Sofu Teshigahara
Sōfu Teshigahara (勅使河原 蒼風 Teshigahara Sōfu) (1900–1979) was the founder of the Sōgetsu School of Ikebana flower arranging.
Biography
Born in Tokyo, he first learned flower arranging from his father who had studied many styles of the different schools. In 1926, at the age of 25, he started the Sogetsu School of Ikebana, believing that Ikebana is not merely decorating with flowers, it is an art, and that the great difference between the Sogetsu School and Ikebana lies in the belief that once all the rules are learned and the techniques mastered, there is an unbounded field for freer personal expression using varied materials, not just flowers.
Based on that, in 1930 he held his first solo exhibition in 1930 at the Josui Kaikan in Tokyo working with scrap metal, a new medium. In 1949 the first major post-war Sogetsu exhibition was held at the Mitsukoshi Department Store in the Ginza of Tokyo and proved to be revolutionary. Between 1950 and 1970, he held various exhibitions and demonstrations across Europe and the United States.
The French government awarded him the Order of Arts and Letters in 1960, and the Legion of Honor in 1961; and Japan bestowed the Minister of Education Awards for Art in 1962.
Sofu never deviated from the basic principles that distinguish Ikebana from other forms of floral art: to grasp and express the feeling of the material, to express the third dimension and asymmetrical balance. The concept that was foremost in his teaching was that the principles never change, but rather that the form is always changing. His further belief was that Ikebana should be considered art, not merely decoration and that it is for the entire world, not just Japan alone. In addition to Ikebana, he continued to create various sculptures, drawings and works of calligraphy until his death.
His son is the Japanese film director Hiroshi Teshigahara.
References
- Based with permission on the Sofu Teshigahara bio by Fred Beisser, licensed under the GFDL
