98th Kokufu-ten Highlights

Piedmont Bonsai

Piedmont Bonsai

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I had my first ever trip to Japan to see the 98th Kokufu-ten as well as other bonsai gardens and I wanted to share some of the Highlights of the exhibition.

Here are some favorites from part one:
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Seigen Momiji

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Another Seigen Momiji. I think this one may be grafted on Yama Momiji roots
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Very nice Hinoki forest

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Chunky Shishigashira Maple

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Another Seigen with great ramification, but not as nice as the previous 2 in my opinion.

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Incredible Shimpaku. One of my favorites from the show

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An incredible Japanese black pine. One of my favorites from the show. A very balanced tree.
Look at the nebari
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Stay tuned as I update the thread with more trees!
 
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Japanese Maple. I believe this is normal Yama Momiji

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Very big and powerful Japanese Red Pine. I believe this tree was in a recent Kokufu-ten. Maybe the 95th.

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This tree was cool. I think it’s an orange or mandarin perhaps.

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Japanese Red Pine from the Imperial Bonsai Collection. This tree was very tall in person.

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Fantastic medium size Neagari white pine.

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A powerful medium size black pine in a flower shaped pot. Really cool tree.
 
I don't have any background with bonsai culture and there isn't a wikipedia page about this show. I noticed a few of the trees posted were marked as coming from Chinese artists. Is it typical for this show to have different trees from around the world? I guess I'm asking if Kokufu-ten is an international show or mostly a Japanese show with some limited international artists.
 
TimIAm said:
I don't have any background with bonsai culture and there isn't a wikipedia page about this show. I noticed a few of the trees posted were marked as coming from Chinese artists. Is it typical for this show to have different trees from around the world? I guess I'm asking if Kokufu-ten is an international show or mostly a Japanese show with some limited international artists.
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The trees all live in Japan and are maintained at Japanese nurseries. Some are simply owned by foreign owners as investment pieces. Many of whom come during these shows to see "their" trees in person. A lot of the owners are actually bonsai artists in their own countries, but are not responsible for the day-to-day care of the trees.
 
jeremy_norbury said:
I'm not convinced these trees are better than what I saw in Belgium on Saturday.
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I suspect while there is a difference in taste, some of these shows like the trophy are absolutely up there in quality. Only my passive internet observation, but I would say that Japan is probably ahead when it comes to shohin/mini sizes, but some of the big trees, especially conifers are really quite comparable.
 
johng said:
and as it looks like a majority of those trees are imports from Japan it kind of stands to reason....
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Yep. It would be interesting to see the number of trees from that show that are imports vs the number of trees developed entirely in Europe. Especially for the deciduous trees.

Europe does have amazing conifer yamadori that is on par with Japan, but the kokufu-ten is the best show in the world for a reason. It is often imitated but never truly replicated.
 
johng said:
and as it looks like a majority of those trees are imports from Japan it kind of stands to reason....
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Perhaps. But the winner tree for best conifer is a Pinus sylvestris yamadori from Italy made by Mauro Stemberger.
So among all the japanese import, the Italian pine still wins. Interesting right😉
 
FWIW, some words about the Kokufu exhibition from a veteran western attendee
valavanisbonsaiblog.com

2024 98th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition– Part 1

The 2024 98th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition is being held in two parts this year (Part 1 February 9-12, 2024 and Part 2 February 14-17, 2024.) Again, (like most years) held the exhibition in the Tokyo M…
valavanisbonsaiblog.com valavanisbonsaiblog.com

valavanisbonsaiblog.com

2024 98th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition- Part 2

The 2024 98th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition is being held in two parts this year (Part 1 February 9-12, 2024 and Part 2 February 14-17, 2024.) Again, (like most years) the exhibition was held in th…
valavanisbonsaiblog.com valavanisbonsaiblog.com
 
rockm said:
FWIW, some words about the Kokufu exhibition from a veteran western attendee
valavanisbonsaiblog.com

2024 98th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition– Part 1

The 2024 98th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition is being held in two parts this year (Part 1 February 9-12, 2024 and Part 2 February 14-17, 2024.) Again, (like most years) held the exhibition in the Tokyo M…
valavanisbonsaiblog.com valavanisbonsaiblog.com

valavanisbonsaiblog.com

2024 98th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition- Part 2

The 2024 98th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition is being held in two parts this year (Part 1 February 9-12, 2024 and Part 2 February 14-17, 2024.) Again, (like most years) the exhibition was held in th…
valavanisbonsaiblog.com valavanisbonsaiblog.com
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing. I did think part 2 was better quality than part 1, but I enjoyed part 1 more as it was less crowded than when I saw part 2 and also some of the trees toward the end of the show in part 2 had very dry soil and shriveled moss as the apprentices hadn’t yet watered them with the sprayer yet, so some trees didn’t appear as vibrant as they would with moist moss.
 
Piedmont Bonsai said:
Cash cow in what way?
It’s less than $10 a person to see both days of the show
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The trees brought in for the Kokufu are usually sold before or afterwards, and will fetch a premium price because of the Kokufu tag. Thats their selling point...
But these trees are worked so hard and are at the peak of refinement, a state in which they cannot be kept.

As far as I hear Japanese people don't buy Kokufu trees.. only foreigners do.
 
baron said:
The trees brought in for the Kokufu are usually sold before or afterwards, and will fetch a premium price because of the Kokufu tag. Thats their selling point...
But these trees are worked so hard and are at the peak of refinement, a state in which they cannot be kept.

As far as I hear Japanese people don't buy Kokufu trees.. only foreigners do.
Click to expand...
Would this not be the case for any major exhibition? Being shown in a major show adds to the provenance of a tree and will increase the value as a result. I’m sure buying and selling goes on but I’m sure it goes on at any other major show such as the trophy.

>95% of trees at the show were shown by japanese owners.

I went to many nurseries and gardens on my trip and saw trees that could immediately be shown in the kokufu-ten. To say that the trees can not be maintained that way is false.
 
baron said:
The trees brought in for the Kokufu are usually sold before or afterwards, and will fetch a premium price because of the Kokufu tag. Thats their selling point...
But these trees are worked so hard and are at the peak of refinement, a state in which they cannot be kept.

As far as I hear Japanese people don't buy Kokufu trees.. only foreigners do.
Click to expand...
I would find the "only foreigners" buy Kokufu trees thing a bit suspicious, given the sheer numbers of trees and exhibitors involved. Those top trees are bought and sold among Japanese bonsai nursery owners repeatedly from what I've seen a heard. That may be changing, however, with Chinese buyers in particular purchasing trees. The "they increase the price because it's in the show" thing is also a bit cynical and inaccurate. As pointed out, that happens at any bonsai show in Japan, Europe and the U.S. Provenance and awards and even admission, into a prestigious show ANYWHERE will increase the price of a tree. What's wrong with that anyway?

Worth reading through:
 
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