Shōzō Satō (佐藤昌三, ''Satō Shōzō,'' May 18, 1933 – May 4, 2025) was an artist, author, calligrapher, playwright and a professor emeritus of the College of Art and Design at the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

. He was the founder and former director of Japan House, and a former artist-in-residence at the

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts The Krannert Center for the Performing Arts is an educational and performing arts complex located at 500 South Goodwin Avenue in Urbana, Illinois and on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Herman C. Krannert, an industria ...

. Satō was an internationally renowned master of Japanese traditional arts, such as

Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is also known as . The origin of ikebana can be traced back to the ancient Japanese custom of erecting Evergreen, evergreen trees and decorating them with flowers as yorishiro () to invite the go ...

Japanese Calligraphy , also called , is a form of calligraphy, or artistic writing, of the Japanese language. Japanese writing system, Written Japanese was originally based on Man'yōgana, Chinese characters only, but the advent of the hiragana and katakana Japane ...

, Sumi-e,

Japanese Aesthetics Japanese aesthetics comprise a set of ancient ideals that include '' wabi'' (transient and stark beauty), '' sabi'' (the beauty of natural patina and aging), and '' yūgen'' (profound grace and subtlety). These ideals, and others, underpin much of ...

Japanese Traditional Dance Japanese traditional dance describes a number of Japanese dance styles with a long history and prescribed method of performance. Some of the oldest forms of traditional Japanese dance may be among those transmitted through the tradition, or folk ...

, and

Japanese Tea Ceremony The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or lit. 'Hot water for tea') is a Culture of Japan, Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . The term "Japa ...

. He was also a visionary theater director, most known for adapting Western classics into a traditional Japanese ''

Kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...

'' style.

Life and career

Satō was born in

Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

on May 18, 1933, and grew up in

Kamakura , officially , is a city of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 people per km2 over the tota ...

. He obtained a degree in Fine Arts from Bunka Gakuen College in Tokyo, studied music at the Tokyo Seisen School, studied theatre at the Toho Academy of Performing Arts in Tokyo, and trained with kabuki artist Nakamura Kanzaburō XVII. He studied

under Kishimoto Kōsen. He taught and performed in Japan until the early 60s. Satō first arrived at the University of Illinois in 1964 as a visiting artist. In 1968, he founded the Japanese Arts and Culture Program, where he taught classes in traditional Japanese arts, such as Calligraphy, Sumi-e, Ikebana, Kabuki, Tea Ceremony, and Japanese Aesthetics. He was known for adapting traditional western theatre into

style productions. His adaptations include ''Macbeth'', ''Medea'', ''Othello'', ''Faust'', ''Achilles'', ''Madame Butterfly'' and, ''The Mikado''. His last academic production was a Kabuki adaptation of ''Othello'', titled ''Iago's Plot'' (2017), at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. He was a visiting professor at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

in Evanston,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. Satō was the author of ''The Art of Arranging Flowers: A Complete Guide to Japanese

'', published in 1968 by Harry N. Abrams, Incorporated, New York, NY. The volume was printed and bound in Japan. With the assistance of Thomas A. Heenan, Satō was the author of ''The Art of Sumi-E: Appreciation, Techniques, and Application'', published in 1984 by Kodansha International Limited, Tokyo, Japan. The volume was printed in Japan and distributed in the U.S. by Kodansha International/USA Limited through Harper & Row, Publishers, Incorporated, New York, NY. Satō retired from teaching in 1992 and moved to Northern California where he established a Center for Japanese Art. Satō officiated at the wedding of actors

Nick Offerman Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor. He became widely known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom '' Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015), for which he received the Television Critics Association Award fo ...

and

Megan Mullally Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Karen Walker in the NBC sitcom '' Will & Grace'' (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outst ...

on September 20, 2003. In 2016, Satō returned to Champaign, Illinois, where he taught calligraphy, Sumi-e, and Zen philosophy. Satō died on May 4, 2025, at the age of 91.

Awards and honors

In 2004, he was awarded the Japanese

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six c ...

Bibliography

Books

* 1965: The Art of Arranging Flowers: A Complete Guide to Japanese Ikebana * 1984: The Art of Sumi-E: Appreciation, Techniques, and Application * 2004: Soul of Japan: Introducing Traditional Japanese Arts to New Generations * 2010: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting * 2013: Ikebana: The Art of Arranging Flowers * 2014: Shodo: The Quiet Art of Japanese Zen Calligraphy, Learn the Wisdom of Zen Through Traditional Brush Painting * 2017: Tea Ceremony: Explore the unique Japanese tradition of sharing tea * 2017: Ikebana: Create beautiful flower arrangements with this traditional Japanese art * 2022: Chazen: Zen Wisdom for Jeans & a T-Shirt

Plays

* 1978: Kabuki Macbeth * 1981: Kabuki Madame Butterfly * 1982: Kabuki Medea * 1986: Kabuki Faust * 1988: Kabuki Othello * 1991: Achilles: A Kabuki Play *1996: Iago's Plot *1997: For Love, Reconstructed from Romeo and Juliet *2005: Kabuki Lady Macbeth

References

1933 births 2025 deaths Kabuki playwrights Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 4th class {{Theat-bio-stub