Juniper Bonsai & Other Kokufu Treats

A loop the loop Juniper at this year’s Kokufu Exhibition. I took the liberty of cropping* Boon Manakitivipart’s original for a closer look at the deadwood and living vein, as well as the unusual loop. Even with this closeup, it’s not easy to tell exactly what’s going on. But we’ll leave that to you We’ve been featuring some of Bill Valavanis’ photos from this year’s Kokufu Exhibition. If you’ve been following Bark for a while, you’ll know that Bill is one of our favorites. Today it’s Bonsai Boon, another of our favorites We’ll just show you some junipers this time, with more to … Continue reading Juniper Bonsai & Other Kokufu Treats

Still Some of the Best Bonsai in the World

This pitch perfect and powerful (sorry, too much coffee this morning) Japanese beech is from Bill Valavaanis’ photos at this year’s Kokufu Exhibiton. It’s a Japanese beech. Here’s Bill’s caption… “Look at the size of the leaf buds. It must have tiny leaves. I asked, it it not a special variety, only the location were it was grown and training techniques developed the small foliage and buds.” Back to Kokufu. Still just a tip of the iceberg. As before, all the photos are from Bill Valavanis, Bonsai blog. One of our regular haunts and always a click worth making Four … Continue reading Still Some of the Best Bonsai in the World

More Kokufu Bonsai, but Still Just Scratching the Surface

Full cascade Shimpaku (Juniperus chinensis Sargentii) at this year’s Kokufu Exhibition. I like the meandering play of the deadwood with the living vein. Something that works especially well with Shimpaku bonsai. This and the other photos in this post are courtesy of Bill Valavanis We’ve got some more of Bill Valavanis’ photos from this year’s Kokufu Exhibition. We’ll just scratch the surface and encourage you to visit Bill’s blog for more great shots Here’s a quote from Bill about the omnipresent Masahiko Kimura (The Magician) and his influence on Kokufu… “I saw Mr. Kimura and asked him how many bonsai … Continue reading More Kokufu Bonsai, but Still Just Scratching the Surface

For Every Highly Stylized Bonsai, There’s One that Breaks the Mold

For every highly stylized Japanese bonsai, there’s one like this that breaks the mold. It’s a Japanese red pine from Japan’s 80th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition (2006) Yesterday we featured several trees from this year’s Kokufu Exhibition, including a couple Japanese pines (Black and White). Today we’ve got some Japanese Red pines (Pinus densiflora) from the 2006 Kokufu Exhibition. All the photos are courtesy of Michael Bonsai NEW INCREASED SITE WIDE SALE 25% OFF all orders 25.00 or more INCLUDING ITEMS ALREADY DISCOUNTED PLUS AN EXTRA 10% OFF ROSHI TOOLS & TOOL KITS Discounts Are Applied at Checkout STONELANTERN.COM Closer up … Continue reading For Every Highly Stylized Bonsai, There’s One that Breaks the Mold

Kokufu Bonsai! It’s that Time of Year Again

Dwarf Kumquat. Even though there are more dramatic trees to choose from, I picked this one to start with in part because of the pot. The tree isn’t so bad either with its muscular little trunk and profusion of tiny Kumquats. This photo and the rest shown here are from Bill Valavanis’s Bonsai blog It’s Kokufu time! and Bill Valavanis is back in Japan shooting photos for all of us who can’t make the trip. I’ve grabbed just a few that I like. There’s more where these came from at Bill’s Welcome to My World Bonsai blog NEW SITE WIDE SALE … Continue reading Kokufu Bonsai! It’s that Time of Year Again

American Bonsai – The Kennett Collection

Fantastic tree! It belongs to Doug Paul (Mr. Kennett Collection). This photo is from the famous Kokufu Exhibition in Tokyo. It’s a great honor to have a tree accepted to Kokufu; only a handful of North Americans have had that honor Continuing with our lead up to the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition, today we’ve got a few photos from Doug Paul’s Kennett Collection, no doubt one of the foremost bonsai collections in North America. The collection – with the exception of any trees Doug keeps in Japan -resides in Kennett Square PA. Our Warehouse will be open this week, but Ric will … Continue reading American Bonsai – The Kennett Collection

A Perfect Example of Great Bonsai Ramification

This magnificent Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) received the coveted Kokufu prize at the 88th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition (the oldest and most prestigious bonsai exhibition in the world). Aside from its unique power and beauty, this tree provides a perfect example of what great ramification looks like (made even more obvious by the bright rusty-red leaf buds). The photo is from the World Bonsai Friendship Federation. Identification and other details were provided by Bill Valavanis. Yesterday we discussed ramification so we’ll keep going with this post that we last featured in January, 2015. 30% to 50% off Book Special Ends Soon see below – This … Continue reading A Perfect Example of Great Bonsai Ramification

It’s Kokufu Time!

It’s Kokufu time! I borrowed this Root-Over-Rock Trident Maple and rest of the bonsai shown here from Bill Valavanis. They represent a very small sampling of the photos Bill has taken so far at the ongoing 92nd Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition. Today is my last full day of vacation, so we’ll make this short and sweet. Five Kokufu photos borrowed from Bill Valavanis. As always Bill’s tireless efforts to keep us clued in to the world of bonsai are appreciated. As is his trained eye. Stay posted, we’ll show you some more when we get home, including some prize winners. Meanwhile a visit to … Continue reading It’s Kokufu Time!

Before & After White Pine at the Pacific Bonsai Museum

Here’s a before and after that involves bringing an overgrown tree back to it former splendor. The tree is a formal upright Japanese white pine that resides at the Pacific Bonsai Museum. The artist is Tyler Sherrod. I’m a big fan of the Pacific Bonsai Museum and of course, a good before and after bonsai. Especially with such a noble looking tree. While we’re at the museum, did you know that you can have the honor of becoming a member, and in so doing, supporting one of our genuine North American bonsai treasures? Here’s what Tyler Sherrod wrote about this tree … Continue reading Before & After White Pine at the Pacific Bonsai Museum

Breaking the Bonsai Mold – Japanese Red Pines

For every highly stylized Japanese bonsai, there’s one like this that breaks the mold. It’s a Japanese red pine from Japan’s 80th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition (2006). Sticking with bonsai from famous Japanese exhibitions, it’s back to Kokufu. Though this time it’s Japanese red pines (Pinus densiflora), instead of the more common Japanese black and white pines. And once again, we found the photos on Michael Bonsai. NEW BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL DEEPLY DISCOUNTED koyo JAPANESE TOOLS 25% TO 40% BELOW LIST PRICES CHOSE FROM OVER 50 DIFFERENT HIGH QUALITY KOYO TOOLS Closer up for a better look at the bark … Continue reading Breaking the Bonsai Mold – Japanese Red Pines