Selections from Japan’s top 100 suiseki at the World Bonsai Convention

The 8th World Bonsai convention featured not only some of Japan’s best bonsai, but also some of its best suiseki.

Kamogawa yase ishi

The 100 stones on display were assembled by the Nippon Suiseki Association. It was an impressive exhibit.

Kamogawa ishi

Tanba shiun seki

Iyo ishi

The stones came in a variety of styles and sizes and were collected from all across Japan.

Seigaku ishi

Most stones were arranged on long tables while some the smaller stones were displayed under glass.

Mitagawa ishi

Kurama ishi

Ibigawa kuzuya ishi

The stones proved as popular as the trees at the exhibit as the suiseki area was full of visitors every time I stopped by.

Kurama ishi

I particularly enjoyed the many stones that were shaped unlike any I’d seen before. These abstract shapes didn’t always suggest familiar forms, but they did hold my attention.

Kamogawa ishi

Furuya ishi

Kifune taki ishi

Some of the larger stones appeared in their own display areas with scrolls, stands, and the occasional doban.

Reddish stone in doban

All in all, it was yet another awesome component of the 8th World Bonsai Convention.

Aka Tanbaishi