This radically eccentric California juniper was donated to the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum by Harry Hirao (Mr. California Juniper). It is only a small part of a wonderful collection of world class bonsai that you’ll find at the Museum. A visit every bonsai enthusiast (especially those of us in north America) would do well to consider.

Did Harry play a practical joke?
The taper is all wrong and the trunk forms a crazy upside down U shape. Did Harry play a practical joke on the National Museum?

Or, I am pulling your leg?

It’s worth the trip, even if you don’t live in (or near) southern California. For more information visit the Golden State Bonsai Federation website.

Pioneer state
California, perhaps more than anywhere else outside of Asia (no offense meant to anyone or anywhere else) has been out front in developing the art of bonsai. No doubt a number of factors are responsible, not the least of which is a strong Japanese American community and a growing season that lasts almost forever, with enough sun and heat in one year to last us a lifetime here in Vermont.

The GSBF
Another factor that goes hand in hand with the ones mentioned above is the Golden State Bonsai Federation. It’s been around for a long time (fill us in if you know how long) and does a great job tying together California’s large robust bonsai community.

Part of GSBF’s Northern California collection. They also have one in Southern California.

Golden Statements and Harry Hirao
GSBF produces an excellent magazine (Golden Statements), a full calendar of bonsai events, two permanent bonsai collections, and a website worth visiting. And perhaps best of all; GSBF often features Mr. California Juniper (aka Harry Hirao). Really, it doesn’t get much better.

Here’s another shot of the man and the tree. Both are very impressive in their own way, though neither provided much mystery, at least for those of you who responded. BTW: here’s where we borrowed this photo and the photo that appears in contest #4.

The winner…
… is John Callaway. John wasn’t the only one to get it right, but he was the first one to get it right.

The man…
…is Mr. California Juniper, Harry Hirao.

The tree…
…is (appropriately) a California juniper. The botanical name is Juniperus californica.

And the source…
…is Kofu Review; Kofu Bonsai Kai. Check it out, it’s a great site.

Here’s another impressive Juniperus californica by Mr. California Juniper. It’s from our Juniper book.

This Scot’s pine (Pinus sylvestris) by Walter Pall is from the cover of Bonsai Today issue 104. It was presented by Walter as an example of a naturalistic bonsai.

“… too many of these bonsai look like they are made of plastic…”
The whole quote, which was written by Walter Pall, and appears in Bonsai Today issue 104, goes like this: “I have seen that the trend in styling is toward more and more refinement, which often takes away all the naturalness. I find that too many of these bonsai look like they are made of plastic and are not real.”

You be the judge
To my eyes, Walter Pall’s Scot’s pine is a wonderful bonsai. That’s why we chose it for the cover of Bonsai Today. But we’ve also featured some much more stylized and refined trees for covers; trees that we like. Are these trees overly refined and plastic looking?

This page from our Juniper book features a Needle juniper that is famous in Japanese bonsai circles (famous enough to appear on the cover of Kindai Bonsai – Japan’s foremost bonsai magazine – and Bonsai Today issue 63). It was styled by Shinji Suzuki, Michael Hagedorn‘s teacher (Michael is an accomplish American bonsai artist. teacher and author). The California juniper in the upper corner was collected and styled by Harry Hirao, “Mr. California Juniper.”

Feel before you think?
Masahiko Kimura has commented at various times that ultimately bonsai is about feeling. I think that’s true of most things; before we think, we have a basic attraction or aversion (or indifference) to something. Then, we tend to use concepts to explain or justify what we feel. If you agree with this view (or even if you don’t), you might want to try to just look at the trees in this post, without thinking too much, and see what you feel about them.

This wild looking Big cone Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga macrocarpa) belongs to Dan Robinson, a well know American bonsai artist. Here’s what Dan has to say about it on the Elandan Gardens website: “Collected from natural granitic basin high in the Colorado Rockies, this tree, with the helping hand of Larry Jackall, was lifted straight up out of the basin using a crowbar under the bottom branch. The tree was subsequently planted in a granite basin here at Elandan Gardens. Its spiraled bark and dead wood are the result of a genetic mutation.

If want to read more of Walter Pall’s article…
Not only can Walter style great bonsai, but he can make a point in writing. Unfortunately, Bonsai Today 104, where Walter’s article appears, is out of print. But don’t despair, we’ll post quotes from it right here, as we continue to explore this and other related subjects. Meanwhile, here’s another quote to whet your appetite: “A traditional bonsai is ideal; it is abstract. A naturalistic bonsai is realistic, but never totally realistic. There’s always a certain degree of abstraction.”

…or visit his website
Walter has one of the best websites on bonsai.

Here’s our previous post on The Great Debate.