Sogetsu Ikebana's late Headmaster, Hiroshi Teshigahara was an artist and filmmaker. Hiroshi Sensei introduced the use of Unconventional materials, which is defined as anything that is not a flower, plant or organic material. We challenged our members to create something from their imaginations and they designed whimsical, fun and fantastic arrangements.
Click here for a Video of Unconventional Materials Arrangements

​Welcome to the Sogetsu San Francisco Bay Area Branch. 
Established March 24 1973, the Branch has over 40 years of presenting and sharing the art of Sogetsu Ikebana with our community. Through the Branch’s programs, we hone our members’ artistic skills, mindful of the words of Sogetsu’s founder, Sofu Teshigahara (1900 – 1979), that “Ikebana is a formative art” which stresses individual creativity. Look through the galleries and enjoy a selection of Sogetsu members' creations. We hold quarterly workshops, focused on developing our Sogetsu skills. Through our biennial flower shows, ArtScapes, we present the artistry of Sogetsu Ikebana to the Community.

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Joan Yusui Suzuki is a Founding Member of the Sogetsu San Francisco Bay Area Branch. Suzuki Sensei has studied under all 4 Iemotos (Headmasters) in the Sogetsu School - Sofu, Kasumi, Hiroshi and Akane.

It is extremely rare that one teacher's career spans 3 Generations of Grandmother, Mother and Granddaughter as students. This video features 3 arrangements representing 3 different generations and how they each interpret Sogetsu ikebana using the same material of Horsetail.
Click here to watch the video

Tomoko has been an event/video producer for 20+ years. Her passion is Horticulture. She has been taking Sogetsu lessons from Yoshiko Hogetsu Williams since 2010. Her floral design philosophy is to use natural materials and garden materials. She is also the Webmaster and active member of the Peninsula Rose Society since 2005. Free standing arrangements require a high level of technical skill which you can see in the Video.
Click here to watch this video