Mr. Fukunaga has been growing bonsai for a long time. He gave most of the trees in his garden their start which is really something considering how far along they are. His deciduous collection features a number of different varieties including hornbeam and trident maple as well as some of the less common varieties like […]
Japan
A visit to Miyakonojou
In the small town of Miyakonojou in southern Kyushu lives one Mr. Fukunaga, a bonsai hobbyist. He’s been growing bonsai for several decades – mostly black pine, white pine, and Japanese maples with some other varieties here and there. Conifers filled his front yard. Mr Fukunaga’s garden Twin trunk white pine Some of the trees […]
Selected highlights from the 2011 Taikan ten
For the Thanksgiving weekend I thought I’d share a few of the highlights from the 2011 Takian ten. The event is held annually in Kyoto at this time of year. For those who missed previous posts from the event, see more from the 2011 Taikan Ten. Enjoy! Shimpaku Trident maple Black pine Needle juniper Shimpaku […]
Bonsai from Takasago-an
When I visited Takasago-an in 2011, many of Daizo Iwasaki’s best trees were on display elsewhere. That did not, however, mean there was a lack of amazing bonsai to see. Gauging by numbers of each variety in the garden, Iwasaki was most fond of white pines. But with so many trees around, even less prevalent […]
Takasago-an
For many years, Daizo Iwasaki was known as Japan’s premier bonsai collector. He maintained over 1,000 trees at his beautiful estate, Takasago-an, outside of Takamatsu in Shikoku, Japan. Just ahead of the 2011 ASPAC Bonsai and Suiseki Convention, Mr. Iwasaki passed away. His garden and bonsai collection remain as testaments to the trees he loved. Here are […]