About us
Sangetsu is a school of flower arranging inspired by visionary and master artist, Mokichi Okada, who promoted a spiritual approach to life through beauty. He taught that beauty has the power to transform, to purify the spirit and evoke the highest qualities of character from within.
Sangetsu School follows Mokichi Okada’s example of being conscious “co-creators” with nature. Sangetsu philosophy teaches that the earth and all of nature is alive, and that the most important focus is to arrange flowers, branches and leaves in keeping with the dynamic life forces, growth patterns and inherent beauty of the natural world. By doing so, our flower arrangements retain their vital forces which have the power to transform the human heart and mind, and to enliven any space. Arranging flowers in a simple and beautiful way, results in works of art that uplift and inspire all who see them.
Ikebana means "flowers which have life" or "life-filled' flowers. The development of the art form of ikebana is credited to Shotoku Taishi who became Japan's Crown Prince in 592 A.D. In addition to being a great patron of the arts, he was one of the founders of Buddhism in Japan, a builder of temples, and perhaps the greatest scholar of the 6th Century.
During the regency of Prince Shotoku, arranging flowers or floral groupings was the duty of temple priests as a form of worship. Their intent was one of religious devotion which sought to prolong the life of the flowers rather than to create a beautiful design. Ikebana gradually evolved into a secular art that was first available only in the homes of the wealthy, and later became an art form studied by the masses of people.
There are now reputed to be over three thousand schools of ikebana. Similarities in philosophy and techniques are to be found in each school, as well as a distinguished feature or expression that makes each one unique.
The Sangetsu School of Flower Arranging was established on June 15, 1972, inspired by the flower arrangements of Mokichi Okada. The name “Sangetsu” means "mountain moon". The name was taken from the beautiful teahouse, Sangetsu-an, which was constructed in the gardens Okada created surrounding the Hakone Art Museum in Gora, Japan. Okada felt that natural and man-made beauty should combine and complement one another in all parts of life. It is with the desire of sharing this ideal that the Sangetsu School was founded.
