On Thursday, November 3, 2017, international bonsai master Professor Amy Liang formally opened her new Bonsai Museum at her home in Taipei, Taiwan. As always, Amy’s impeccable and distinctive attire matched her photogenic persona. She changed her clothes three times that afternoon, each more beautiful than the previous. Her museum is called “Purple Garden” matching her beautiful Chinese style purple outfit.

I’ve visited her collection several times in the past and she has extensively expanded her garden to effectively display her bonsai collection, all around her property. When entering her bonsai museum people were escorted upstairs into a museum reception area with gift shop. Amy warmly greeted her guest and was autographing her new book, The Revelations of Bonsai, reflecting on her 50 year milestone bonsai journey. Books were flying off the shelves as Amy individually autographed copies for her guests. I had to patiently wait in line for 30 minutes twice, I returned to get more copies for friends back home. Her friendly staff photographed Amy as she posed with her guests. The large size hardcover, and quite heavy, new 302 page book is beautifully produced and full of color and black and white photos of her life, thoughts and bonsai activities around the world for the past half century.

Together with her doctor husband they have five lovely daughters who all look quite similar. Her husband showed me around as he was proud of his wife’s accomplishments. Each daughter helped the 1,200 guests during the day.

The bonsai garden museum is large and is segmented into about five areas, each featuring small displays of several bonsai. A room was also dedicated to her collection of Suiseki and viewing stones.

There were a large number of small and miniature size, enough to make another posting of these diminutive treasurers later.

A buffet was available next to the ceremony area which began at 3:30 pm. Short speeches preceded the actual “Official Opening and Book Release” along with her granddaughter’s dancing. Invited VIP guests were called to the stage and given a long popper to twist and open at the exact opening. Suddenly red and white confetti was all over the place as a large gold and red balloon package exploded revealing a huge replica of her new book.

Later in the early evening Amy hosted a private dinner party for 380 of her friends and family. Singers and dancers added to the festivities. There were so many people in the large room that there were remote TVs set up throughout so guests could enjoy the festivities as they dined on a special delicious meal. What a wonderful ending for a beautiful lady’s special day. Amy also arranged for four buses to take here guests to Taichung for the next day’s opening of the bonsai convention three hours away.

Have you ever considered to visit the Japan bonsai community?

Here is your opportunity to experience the finest bonsai exhibition in the world PLUS to visit private bonsai collections, gardens and the Japan Suiseki Exhibition. A visit to Tokoname to purchase bonsai containers is also available too!

In early February Kora Dalager and I will be leading another one of our popular value-priced trips to Japan. Only a small number of members will be accepted for this tour so we will have ample time to fully appreciate the beauty of the treasured bonsai in Japan.

Omiya Bonsai Village, the mecca of bonsai, will be experienced, where you will see the top four bonsai gardens where many of the famous masterpiece bonsai have been created and are maintained. You will have the opportunity to meet the top bonsai artists and see their trees, both outdoors and in small indoor displays.

The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, near the village will be on the tour where formal instructive displays, in English, can be seen as well as formal bonsai alcove displays. You can then stroll through a large outdoor garden with masterpieces displayed throughout. Directly across the street we will experience a delicious Japanese luncheon.

Bonsai artist Masahiko Kimura will be on the tour and here you can see many of the top evergreen bonsai in his small, intimate garden. He always has time for us and answers your questions as well.

A visit to Seiji Morimai’s nearby S-Cube bonsai garden is always a highlight because of friendly hospitality while seeing thousands of bonsai and suiseki. He also accepts credit cards as well…. Bonsai containers, at great prices as well as display tables and art are always popular with our groups.

Kiunio Kobayashi’s Shunka-en Bonsai Art  in Tokyo is visit you will not forget. Here approximately ten indoor formal bonsai displays will feature some of the finest, and most expensive bonsai in Japan. Outdoors a small koi pond is surrounded with other masterpieces. Having run out of room, another area has been constructed on top of the building holding antique containers and more suiseki. Truly a breathtaking experience!

A bullet train ride will bring you to the city of Shizuoka near Mt. Fuji, where Taisho-en Bonsai Garden of Nobuichi Urushibata will be visited. Although the garden generally specializes in shohin bonsai, Mr. Urushibata’s son Taiga has large dynamic bonsai. He studied with Mr. Kimura and is also traveling to the upcoming 2018 6^th US National Bonsai Exhibition in September to judge and demonstrate his techniques.

