Japanese bonsai, 2021

[William N. Valavanis]

From the photos I've seen this year, from both part 1 and part 2, it looks to me like the quality is better than in the past. Probably because there are over 100 fewer trees this year because of space so the judges were more critical of the entries. But, beautiful as ever and sorry I had to miss this year's exhibition. It's only the third show I've missed in over 40 years, and its killing me I can't be there to study the trees in person.

 

[DirkvanDreven]

Thanks for sharing these!!

 

[AlainK]

Thanks again for the photos, they're so inspiring.

What I find particularly interesting is the variety in styles, as if those who selected the trees wanted to show the whole range of inspiration among Japanese bonsai artists.

Next year, a deciduous (not an Ume) with a half-rotten trunk and 30% dead wood ? Or a maple with scars on evry branch and a mess of tangled psychedelic curled spaghetti branches ?...

Who knows ?...

 

[Djtommy]

Just wanting to understand your meaning, you are saying that from a display point of view not the best, so is there a show that puts display at the fore? But to be clear, these are top trees in the Kokofu, that is correct yes? Thanks!

Oh yes, they are top trees. I just mean that small things like the background (although this year it was quite ok) the space in between etc could be sometimes better.
Kokufu focuses on the trees primarily.

ive never managed to go to Taikan ten but from pictures I have seen, that show takes more care of the overal display. I have been to an exhibition once inside a Japanese castle, and although the trees itself were of lesser quality the environment made this show very beautiful to see, inside Tokoname , scrolls, better lighting etc.

but purely to enjoy the trees, Kokufu is offcourse a top show

 

[JudyB]

Oh yes, they are top trees. I just mean that small things like the background (although this year it was quite ok) the space in between etc could be sometimes better.
Kokufu focuses on the trees primarily.

ive never managed to go to Taikan ten but from pictures I have seen, that show takes more care of the overal display. I have been to an exhibition once inside a Japanese castle, and although the trees itself were of lesser quality the environment made this show very beautiful to see, inside Tokoname , scrolls, better lighting etc.

but purely to enjoy the trees, Kokufu is offcourse a top show

Thanks for that explanation. So nice to see these amazing trees. And the other display elements, it takes me several times going thru to see the display as a whole. I tend to look at the trees first time thru, then the pots and tables, then the display in entirety.

 

[Djtommy]

From the photos I've seen this year, from both part 1 and part 2, it looks to me like the quality is better than in the past. Probably because there are over 100 fewer trees this year because of space so the judges were more critical of the entries. But, beautiful as ever and sorry I had to miss this year's exhibition. It's only the third show I've missed in over 40 years, and its killing me I can't be there to study the trees in person.

Yes I agree the quality was actually better the previous years. Perhaps because of the lower amount of tree. I didn’t really mind that so much although I wish they kept the same amount for chuhin size. There were only trees on 1 side of that hall.
im sure you can visit again next year, partly why I wanted to post everything is because lots of people aren’t able to attend even they wanted too. i just wish I had taken more care of first part pictures but oh well.

 

[Cadillactaste]

@Djtommy or is there three apex here? Do you remember this one? I need to maybe check the desktop. I'm on my phone.

 

[Carol 83]

Thanks for going to the effort of taking all of the pictures and posting them for all of us to enjoy. Very inspiring.

 

[Djtommy]

Yes I agree the quality was actually better the previous years. Perhaps because of the lower amount of tree. I didn’t really mind that so much although I wish they kept the same amount for chuhin size. There were only trees on 1 side of that hall.
im sure you can visit again next year, partly why I wanted to post everything is because lots of people aren’t able to attend even they wanted too. i just wish I had taken more care of first part pictures but oh well.

This should haven been been “better then previous years”

@Djtommy or is there three apex here? Do you remember this one? I need to maybe check the desktop. I'm on my phone.
View attachment 354621

View attachment 354622

I guess you could called it that. I would call it a twin trunk but there is some room for interpretation as a triple trunk aswell.. Sorry, I don’t have any side picture from this tree.
maybe these show a little more detail.

 

[Matt B]

I love that tree. So much to see and discover. I appreciate the art more than the execution, perhaps because that is the part I feel I lack that can't be simply learned and mastered. Some of the other trees are masterpieces of technical expertise, but leave me disinterested, because there is no... emotion. They feel like a smoothed over plastic representation of something too perfect to exist in nature.

