I don’t know a lot about Mr. Takagi – a friend brought us to his nursery to view bonsai and shop for pots. And as we cannot import trees into the U.S., pots figured prominently on our bonsai traveler’s shopping list. While racing through the garden – one rarely knows how long a visit like […]
Excursions
Excursion posts feature visits to bonsai gardens in the U.S. and in Japan, visits to the Kyoto's Most Renown Gardens, and trips into the mountains to see junipers and pines in their natural setting.
Ooishi
“How old are you?” Ooishi asked. We were sitting in his workshop looking at a half-dozen deciduous trees that could be the envy of a many a collection. “Great! Start some cuttings” he said, waving at the trees in his garden, “and grow these yourself!” “These?” I thought to myself. Ooishi’s deciduous bonsai “This?” Stewartia […]
Daiju En
The following photo is a clue to the location of our next stop: Pine bark You guessed it – Daiju En, one of the world’s more famous pine bonsai gardens. And it’s the family home of my teacher’s teacher’s teacher. My teacher, Boon Manakitivipart, studied in Japan with Kihachiro Kamiya, student of Toshinori Sukuki. Daiju […]
Okamoto
Last weekend was a marathon of repotting. I returned from Japan to find that the pines had started moving and that time was running short to get them in shape for spring. It’s always the one time of year when I feel the clock is against me. I usually repot my most developed trees early […]
Shinpukuji Temple and Environs
This tree put a smile on my face too – it’s one of many great trees in a garden near the Shinpukuji Temple in Okazaki. The owner of this collection has shown at least one tree in each in Kokufu bonsai exhibit for the past 20 years. Vlad and root over rock trident maple. Adjacent […]