The idea of exhibiting six shohin bonsai in a single display can be daunting. Fortunately there are good alternatives that accommodate smaller numbers of bonsai in the display. At Gafu-ten, the most common single-tree displays feature bunjin bonsai. These trees have little visual weight for their size but fill the display area well. Bunjin camellia […]
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.
Shohin judging categories at Gafu-ten
At Gafu-ten, Japan’s premier shohin exhibit, there are a number of different judging categories. This allows the judges to recognize the best contributions for a particular type of tree or display. Some of the key categories include: Over 70 cm (the box stand for the display is 80 cm wide) 70 cm (the box stand […]
Anatomy of a shohin display
One of the first displays to catch my attention at this year’s Gafu-ten exhibit featured six trees and an accent plant. Award-winning display at the 2019 Gafu-ten held in Kyoto, Japan Unlike the display of larger bonsai, shohin display entails complex relationships among all of the trees in the composition. As the number of trees […]
Roy Minarai pots at the Gafu-ten pottery competition
It was fantastic to visit a ceramics competition in Japan and see Roy Minarai of Kawauso Pottery recognized for his work. Roy took second in the glazed category for this year’s pottery competition held at the 2019 Gafu-ten exhibit held in Kyoto, Japan. Minarai display Roy entered three pots, a blue glazed mokko, a green […]
Fall vacation edition – photos from Taikan-ten
I’ll be taking a break from the blog for the next few weeks, but new posts will return mid-December. In the meantime, here are some photos from the 2011 Taikan-ten exhibit. See you next month! Bunjin black pine Massive shimpaku Formal upright black pine Flaky bark Root over rock chojubai Accent with moss and selaginella […]