Some time ago, Alexi Goranov asked if I’d be interested in a list of trees that have won Kokufu prizes. I was. I was curious what varieties these trees were and interested in flipping through old books to see what the winning trees looked like. The index includes show number and year, variety, style and […]
Exhibits
Exhibits are where we can see bonsai at their best. Explore posts from Bonsai Exhibits in the U.S. including the U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition and Japanese events including the world-famous Kokufu and Taikan-ten exhibits.
Ume at Kokufu 90
The Japanese flowering apricot below was displayed at this year’s Kokufu exhibit in Tokyo’s Ueno park. Ume – Japanese flowering apricot When deciding whether or not to accept ume bonsai for display at Kokufu, the judges consider the odds that the tree will bloom during the exhibit. If a flowering bonsai shows up a few weeks […]
White pine at Kokufu 90
The white pine below appeared at the 90th anniversary Kokufu exhibition held this past February in Tokyo’s Ueno Park. White pine White pine are commonly styled in the exposed root style. While some of these specimens are collected, many are developed as bonsai from seed. Good specimens have flaky bark and foliage arranged into relatively […]
Curvy Shimpaku at Kokufu 90
For a mini-fall break this year, I’ll share some photos from the 2016 Kokufu exhibit in Tokyo. First up is a twisty shimpaku juniper with a very thin lifeline. Shimpaku The tree is interesting in that the jin at the top of the tree somewhat mirrors the trunk below and the foliage emerges from a […]
Broom-style zelkova
Seeing the deciduous bonsai on display at Kokufu is always a treat. Here’s a great example – a broom-style zelkova with strong roots, straight trunk, and many fine branches creating a full silhouette. It’s a beautiful tree. Zelkova