Tokonoma with a large pine bonsai and scroll. From Kunio Kobayashi’s Shunkaen Bonsai Museum.
Back to the Source
I think it’s a good idea to check in on Japanese bonsai now and then. After all, it’s one of the two most important historical sources for bonsai (the other would be China) and still produces a very large share of the highest quality bonsai in the world.
Kunio Kobayashi
Kunio Kobayashi is one of best known and most accomplished bonsai artists in Japan and beyond. He has received numerous prestigious bonsai prizes and has taught extensively throughout the world. He has also established the Shunkaen Bonsai Museum to display bonsai.
The photos
The two tokonoma photos in this post are from Kunio Kobayashi’s website. The others are by Antonin Ott.
A bird’s eye of part of Mr Kobayashi’s collection and the museum. This photo and the three immediately below are by Antonin Ott.
You say you like nebari and strong taper?
Another tokonoma shot. The tree looks like a camellia. I wonder why the figurine is so small. Is it to create a sense of vastness in the display? Or to bring humans down a notch in the scheme of things? Maybe the scroll explains it.
That camellia bonsai is over the moon! We don’t see many camellia bonsai as it is, but root-clasping-rock kengai? WOW! (Camellia bonsai fan here)
Thanks Wayne, for yet another excellent post.
Bruce
Hi Wayne… In the last photo, the first two characters of the scroll translate as “mountain” & “blossom” (_san-ka_ or _yama-hana_). Perhaps, the figure is a standing poet (Li Po?) looking skyward & placed where his glance is directed to the flowers.
Thanks Chris,
Yes, and why not Li Po?
Amongst the flowers I
am alone with my pot of wine
drinking by myself; then lifting
my cup I asked the moon
to drink with me, its reflection
and mine in the wine cup, just
the three of us; then I sigh
for the moon cannot drink,
and my shadow goes emptily along
with me never saying a word;
with no other friends here, I can
but use these two for company;
in the time of happiness, I
too must be happy with all
around me; I sit and sing
and it is as if the moon
accompanies me; then if I
dance, it is my shadow that
dances along with me; while
still not drunk, I am glad
to make the moon and my shadow
into friends, but then when
I have drunk too much, we
all part; yet these are
friends I can always count on
these who have no emotion
whatsoever; I hope that one day
we three will meet again,
deep in the Milky Way.
Excellent… :-)