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Rikka style was established in the Muromachi period, in the 15th century. It is said to be the fo undation of Ikebana, from which Shoka, Moribana and Nageire styles evolved. As you may remember from my brief "History of Ikebana", there are two varieties of Rikka, the traditional Rikka Shofutai and the more modern, Rikka Shimputai.
Rikka Shofutai
Rikka Shofutai is the most formal style of Ikebana and has a distinctive character, which expresses the beauty of  natural landscape.
This classical type of Rikka follows strict rules and uses special techniques such as wiring. It consists of nine main stems or parts applying different characters, length, angles, and directions of materials to construct a harmonious, scenic natural landscape. These nine main stems are Shin, Shoshin, Soe, Uke, Nagashi, Mikoshi, Hikae, Do, Maeoki. These are also known as yakueda.
Each yakueda has a particular function and point of departure from an imagined vertical line running through the center of the arrangement. This point of departure is called de. Each yakueda also has a particular insertion position on the kenzan (pin holder). The height, length and position of each yakueda responds to or supports another. The harmony of height, width and depth is one of the most important factors to consider. Apart from these nine main stems, additional stems, called ashirai are also required for completion. The vase in Rikka usually is 20-30cm in height and should open out at the top. The stems should appear as a clean, single , vertical line rising from the centre of the kenzan. This is called Mizugiwa literally translated as water's edge.
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