Born in Tokyo, Sofu Teshigahara is a calligrapher and master flower-arranger as well as sculptor. Wanting to discover more than the traditional works of his home Ikebana, Teshigahara founded the Sogetsu School of Flower Arranging in Tokyo and served as the headmaster for many years. Here he was able to explore new forms and ideas in art, teaching how to express originality over tradition. In his years at Sogetsu, Teshigahara’s sculptures transformed wood and metal into organic shapes. In 1929 Sogetsu held its first exhibition. It was such a great success that Teshigahara started teaching lessons over the local radio station. From then on Teshigahara held exhibitions and demonstrations all over Europe and the United States. In the 1960s he was awarded the Legion of Honor by France, and Japan award him the Geijutsu-Senzo Prize. Today, his works are held in collection by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, along with museums in Rome, Israel, and Tokyo. His piece Iroku is one of the first pieces collected by Public Art UHS.