tokyofeb07

Gallery - Tokyo, February 2007

Bjorvala Bonsai Studio

Shimpaku by Masahiko Kimura

In February 2007, while living in Kyoto, Japan as a language student at Ritsumeikan University, Bjorn was asked to join Bill Valavanis's annual tour group in Tokyo as impromptu translator. During the tour, Bjorn was extremely fortunate to visit the gardens of Masahiko Kimura, Saburo Kato, Hiroshi Takeyama, Kunio Kobayashi, and Seiji Morimae among others, as well as attend the 81st Kokufu-ten Exhibition in Ueno. Featured on this page are some pictures of the gardens and events as well as a bit of information about each. Please enjoy!

81st Kokufu-ten
Each year, Bill Valavanis conducts a bonsai tour in Japan during the annual Kokufu-ten held each february in Ueno - Tokyo, Japan. This is Japan's national bonsai exhibition and is considered the best presentation of bonsai in the world. Although the Kokufu-ten is regarded as an "amateur" exhibition, nearly every tree is maintained by a bonsai professional in Japan and each is of outstanding quality. The entire show consists of three rooms with a combined total of approximately 250 bonsai, ranging from shohin to chuuhin to large-size trees. Pictures of the event were prohibited; however, the Ueno Green Club sales area could be photographed (see left).

Saburo Kato
The group headed to Omiya Kouen Station on the Utsunomiya line to see the gardens of the Omiya Bonsai Village. The first stop there was Mr. Kato's Mansei-en, a garden that he and his father started before WWII. Mr. Kato is known worldwide for his contributions to the art of bonsai and is most widely recognized for his Ezo spruce bonsai and his understanding of forest and rock-style plantings. Mansei-en is home to several very old and famous masterpieces, and the garden is a must-see for any bonsai enthusiast travelling to Japan. Pictured to the right is Mr. Kato with Bjorn at Mansei-en.

Masahiko Kimura
The most anticipated part of the trip was visiting Mr. Kimura's garden north of Tokyo. Mr. Kimura has become a household name in the bonsai community and is well-known for his advancements and creativity in contemporary bonsai. Many of his works feature elaborate deadwood and unique arrangements; however, one thing remains true to traditional Japanese bonsai art - attention to detail in every aspect of design. It should be noted that many of his works carry a "quiet" air about them and are void of elaborate jin or shari. While visiting Mr. Kimura's garden, Bjorn was introduced to his American apprentice, Ryan Neil. The two remain in close contact to date. The photo to the left features Bjorn translating for Mr. Kimura and the tour group.

Kunio Kobayashi
Another stop on the tour was Mr. Kobayashi's Shunka-en nursery in Edogawa, on the eastern side of Tokyo. Shunka-en is a top-rate bonsai museum that is home to several old and famous masterpieces including the cascading White Pine featured to the right. The museum itself is a tradtional Japanese-style building that contains several tokonoma and tea rooms for hosting guests of importance. Mr. Kobayashi's apprentice, Peter Warren from England, provided a tour of the facility to the group.

Hiroshi Takeyama
Mr. Takeyama's Fuyo-en is also located in the Omiya Bonsai Village north of Tokyo. It is home to some of the world's best deciduous bonsai as well as several famous evergreen masterpieces. At the time of the group's visit, the Flowering Apricots were in full bloom, filling Fuyo-en with an array of colors. Pictured to the left is Mr. Takeyama's garden - note the building just behind the greenhouse is the Omiya Kouen Station. Mr. Takeyama is currently the president of the Nippon Bonsai Association and one of his entries at this year's Kokufu-ten (a Trident Maple forest) won a prize at the exhibition.

Seiji Morimae
Mr. Morimae is the owner of Ginza Morimae, a small bonsai boutique in the posh district of Tokyo known as Ginza. The shop features masterpiece bonsai, antique pots, suiseki and other Japanese artifacts for sale. Mr. Morimae is also the creator and editor of Wabi magazine, a source for anything Japanese art related. Aside from the shop in Ginza, he also owns a full-scale nursery just outside of Tokyo that houses more than 10,000 bonsai as well as hundreds of pots and famous suiseki masterpieces. Pictured to the right is a shot of Ginza Morimae in Tokyo.