Shōzō Satō (佐藤昌三, ''Satō Shōzō,'' born May 18, 1933) is 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 (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Unive ...

. He is the founder and former director of

Japan House Japan House is a learning facility founded in 1976 by Shozo Sato. It is part of the UIUC College of Fine and Applied Arts, College of Fine and Applied Arts, at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. The facility includes three tea room ...

, 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 ...

. He is an internationally renowned master of Japanese traditional arts, such as

Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is also known as . The tradition dates back to Heian period, when floral offerings were made at altars. Later, flower arrangements were instead used to adorn the (alcove) of a traditional Jap ...

Japanese Calligraphy also called is a form of calligraphy, or artistic writing, of the Japanese language. Written Japanese was originally based on Chinese characters only, but the advent of the hiragana and katakana Japanese syllabaries resulted in intri ...

, 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 ) is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . While in the West it is known as "tea ceremony", it is se ...

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

Kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought ...

'' style.

Biography

Satō was born in

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, w ...

, Japan on May 18, 1933, and grew up in

Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939. Kama ...

. 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 is 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 is also a visiting professor at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chart ...

in Evanston,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

. Satō is 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 is 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, writer, comedian, producer, and carpenter. He is best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', for which he received the Television Critics A ...

and

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

. on September 20, 2003. In 2016, Satō returned to Champaign, Illinois, where he continues to teach calligraphy, Sumi-e, and Zen philosophy.

Awards and honors

In 2004, he was awarded the Japanese

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese 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 classes, the lowest tw ...

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

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