has arranging flowers developed into such an important art form. Its development is due greatly to Japan's geo-ecological conditions, climate, and religious beliefs. Japan is a chain of islands surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, and is dominated by the Asiatic monsoon that brings abundant rainfall and produces lush greenery. Affected by this natural beauty and believing that divine spirits were present in all natural objects, the ancient Japanese cherished and worshipped nature. They thought anything so beautiful must be god-like and started cutting flowers, bringing them inside to keep close by.
		In Japanese folk religions, flowers as well as trees were often used to mark a special site for welcoming gods. Even today, we find kadomatsu, a New Year's decoration of pine, bamboo, and plum blossoms displayed at the front gates of many Japanese houses. At the harvest moon, some people arrange tall pampas grass in order for the moon god to be able to spot the site and come to bestow his blessing on them.
	In the mid-6th century, Buddhism was introduced to Japan from China and many temples were erected. The dead were enshrined in the temples as well as in family altars where kuge, floral offerings, were common practice. There are no written records of any systematized forms of flower arrangement for the altars being practiced at that time, but these styles of floral offerings were depicted in picture scrolls, embroideries, illustrated sutras, and poems. They were the beginning of nageire, a simple arrangement in a tall vase.
		Starting around the 10th century, flowers were placed into pots, not solely for offerings to the Buddha, but also for the enjoyment of human beings. A new architecture style called Shoin-zukuri, which became popular in the 13th century, contributed to the development of Japanese flower arrangement. Shoin architecture was characterized by a room with sliding doors as partitions, straw mats on the floors and an alcove against a wall. A special room decoration called zashiki-kazari developed, and it often consisted of an incense burner, candle holders and floral arrangements. They were set on oshi-ita, a piece of flat wood, and considered as a forerunner of tokonoma (alcove).