Ikebana is the traditional art of flower arranging. Developed in Kyoto it merges Asian naturalism with the floral offerings to Buddhist altars. The Ikenobo headmaster upholds the school's 550-year-old tradition. A potter imagines vases as extensions of the flowers they hold. A practitioner creates progressive arrangements steeped in tradition. Plants are not mere ornaments. Practitioners impose their lives on that of the flowers. Ikebana's quintessence is in the representation of life as beauty.

Calligraphy is the art of writing characters with a brush. The use of kanji characters, which entered from China, spread with the practice of copying sutras. In temples and shrines, the art projects the state of the practitioner's mind. Calligraphy developed independently through the kana syllabary 1,200 years ago. Kana calligrapher Koho Hibino, master of a flowing style, says it embodies Japanese emotional and aesthetic sensibilities. Discover the essence of the black-and-white realm of calligraphy.

The butsudan Buddhist family altar was built as a miniature of the temple dais upon which the main image stands, so families could worship at home. Reflecting the Pure Land in this world, butsudan not only hold Buddhist images but are also vehicles for people to communicate with their ancestors. Kyoto altars, called kin-butsudan, are decked with gold metalwork and maki-e lacquer. Their beauty is an unparalleled work of art. Strongholds of the heart, kin-butsudan show the core of Kyoto culture.