Definition of "kiku" []

• The chrysanthemum, extensively used as a decorative motive in Japanese art. In conventionalized form it constitutes the imperial crest of Japan. See kikumon. (noun)

The Century Dictionary (Public Domain)

• "At the time, I had no idea that in Japan the chrysanthemum, or kiku, is the crest of the imperial family and that these arrangements are part of an ancient floral tradition that is at least 1,500 years old, something I found out when I visited the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) to see its magnificent new exhibition, "Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Chrysanthemum.""
• "The kiku display at NYBG is as different from them as chalk is from cheese."
• "When plans for this exhibition got under way in 2003, Yasushira Iwashita, the kiku master at Shinjuku, graciously agreed to take on Yukie Kurashina, a Japanese-born graduate of the Botanical Garden's School of Horticulture, as his apprentice."