hanaire

History: Flower offerings are of Buddhist origin; originally with 2 flowers left of the altar, 2 candles to the right and a censer in the middle; later then only one each. This is still done today, for example, for 利休記.
They can either be placed on the floor, hung on the wall (or 床柱) or hung from the ceiling (usually boats or half-moons).
They can also be categorised according to material, giving us a 真・行・草 hierarchy. However, the shape can interfere with the categorisation, independent of the material.
- 真: metal things, celadon, porcelain.
- 行: All boat shapes (even bamboo), glazed Japanese wares.
- 草: Unglazed Japanese wares, 楽; gourds, baskets and bamboo. Also, glass, and みたて wares.
Of course, there's also a 風炉・炉 divide: Baskets and gourds are for summer; except for lacquered Chinese baskets, which can be used all year.