The best thing about spring shows is the opportunity for color. Gyokurei Saien This was the first spring show I’d attended in Japan. I was struck by how nice it was to see bright indications of the season. Sayaka Jukokan Somewhere between one third to half of the satsuki bonsai on display at the 8th […]
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.
Bonsai from the Keiunan Collection at the World Bonsai Convention
It’s hard to overstate the quality of the trees on display at the 8th World Bonsai Convention, and some of the best belonged to the Keiunan Collection. White pine – 250 years The trees are under the care of Shinji Suzuki. Several were originally created by Masahiko Kimura. Black pine – 500 years Red pine […]
Bonsai from the Funayama Collection at the World Bonsai Convention
One thing that made the recent World Bonsai Convention so special was the inclusion of collections that aren’t often displayed. One of these collections belongs to Akiei Funayama, a Fukushima-based bonsai artist. White pine Funayama focuses on white bonsai, as is clear from the outstanding specimens that were on display. White pine Multi-trunk white pine […]
Masaru Hazaka Collection at World Bonsai Convention
A few days before the 8th World Bonsai Convention opened, our group had the opportunity to visit a private bonsai garden. The garden, set in a secluded valley near Nikko, in the Tochigi prefecture, belonged to Masaru Hazaka, Chairman of the Nippon Houju Association. Hazaka’s garden was beautiful, but he apologized when we arrived as […]
A list of Kokufu Prize winning bonsai
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 […]