 

[Cadillactaste]

This should haven been been “better then previous years”


I guess you could called it that. I would call it a twin trunk but there is some room for interpretation as a triple trunk aswell.. Sorry, I don’t have any side picture from this tree.
maybe these show a little more detail.
View attachment 354637
View attachment 354638

Wow...stunning. Thank you for the more detailed close up...as well as explaining it to me what you seen as structure.

 

[Woocash]

Excellent, thank you Tommy. There seems to be a step up between the first of trees (and photos ) or is it just me? I’ve never been to Japan so to tie in a trip one day with the Kokofu ten would be a pretty magical experience. Thanks again for the time taken.

 

[Canada Bonsai]

Thanks again @Djtommy! Can we hire you to visit the annual ume display in Nagahama? Photographs of that event are always hard to find!

Did you happen to take a close-up picture of the base of this tree? I'd love to get a get a better look at the area i circled in red.

Thank you

 

[Djtommy]

Excellent, thank you Tommy. There seems to be a step up between the first of trees (and photos ) or is it just me? I’ve never been to Japan so to tie in a trip one day with the Kokofu ten would be a pretty magical experience. Thanks again for the time taken.

I personally also preferred part 2 although there were a few stunning trees in part 1 too.
the photos for sure are better at second part. It’s taken with same point and shoot camera but second time I made sure to adjust some settings in advance since the first ones turned out a little meugh

Thanks again @Djtommy! Can we hire you to visit the annual ume display in Nagahama? Photographs of that event are always hard to find!

Did you happen to take a close-up picture of the base of this tree? I'd love to get a get a better look at the area i circled in red.

Thank you

Yeah, I know the event in Nagahama but have never see it either. If I’ll go I will for sure post pictures, when that is going to be though.....

I don’t have a close up but I cropped the original so maybe can see a little more detail on this.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I personally also preferred part 2 although there were a few stunning trees in part 1 too.
the photos for sure are better at second part. It’s taken with same point and shoot camera but second time I made sure to adjust some settings in advance since the first ones turned out a little meugh


Yeah, I know the event in Nagahama but have never see it either. If I’ll go I will for sure post pictures, when that is going to be though.....

I don’t have a close up but I cropped the original so maybe can see a little more detail on this.
View attachment 354693

Oops! Throw that tree away, it's got moss on the bark and the Il Cognoscenti don't allow that, not even for five minutes. Or so I'm told.

 

[Matt B]

Oops! Throw that tree away, it's got moss on the bark and the Il Cognoscenti don't allow that, not even for five minutes. Or so I'm told.

Right, 'cause natural trees don't have moss on them. These are miniature representations of large trees, and we all know that trees in nature dont...

Wait, this just in. I'm getting word that trees in their natural settings often DO have moss on them.

 

[Forsoothe!]

WHAT? Next thing you're going to tell me that mosses even grow hanging from trees.

 

[Mayank]

The lockdown has forced me to watch Brit TV and I am amazed at the difference between us, socially and the physical landscape/countryside. The architecture is so much more artfully designed than the plain old USA it's sometimes worth watching a lousy drama just to see the fairytale castles & scenery. The countryside is also nothing like the US. Especially lots of trees that are older than the US, sometimes maybe two or three times as old. We have very few of those. I say all this to preface this: You Englanders have very different ideas from other definable groups of what is a good bonsai look. Yours trees are characterized best as all being @BobbyLane trees. I don't say any of this as criticism, I say it only because your trees look like what you see every day, and the rest of us probably make our trees like what we see everyday, too, just different and differently from place to place. The professional gardeners on the west coast of the US are disproportionately Japanese, and one (who has not been to Japan) might speculate that the bonsai reflects the landscape/countryside there, too. In fact, I'll throw British Columbia in there, too, as a place where the population lives in a climate and countryside that's more like northern Japan than the rest of North America, so they have a lot of yamadori. What say you all? Remember, there is no judgement being made here, just observations and speculation about why we separately like what we like.

Not to hijack the thread but what shows have you watched? We have Acorn TV and love most of the programming. Maybe we should start a new thread in the tea house

 

[Forsoothe!]

Masterpiece Theater via Prime® Lots of BBC TV series. I like crime.

 

[Matt B]

WHAT? Next thing you're going to tell me that mosses even grow hanging from trees.

I'm getting a news feed from the forest... Yes, yes, it appears we are getting a live feed showing moss hanging from the very branches of living trees! This is groundbreaking! This is advancing our scientific understanding of biology by quantum leaps, and will forever change the face of horticulture as we know it!