2023 97th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition- Part 4

Chinese hackberry, Celtis sinensis.

This year, Part 2 of the 97^th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition is being held on February 15-18, 2023 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno Park, Tokyo, Japan.

Part 2 has all new trees, accessories, suiseki and other ornaments. I personally thought Part 1 was superb, and it was. However, Part 2 seemed to have higher quality and more unusual species. This was the opening day for Part 2, and I did not see big crowds, perhaps because of Covid?

Winter flowering cherry

Data from Part 2:

140 Exhibit Areas

90 Large Bonsai

27 Chuhin (Medium) Compositions (54 Pcs.)

14 Small bonsai

8 Shohin Compositions (52 pcs.)

Total Displayed Bonsai, Approximately 212

3 Kokufu Prizes

12 Kicho (Important Bonsai Masterpieces)

2 Special Exhibits

Foreign Exhibitors:

1 Italy

1 Thailand

1 Suri Lanka

Kokufu Prize. Amelanchier asiatica, Shadblow

Kokufu Prize. Sargent Juniper.

Kokufu Prize. Shohin Bonsai Composition, mixed species,

Rock planting, clinging-to-a rock style, SHOHIN bonsai.

All of my study is not completed yet, I got tired because I spent all morning in the suiseki exhibition, held on the second floor of the same building. I did however enjoy seeing an Amelanchier, Shadblow bonsai win one of the Kokufu Prizes. Also I noticed three Hemlock and many Shishigashira Japanese maples. Part 1 also had several too. Additionally, there as a Chinese hackberry, not often displayed. For the first time I saw a Japanese or Chinese plum Prunus salicina, NOT Japanese flowering apricot, Prunus mume, which is misnamed “Plum.”