"This exposed root Japanese black pine is a blend of Japanese sensibility and American craftsmanship.... Obviously it's a Japanese species, and it's hard to argue that several of the styling cues are based on Japanese bonsai. However, this tree is 100% made in America. The tree itself, started from seed and grown as bonsai material in California. The pot, hand made by American potter Dale Cochy, circa 2004. All brought together, styled and finished by me, an American bonsai artists trained in Japan. An exciting collision of several worlds and a respectful nod to all things bonsai from US and Japan."
The tree and the caption above belong to Danny Coffey. Danny is one of the many young Western bonsai artists who spent formative years studying bonsai in Japan. His teacher was and is Junichiro Tanaka, the fourth-generation owner of Aichien Bonsai Nursery. Danny has also served as an an intern at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum under the guidance of Jack Sustic, former museum curator.
For more on Danny you can visit him on facebook and on his Tree the People blog. You might also take a look at a Bark post on Danny from last January.
Continued below…
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Danny Coffey with 47 Rhonin. Here's his caption: "Recently the Pacific Bonsai Museum brought me out to Washington to do some bonsai work. This sub alpine fir forest was a really fun project. The bonsai was donated to the museum by Bob Kataoka. He originally built the composition in 1960 and named it 47 Ronin. Since then, it has died back to the 14 remaining trees seen in this photo. Still, I think 47 Ronin is a really cool name."