I know I’ve seen this powerful little White pine-over-rock somewhere, and wonder if it hasn’t appeared right here on Bonsai Bark (a quick search unearthed nothing, but that’s no guarantee). It’s from the Fujikawa International School of Bonsai website.
This post is about your chance to study at the Fujikawa International School of Bonsai, enjoy some great sushi (maybe even drink a little sake) and experience the wonders of life in Japan. In their own words (from Fujikawa’s website)… “The Fujikawa School is an extension of Fujikawa Kouka-en nursery and is located in Ikeda City, just north of Osaka, Japan. Our intensive programs are designed for the serious bonsai student to pursue his/her dream of studying the art of bonsai in Japan.”
It turns out that Bjorn Bjorholm, who we’ve featured a couple times here on Bark, is one of the teachers and also serves as a Japanese to English translator (another American, Owen Reich, who we have yet to feature, is also a teacher). You can read about all of the instructors here.
We showed this exquisite (I know exquisite is a strong word, but really, take a look for yourself) little pine a few months ago in a post about Bjorn Bjorholm and his Bjorvala Bonsai Studio. I wonder if we would be surprised by the actual size of this tree and the one above, both of which we’ve referred to as little.
This very unusual Shimpaku got sliced a bit (mea culpa, but if you look at the original photo below, you’ll understand). Aside from the very radical twist in the trunk, how often do you see a tree where the all the branching and the entire crown are off to the side hanging out in space like this?
There must be another solution to this problem. Still, great tree.
A bright slice of the Kouka-en nursery.
Another solution for the “one-sided” tree? What’s wrong with the way it looks now. This Shimpaku is gorgeous! The tree and pot compliment each other well.
Hi Todd,
I think Wayne meant another solution to having to tie the pot down and photographing it with the tie visible which messes up the whole beautiful image.
Hi Todd and Ann,
Thanks for your question Todd. And thanks for your spot-on explanation Ann.
I can’t imagine that the tie is a permanent arrangement. Looking at the volume of soil vs the size of the tree I would think that it could stand on its own. The material used to tie it down is also rather flimsy plastic tape. My guess is one of two scenarios: the tree appears to be tied to the top of a wooden stool and so it has either just been transported to a show or the wiring and refinement of the canopy has just been finished and it was anchored briefly to protect the pot.
Visually the tree is beautifully balanced with the mass of the pot beautifully matched to the volume of the soil.
How can one attend this school?