One of the highlights of attending the U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition, held every other year in Rochester, New York, is meeting and catching up with people from across the bonsai community.
As luck would have it, Andrew Robson introduced me to Portland ceramicist Nao Tokutake at this year’s event. Nao toured the exhibition with Andrew and me and then sat down with us to record an episode for the Bonsai Wire Podcast.
One of Nao’s pots was on display at the exhibit. It was a modern take on a bag shape that accompanied Dennis Vojtilla’s award-winning Washington Hawthorn (see the tree here).
![Modern bag pot](https://bonsaitonight.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/DSC00272.jpg)
Modern bag pot at the 7th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition
The photos below are from Nao’s website. He works with a variety of shapes, sizes, and glazes.
![Heavy reduced iron rectangle](https://bonsaitonight.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/9_-heavy-reduced-iron-rectangle-1024x666.jpg)
Heavy reduced iron rectangle
(this and subsequent photos courtesy Nao Tokutake)
![Red and green oval](https://bonsaitonight.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Red-Green-Oval-1024x602.jpg)
Red and green oval
![American Canton](https://bonsaitonight.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/American-Canton_-Southern-magnolia-with-Carolina-wren-1024x683.jpg)
American Canton
![Reduced rectangles](https://bonsaitonight.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/7_-and-9_-reduced-rectangles-1024x683.jpg)
Reduced rectangles
![Slanted unglazed rectangle](https://bonsaitonight.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Slanted-Unglazed-Rectangle-1024x683.jpg)
Slanted unglazed rectangle
![Drippy sandy indent rectangle](https://bonsaitonight.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Drippy-Sandy-Indent-Rectangle-1024x683.jpg)
Drippy sandy indent rectangle
![Unglazed bag pot](https://bonsaitonight.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/unglazed-bag-pot-1024x682.jpg)
Unglazed bag pot
![Red and blue slanted rectangle](https://bonsaitonight.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Red-Blue-Slanted-Rectangle-1024x642.jpg)
Red and blue slanted rectangle
![Unglazed indent rectangle](https://bonsaitonight.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Unglazed-Indent-Rectangle-1024x683.jpg)
Unglazed indent rectangle
You can learn more about Nao’s work at tokutakebonsai.com.
Listen to the Bonsai Wire Podcast interview with Nao at bonsaiwirepodcast.com.
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Gabriel Anievas says
Hello. I just want to know the original inventor of Bonsai? It’s the Japanese or Chinese. Also do they follow a similar pattern or they base their style on mindset intuition?
Jonas Dupuich says
Hi Gabriel! The first known image of bonsai shows up over 1000 years ago in China. The first references to bonsai in Japan are more recent. Chinese and Japanese approaches differ, and there are different approaches within these countries too.
Robert Thatcher says
Wonderful pots. I never heard of the term ‘bag pot’, but what a
great name for an oval pot with a drawn-in top, an inward facing
lip.
Jonas Dupuich says
Thanks, Robert! The name is the same in Japanese: fukurobachi.