Trees regularly rotate in and out of the Shinpukuji Bonsai Museum. When not on display, these trees – and countless project trees – reside in Mr. Oomura’s backyard. Set atop the mountain on which Shinpukuji Temple is located, the garden offers views of Aichi prefecture’s mountains and some great bonsai. The Garden A large black […]
Japan
Highlights from Shinpukuji Bonsai Museum
My visit, last year, to Shinpukuji Temple’s Bonsai Museum, was my first time seeing the trees in sunlight. The greens were brighter and the trunks darker than I’d seen before. The trees’ health was obvious. Here are some of the pines and junipers on display the day I visited. Semi-cascade Japanese black pine Cork bark […]
Terrific Tosho
The bonsai museum at Shinpukuji Temple features some great tosho, or needle juniper. Here are some of my favorites. Boon and tosho Many needle juniper bonsai are collected. Among the most prized features are knobby deadwood – ibo-jin, or wart-jin, in Japanese – and thin life lines with good movement. Ibo-jin Needle juniper Formal upright […]
Shinpukuji Bonsai Museum
The Shinpukuji Temple complex features a small bonsai museum that displays a rotating collection of trees belonging to Mr. Oomura. My first few visits to the garden were in winter. On these occasions the indoor display area was filled with blooming ume. This past fall, the hall included a mix of varieties and a fun selection of […]
Shinpukuji Temple Complex
My visit last year to Japan began at Shinpukuji Temple. Not far from Okazaki, Aichi, Shinpukuji is a collection of buildings that includes a large temple and an old wooden shrine. A restaurant on the grounds serves bamboo delicacies, and a bonsai museum offers colorful diversion. The custodian of Shinpukuji is Mr. Oomura. Oomura’s family […]