Kohfu Furukawa 古川香風 (a.k.a. Ayakoh Furukawa-Leonart) is a New York based visual artist originally from Japan. Her practice bridges traditional Japanese art and Western art, shaped by a unique cross-cultural background.

She has practiced calligraphy since early age with Calligrapher Nakamura Goseki（中村悟石）, Buddhist Munk Kashimoto Sougyu（樫本桑牛）and later studied Sumie with Sumi-e Master Shibuta Tenyu（澁田天游）. After relocating to the United States, she deepens her engagement with sumi-e through exchanges with American Sumi-e artists and her involvement with the Metro New York Sumi-e Society.

Kohfu has taught sumi-e at RESOBOX, Kennedy International School, the Japan Society, and Brooklyn Museum of Art, as well as in corporate cultural workshops and programs introducing Japanese Sumi-e to broader audiences. Drawing on both Eastern and Western art traditions, she has developed an understanding of effective approaches to teaching to American students. She continues to expand the possibilities of Sumi-e as a contemporary art form. 

She earned a Master of Fine Art in Studio Art from Hunter College, City University of New York, where she also studied Asian Art History and Buddhism. In addition to her practice in sumi-e, she is active as a multidisciplinary artist and continues to expand the possibilities of Sumi-e as a contemporary art form. Her contemporary art works have been exhibited internationally.  

She currently serves as President of the Japanese Artists Association of New York, Inc.