Of course, the main highlight of this tour is the Koku-fu Bonsai Exhibit Part 1 where approximately 250 stunning masterpiece bonsai are on formal display in the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. Many of the famous masterpieces seen in books and magazines will be shown. After the exhibit closes for a day ANOTHER 250 bonsai will be displayed in Part 2!

Upstairs on the fourth floor of the same building you will have the opportunity to attend the opening ceremony of the Japan Susiseki Exhibition. Here, in addition to rare and beautiful famous stones you will see antique water basins and important bonsai display tables. Suiseki are also displayed with appropriate hanging scrolls.

A free shuttle bus from the museum complex will take you to the Ueno Green Club, a three story building full of bonsai, containers, tools, display stands and more are offered for sale by the top bonsai gardens in Japan. The surrounding parking lot is also crammed full of items for sale.

If members are interested a short buying side trip can be arranged to Tokoname, an ancient pottery town. Although most famous for toilet bowls, they are now famous for high quality bonsai containers. You will meet some of the top bonsai potters and also have the opportunity to watch them hand build bonsai containers in their factories. All the containers are offered at special discounted prices for our tour.

As if all of this is not enough, our tour has been planned to begin the day after the popular California Shohin Bonsai Seminar near San Francisco, CA. Many people simply make a stop in California on their way to Tokyo (usually at no extra airfare,) attend the seminar and continue on to Japan. Additional information on this seminar can be found at: www.calshohin.org

If you want to see highlights from our past tours to Japan, check out my archives and go to the February entries. Here you will see many photos from our tours.

https://valavanisbonsaiblog.com/2017/02/

https://valavanisbonsaiblog.com/2016/02/

https://valavanisbonsaiblog.com/2015/02/

Join Kora Dalager and me for another tour to see the Japanese bonsai world. Please contact Kora at kora@astound.net for additional information. She can arrange special visits if you like. Be certain to mention if you are interested in the Tokoname bonsai container buying trip, as it is NOT mentioned in the tour flyer below.

A tour flyer is available at: www.internationalbonsai.com/files/1708315/uploaded/WINTER%202018%20TOUR%20FLYER.pdf

I look forward to exploring the Japanese bonsai world with you in February.

When I returned home on Monday from teaching in California, I was greeted by my Trident maple clump in brilliant autumn coloring. A few other bonsai are also just starting to show color. Hopefully my garden and bonsai will be colorful when I return home from Taiwan next week. On November 11, 2017 at 1pm EST, I’ll be doing a question and answer live broadcast from my garden and hopefully the garden and bonsai will be colorful. Check out Bonsai Empire for the details: http://www.bonsaiempire.com

Before removing from the stone about 15 years ago in MAY.

The history of this bonsai and its development is interesting. Several decades ago Philis Wishnick created a rock planting with at least seven Trident maples, Acer buergerianum, in a class under the direction of Yuji Yoshimura. The stone is solid granite which Mr. Yoshimura shaped and glued a small rock on the bottom for stability in the correct orientation for optimum beauty.

She gave me the bonsai about twenty years ago with a few missing trees from her original design. I put the bonsai in my display garden and just watered it (intelligent neglect.) I had the rock planting for many years and simply watered it and did light trimming. Eventually the roots filled the peat much soil mixture and became large, so large that it pulled the anchoring wires Mr. Yoshimura cemented on the stone pulled off. Often I would lift the bonsai off the stone and dunk it in a pail of water to keep it hydrated.

Still not thin enough

Eventually, I had to do something to keep it alive so in mid-May, when the Trident maple was in FULL leaf it was removed from the rock, easy, just lift. My assistants Doug McDade and Doug Taylor helped me with the transplanting. I directed as the two took a reciprocating saw and simply sawed off the bottom of the root ball. It was not quite thin enough for me so we peeled off another layer. The reciprocating saw is a handy tool for me and often used when transplanting bonsai.

Front or back view

Front or back view

Only four of the original trunks remained and had grown together creating a clump style bonsai. I carefully positioned the Trident maple clump in a new container so it would look good from both sides. Since I’m not Japanese using four trunks did not bother my aesthetic sense.

