Kosen Ohtsubo
Kosen Ohtsubo is a Japanese ikebana artist active in Japan and internationally for more than six decades. Over many years in the education department of Ikebana Ryuseiha, he pursued the technical and formal traditions of ikebana while teaching generations of students.
At the same time, his practice has encompassed a wide range of avant-garde ikebana works, from small compositions to spatial installations. He frequently uses vegetables, wild plants, and discarded objects, often working with deliberately simple methods. A lifelong jazz enthusiast, he values improvisation and responsiveness, often allowing materials and circumstances to shape the final form of a work.
At the same time, his practice has encompassed a wide range of avant-garde ikebana works, from small compositions to spatial installations. He frequently uses vegetables, wild plants, and discarded objects, often working with deliberately simple methods. A lifelong jazz enthusiast, he values improvisation and responsiveness, often allowing materials and circumstances to shape the final form of a work.
Strange Callas I (1978)
1/5 the Rubbish of the Ryusei Exhibition (1971)
Headlocked Radishes (1989)
Botanical Man (1978)
Linga India (1977)
Rikka of Lotus (1993)
Photos: Ryuseiha
Studio
The studio and teaching space is located in a residential area of Saitama and was designed by Hiroshi Nakao. The name “Flower Planet” reflects the wish for a peaceful world where anyone on the planet, regardless of background or circumstances, can pick up flowers and arrange them.
Studio Exterior
Flower Planet ceramic plaque (Made by Jun Kawaguchi)
Ohtsubo at Work
Biography
Born in 1939 in Ashio, a mining town in Tochigi Prefecture.
He began studying Ikebana under Kasen Yoshimura, the third head of the Ryuseiha school, in the 1960s.
Around 1970 he started presenting works in magazines and exhibitions and also began teaching.
During a trip to India in 1975, he was deeply struck by Shiva linga and the ritual scattering of flower petals as offerings.
From 2005 to 2013, he lived in Beijing.
He now continues to work and teach at his home studio.
He began studying Ikebana under Kasen Yoshimura, the third head of the Ryuseiha school, in the 1960s.
Around 1970 he started presenting works in magazines and exhibitions and also began teaching.
During a trip to India in 1975, he was deeply struck by Shiva linga and the ritual scattering of flower petals as offerings.
From 2005 to 2013, he lived in Beijing.
He now continues to work and teach at his home studio.
Selected Exhibitions & Projects
1973
Ikebana Independent ― Toshimaen, Tokyo, Japan (co-founder and participating artist)
1974–77
Ikebana Group of Eight ― Matsuya Ginza, Tokyo, Japan (co-founder and participating artist)
1977–
Ikebana Open Call Exhibition ― Tokyo, Japan (co-founder and participating artist)
1982–85
Solo exhibitions ― Gallery Te, Lunami Gallery, Maki Gallery and other venues, Tokyo, Japan (self-organized)
1985
Hara Annual ― Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
1985
Japanese Autumn 1985 ― Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum, Aalborg, Denmark
1997
Ikebana as an Expression ― Nagoya Citizens' Gallery, Nagoya, Japan
1997
Organic Matters ― Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, USA (artist-in-residence)
1999
Flash Solo Exhibition: My Funeral at Sixty ― BUTTU TRICK-BAR Tokyo, Japan (self-organized)
2003
Perfection / Impermanence: Contemporary Ikebana ― Wave Hill, New York, USA
2005
From Contemporary Art? to ! 4 ― Potatoes in Heat ― Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, Yokohama, Japan (solo exhibition)
2025
Flower Planet ― Kunstverein München, Munich, Germany (two-person exhibition with Christian Kōun Alborz Oldham)
2025
15th Shanghai Biennale ― Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China
2026
Tuomas A. Laitinen, Siphon ― Pioneer Works, New York, USA
International Cultural Exchange
Invitations through cultural and governmental initiatives included Hong Kong · Utrecht · New Orleans · London · Portland · Mendocino · Florida · Seoul · Damascus · Beirut · Amman · Ulaanbaatar · Wellington · Singapore.
In 2006, while based in Beijing, Ohtsubo was appointed as a Japan Cultural Envoy by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan. Invitations during his years in China also took him to Shanghai · Dalian · Shenyang · Qingdao · Tianjin · Chongqing · Nanjing · Inner Mongolia and other locations.
In 2006, while based in Beijing, Ohtsubo was appointed as a Japan Cultural Envoy by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan. Invitations during his years in China also took him to Shanghai · Dalian · Shenyang · Qingdao · Tianjin · Chongqing · Nanjing · Inner Mongolia and other locations.
Publications
1981
Plant & Man
1995
Contemporary Flower Artist 4: Kosen Ohtsubo
