Founded in 1927 by Sofu Teshigahara, the Sogetsu school offered an unconventional approach to ikebana. In 1930, he participated in writing a “Manifesto of New Ikebana”, a radical document influenced by the avant-garde movement in Europe. Teshigahara announced that ikebana would, from then on, became one of the contemporary fine arts using all kinds of material in addition to plants. Sofu traveled extensively and made life-long friends with Miro, Dali, Gaudi and Tapies. Time magazine described him as the “Picasso of Flowers.”