The bonsai grew well and was maintained as a bonsai with two acceptable fronts. This is handy when displaying and a left to right eye movement is needed and also when a right to left eye movement is required for effective display, especially in areas with a solid wall on one side.

The bonsai was only transplanted once since it was removed from the stone. I don’t remember defoliating the bonsai, especially not during this past growing season. This Trident maple naturally had small neat foliage.

By the way, the original granite stone now has a multiple trunk Benichodori Japanese maple growing on it which looks good from both sides, an indication of a well-designed bonsai. It too also needs transplanting.

Enjoy autumn, it does not last that long….

The next and largest section is devoted to viewing stones of North America. The following section highlights several contemporary viewing stones displays.

Finally, this exhibition ranges from traditional to contemporary while acknowledging the growing popularity of viewing stone connoisseurship around the world.

The Judged Bonsai Exhibit consisted of about 20 bonsai of varying sizes with an excellent representation of mixed species and styles. A colorful Trident maple and Firethorn in fruit added seasonality to the exhibit. The bonsai were judged and awards several awards were presented. Adequate space was allocated to present creativity in formal bonsai display.

Demonstrations & Workshops

Then three headliners for the convention, Kunya Kobayashi (Japan), Boon Manakitivipart (California) and David Nguy (California), presented several lecture/demonstrations, critiques and workshops. Other artists conducted 24 workshops, 4 seminars of a wide range of topics and 10 critiques of all three exhibits.

I was kept busy presenting two seminars (Literati Bonsai and Dwarf Japanese Maple Bonsai,) a workshop and two critiques. During my first seminar on Literati Bonsai, Kunio Kobayashi and his two apprentices came to watch my presentation. My slide program was finished and I was simply demonstrating on three small young plants to illustrate different forms of literati style. Unfortunately, while wiring, bending and shaping a small skinny Double Flowering Water Jasmine, the trunk snapped, twice, in front of Mr. Kobayashi with loud cracking sounds heard throughout the room. The bonsai evolved from a small size bonsai to shohin size and nearly mame bonsai size….!

The 40^th Golden State Bonsai Convention was held on October 26-29, 2017, in Riverside, California. This well organized, run and attended event is probably the best annual bonsai convention in the United States. It is well supported by approximately 50 bonsai clubs in California and several affiliated clubs in adjoining states.

The annual convention, held in the north one year and in the south in alternate years, consists of excellent lecture/demonstrations, workshops, critiques, seminars, exhibits and dinner banquets where attendees can enjoy bonsai fellowship. A large vendor area is always a highlight of the convention with items from throughout California and the United States are   for sale.

This year there were three bonsai exhibits: the main bonsai exhibit, a judged bonsai exhibit and viewing stone display as well.

The Main Bonsai Exhibit

This year the Main Bonsai Exhibit consisted of beautiful and healthy mostly large size evergreen bonsai. They were individually impressive, but collectively as an exhibit nearly all were narrow-leaf evergreens which was boring and lacked seasonality because they were all mostly dense green crowns. Yes, there was a Serosa, a Chinese elm and Satsuki azalea along with two shohin bonsai compositions, but they were mostly green as well and lacked variety of species and sizes.

A Rainy Visit to Ritsurin Park

It rained on and off during most of my five-day visit to Shikoku which preceded Typhoon Luca packing 142mph winds and heavy rains. I left just before it was forecast to hit Tokyo on Monday, and had difficulties connecting on line on my last day in Japan. On Saturday morning we were treated to a special treat, a private traditional breakfast featuring delicious local vegetables in an old teahouse in Ritsurin Park. The tokonoma alcove had a beautiful ikebana flower arrangement which was a refreshing change from the TV displayed in the alcove the night before in my hotel room. Only fine treasured items are usually displayed in this special area. I guess some value TVs more than art.

Ritsurin Park took on a misty feeling during the pouring rain as we strolled through the garden with umbrellas and my camera wrapped in a towel. There is a large trained Japanese five-needle pine garden tree in front of the Kikugetsu Tea House near the edge of the main pond. It originally was a bonsai over 300 years ago when the Emperor presented it to the Feudal Lord. Since it was a treasured gift from the Emperor, it was not maintained as a bonsai and was planted in the garden. The garden tree grew and is trimmed yearly and the long horizontal branches are supported with large wooden logs. The Japanese five-needle pine was started from a grafted tree on to Japanese black pine, which has now features exposed roots. I’ve been admiring its beauty for 47 years and delighted to see it each time I visit Ritsurin Park.

