The heart of Japan – Keiji Tanaka display at 35th Taikan-ten

One of the highlights of this year’s Taikan-ten was a special display featuring specimens from the Keiji Tanaka collection. Three bonsai and two suiseki were exhibited in a display designed by Seiji Morimae. The trees were fantastic, as was the work by Shinji Suzuki.

Trident maple

A placard for the display provided the following text:

The Heart of Japan

The rich, profound culture of Japan has evolved over a great many years, as the people have lived as one with the beautiful mountains and pure waters that surround them. The Japanese have, without intention, internalized all things in nature, interwoven as they are with the changes of the four seasons, and developed a contemplative spirit in their perspectives on life. Bonsai and suiseki are the manifestations of a fully matured aesthetic, born of the high sense of beauty unique to the people and nature that have shaped Japanese culture. The Japanese white pine, maple, and juniper displayed here show years of hardship and struggle, yet vigorously thrive in their small containers through the love and skill of those who have cared for them, embodying the very beauty of life itself. And through the beauty of allusion, mere stones once found in mountains and rivers vividly remind us of the grandeur of nature. With a thousand years of cultural history, we hope that you enjoy the arrangement of the bonsai and suiseki here, which resemble not only the vastness of nature, but also represent a tangible manifestation of the Japanese heart.

A nice sentiment for an impressive display.

Shimpaku

Trunk detail

White pine

Suiseki

Tanaka Collection display