American Bonsai at Kokufu?

NOTE: I DON’T KNOW WHY THE TOP HALF OF THIS POST APPEARS IN THESE IRRITATING CAPS. IT DOESN’T SHOW THAT WAY ON MY ORIGINAL… This Japanese hemlock belongs to Doug Paul, an American who lives in Pennsylvania and who happens to be the owner of the famous Kennett Collection. The following is quoted from a post by Bill Valavanis… this “Japanese hemlock, Tsuga diversifolia, bonsai was recently accepted to display in this year’s Kokufu Bonsai ten Exhibition. The attached photo shows how it is displayed at Kokufu Bonsai Exhibiton in the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno Park.” I found Bill’s quote … Continue reading American Bonsai at Kokufu?

Long Live the Bonsai King

Full cascade Japanese black pine (Pinus thumbergii). Japanese for Black pine is Kuromatsu (kuro is black and matsu is pine). Yesterday we resurrected trees from the famous Kokufu Exhibition and the response has been very positive, so why not keep digging in the same vein? Japanese black pines are sometimes referred to a the king of bonsai. This may be in part due to their natural strength; they tend to have powerful trunks and thick lush foliage. Rugged bark doesn’t hurt either. King or not, the best of the black pines are undeniably among the most impressive bonsai in the world. All the … Continue reading Long Live the Bonsai King

Flowering Bonsai & an American in Tokyo

Not a prize winner, but still a mind stopper. Here’s what Bill Valavanis has to say about this remarkable quince: “An unusual cultivar of Japanese flowering quince. This is NOT the Toyo Nishiki cultivar, but rather ‘Takane Nishiki’. Beautiful flowers, unusual container, but I personally do not like the design of the bonsai, so enjoyed the blossoms.” Vacation time is archive time (with some new posts thrown in). This one is from July, 2011. I was looking for something more on Doug Paul’s Kennett Collection (see yesterday). The tree below is his, and the tree above has beautiful flowers and … Continue reading Flowering Bonsai & an American in Tokyo

A Very Impressive North American Bonsai 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. 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. Continued below… NEW Lower Prices on Bonsai Aesthetics Wire with many sizes individually discounted as well 100 gram – … Continue reading A Very Impressive North American Bonsai Collection

Kokufu Bonsai Bones

We Borrowed this Hackberry from a new 2017 Kokufu post (part 1) on Bill Valavanis Bonsai blog. We’ve been borrowing from Bill Valavanis for the entire life of Bonsai Bark (8 years and counting). This time it’s some very impressive deciduous trees from the 2017 Kokufu Exhibition. For more trees from Kokufu (parts 1 & 2) and others from Bill’s recent trip to Japan, you could do a lot worse than a quick trip to Bill’s blog. Continued below… 20% to 30% off Kilo Rolls Bonsai Aesthetics Wire hesitate and lose This great Sale ends tomorrow night 20% off 1-5 … Continue reading Kokufu Bonsai Bones

Three Pines, a Prize Winning Olive & a Great Display by One of Only Two Americans to Exhibit at the 2014 Kokufu

This knotted pine, along with the two pines below, were recently posted by Frank Cucchiara. Frank doesn’t say anything about them (they look like Japanese black pines), but based on what we know about Frank, we can assume they are his. This post was going to be short and simple. Three pines borrowed from Frank Cucchiara. But, suddenly, after a little research, we’ve got a tribute to Frank’s bonsai. Continued below… 8.50 for 500 gram rolls of Bonsai Wire IS Too Good to Pass UP 13.50 less 30% = 9.45 per roll if your total order is 100.00+ then it’s … Continue reading Three Pines, a Prize Winning Olive & a Great Display by One of Only Two Americans to Exhibit at the 2014 Kokufu

In Relentless Pursuit of Color

This one is more about its outrageously rugged shape and texture (who says Japanese bonsai is too stylized?) than its rather subdued flowers. But that’s okay, it’s not every day you see a tree quite like this. Our friend Bill Valavanis has done it again. This time it’s a very impressive collection of photos from the recent 2016, 90th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition in Tokyo (report one & report two). Unlike me, Bill actually travels to the source and takes the photos himself. In appreciation of his efforts, you might want to click over to Bill’s blog and see them all … Continue reading In Relentless Pursuit of Color

The Best (& Most Expensive) Bonsai Market

The impressive deadwood looks like something you’d see on a juniper, as does the bark (what you can see of it). But the foliage looks a little spikey, almost like needles. Maybe it’s just my eyes. This photo and the others shown here were taken by Dave DeGroot. Dave is, among other things, the author of Principles of Bonsai Design. The photos shown here were taken by Dave DeGroot at the the Ueno Green Club’s market near the 2016 Kokufu Exhibition. Though these bonsai are notable (and worth a lot of money), they are not the trees that were chosen … Continue reading The Best (& Most Expensive) Bonsai Market

Outstanding Japanese (Korean?) Red Pine Bonsai

Cork bark Japanese Red pine? I found this remarkably corked-up pine on the Art of Bonsai Project. It’s by Enrico Savini. I’ve never heard of a Cork bark Red pine (Cork bark Japanese black pines are fairly common), but that’s what AoB says. Whatever it is, there’s no denying that it’s an exceptional tree. According to Wikipedia, Japanese red pines (Pinus densiflora) should probably be called Korean red pines. “For Korean people, even today, it is considered to represent Korean spirit and mentioned in South Korean national anthem, Aegukga. Since it was introduced to the West by Japanese scholars during … Continue reading Outstanding Japanese (Korean?) Red Pine Bonsai

Breaking the Bonsai 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). The other Japanese pine. Japanese black and white pines comprise some of the most famous bonsai in the world. And thousands that aren’t so famous. Japanese Red pines (Pinus densiflora) are much less common in bonsai circles, but judging by the ones shown here and some others we’ve seen along the way, they have no problem holding their own. All the photos shown here are Japanese red pines from Japan’s famous Kokufu-ten Bonsai Exhibition. … Continue reading Breaking the Bonsai Mold