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Enjoying a bonsai show

December 27, 2011 by Jonas Dupuich

Walking through a bonsai show is a great way to pass an afternoon – or longer if the show is particularly large or excellent. But spending a whole day at a bonsai exhibit? Two days? Three? That’s a different story. I was surprised to find myself with a lot of free time at several great exhibits this fall. After wandering the aisles for several hours on consecutive days, I found there were many different ways to take in all that a show has to offer.

Kinzu

Citrus japonica ‘Hindsii’ – Kinzu, or wild kumquat

At first I spent a lot of time looking at my favorite trees, or trees that triggered enough dissonance to keep me engaged. I looked at the branches, the wiring, the style and the health of the tree. Sometimes I’d ponder the display or try to figure out what I’d do with such a tree were it my own.

Japanese flowering quince - 'Chojubai'

Japanese flowering quince – ‘Chojubai’

Needle juniper

Needle juniper

This approach only kept me occupied for so long. During my second full day at Gomangoku, I searched out all of the black pines and really focused on how they were styled. During my third full day at the exhibit, I studied the relationship between trees and pots, asking myself if I liked the color, shape, size and style of the containers in which the bonsai were growing. At one point I caught myself focusing on the accent plants and even on the mini-slabs on which the accents were displayed. In short, I found there was a lot to learn from quality exhibits.

White pine

White pine

The photos in this post come from this year’s Taikan-ten in Kyoto. I don’t know that I saw the program for the event, but I spent a lot of time studying the trees. I think the only reading I did about the exhibit focused on a remarkable pine from Daiju-en that “survived the atomic bomb blast at Hiroshima.”

Japanese black pine - survived Hiroshima

Japanese black pine

Card displayed with remarkable pine

Everything else I gleaned from the exhibit resulted from studying the trees on display and talking about the trees with Peter Tea and other visitors. I don’t recall what exactly struck me about these trees as I stood before them, but it likely resembled the questions and comments below.

Shimpaku

Shimpaku – what fun movement and dense foliage.

Trident maple

Trident maple – wow, the trunk fills the pot. Good fall color, and interesting glaze on the pot.

Princes persimmon

Princess persimmon with great fruit – I really want to develop more fruiting bonsai because they provide great color for exhibits.

Japanese black pine

Black pine – very unusual movement. What is the ideal pot for such a trunk?

Accent

Great fall color – interesting pot.

Satsuki

Old satsuki azalea

Persimmon

Elegant princess persimmon – nice open display

Satsuki

Giant trunk for a satsuki – is the pot a good fit?

White pine

White pine on a rock – these were always heavier than I expected

White pine

Unusual white pine planting – it might be fun to create more interesting “containers” for my trees.

Shimpaku

Shimpaku with small scroll

Japanese black pine

Formal upright black pine – wish I had a few.

White pine

White pine with striking first branch – how would I style such a tree?

Japanese maple

Japanese maple – great color, great trunk, great roots. Nice composition.

White pine

White pine with really long key branch

White pine

White pine clump on a slab. This is clearly the year for non-traditional white pine bonsai.

White pine

Great white pine – massive base, and the tree was only about a foot tall.

Japanese black pine

Black pine

Shimpaku

Shimpaku

Flowering apricot - ume

Japanese flowering apricot – ume

Shimpaku

Shimpaku with awesome movement. Wow. Really pretty tree. How fun to pick a pot to complement the trunk.

Rock planting

What’s the name of this tree again? I looked it up when I got home. It’s an osteomeles, known as isozanshou in Japan. I’d like to find one to work on.

Korean hornbeam

Korean hornbeam

Japanese black pine

Japanese black pine – a comforting tree to admire. The base is large but not overpowering. The round apex and branch pads give the tree a soft feeling that complements the round bends in the trunk.

The pine above was one of many nice pines on display, and one of the many great bonsai in the hall. Enough so that I didn’t even try to take it all in at once. The sales area made for the best distraction – that and the snack bar. I’ll take a short break now and share more photos from the show later this week.

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Filed Under: Exhibits Tagged With: Japan, Taikan-ten

Previous Post: « Taikan-ten – all the little things
Next Post: Taikan-ten – awesome bonsai »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Greg McCleary says

    December 29, 2011 at 11:00 am

    Thanks for sharing the pics, the perspective and for encouraging new ideas. I really appreciate your every post, Jonas. You do WAY more than you know to encourage better bonsai and better blogging, to boot. TTYS, Greg.

  2. Rui Marques says

    January 3, 2012 at 2:46 pm

    Zanthoxylum piperitum – — you can find some in http://www.luso-bonsai.com in Portugal. Their caracterisic is the pepper fragance.

  3. Suzi Dethman says

    January 6, 2012 at 10:24 am

    I enjoy all the great photos, good tips and info.

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