Sogetsu Ikebana was born of a desire to encourage the expression of individual creativity through innovative flower arrangement, without the constraints of following rigid patterns. The core belief of school founder Sofu Teshigahara was that when arranged, "flowers become human," taking on the spirit and personality of their arranger. More than 90 years on, his commitment to free and open expression has been faithfully passed down by his successors, winning enthusiastic followers around the globe.
Subsequent leaders of Sogetsu have followed Sofu's example of seeking inspiration through frequent collaborations with artists of all genres. They have also tried their own hand at art forms besides ikebana — pottery, calligraphy, stage directing and more. The third head of Sogetsu, Hiroshi Teshigahara, had some success as a film director.