Ritsurin garden was started in 1625 by the Feudal Lord and was later transferred to the powerful Matsudaira Clan in 1642 that developed, enlarged and completed the garden design. A descendant, Count Yorinaga Matsudaira was keen for small size bonsai and with his wife developed one of the first, largest and most famous collections of shohin bonsai. He also assisted and supported the establishment of the Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition which began in 1934, held twice yearly. He had a featured display from his collection in every exhibition until his death in the 1940s which his wife continued until her passing in the early 1980s. I feel honored to be the caretaker of one of his original Japanese maple shohin bonsai.

30^th Kokubunji Bonsai & Green Festival– Creative Bonsai Displays

Several years ago a local Takamatsu High School began a project where high school girls enrolled in an industrial arts program used bonsai to display their hand made furniture. Both wood and glass were used for their projects. I was impressed with their creativity and there were always a group of proud students with their happi coats answering questions.

Valavanis Bonsai Demonstration

Again, I was honored during this trip to present a lecture/demonstration at the 30^th Kokubunji Bonsai & Green Festival. Koji Hiramatsu provided an excellent Japanese red pine which collected by a client of his about four years ago. It is approximately 50 years old and was well established in a training pot and was even tied in for extra stability.

Hiro Yamaji’s son, Takamasa (Taka,) was my assistant for my demo which was translated by Gerald Rainville from British Columbia, Canada, where he operates Shikoku Bonsai Canada. Jerry originally studied with Hiro Yamaji and Koji Hiramatsu’s father in the 1980s. He returned to Kokubunjiu to help with the exhibition.

Taka is currently an apprentice with Minoru Akiyama in Yamanashi, Japan, and returned home to help his family with the festival. Later that evening he left the festival and family to join Mr. Akiyama on their way to Philadelphia to work on the Kennett Collection. He did a great job assisting me and even helped Jerry translate “Sissy Wire” from English into Japanese for my demo, many of the audience chuckled. I look forward to watching Taka develop as a bonsai artist and the third generation of the Santo-en Bonsai garden of Hiro Yamani.

Discover Shikoku part 5

All three of us worked for about an hour to a full house audience who wanted to see what a foreigner could do styling Japanese bonsai. The final adjusted photo of the demonstration tree is my projected future development of the bonsai.

This concluded my short five-day visit to Shikoku Island for the Japanese government tourist bureau to research and promote the wonders of beautiful Shikoku. But, I’ll return to Japan in a few weeks, (after teaching next week in California and the following week in Taiwan) for the Japan Bonsai Taikan Exhibition. Two weeks ago I was teaching in China and last week I was in Washington, DC. And returned home to complete my bonsai classes.

Watch for my article in a future issue of International BONSAI, and visit Discover Shikoku!

http://www.discovershikoku.com

35^th Kinashi Bonsai & Garden Tree Festival

The 35^th Kinishi Bonsai & Garden Tree Festival was also held on October 20-22, 2017 a short ride from the Kokubuji Bonsai Green Festival in the town of Takamatsu.

Although the formal display was not as large, all the bonsai were stunning. The main emphasis of this festival seemed to be both the indoor and outdoor sales areas with some unbelievable prices.

Japanese black pine, US$115.

Japanese black pine, US$ 158. Really!!

Nakazu Bansho Garden

Nakazu Bansho Garden was built by the second feudal lord of Marugame, who lived in a castle up high on a hill, but wanted to enjoy the beautiful scenic Seto Inland Sea close up. So, he constructed a large stroll garden next to the sea. The area has now been built up over the past several centuries, but a wall has been built to indicate the original sea shore line. This garden is about an hour’s drive from Takamatsu and worth every minute of the time needed to get there. The garden also has two museums, one for ceramics and the other devoted to paintings.

One of the highlights of the Nakazu Bansho Garden is a trained Japanese black pine in the shape of an umbrella. It consists of only ONE tree and has been trained for hundreds of years. Small posts hold up the century old heavy branches. There are over 1,500 trained pine trees throughout the garden. An area is devoted to Camellias which were full of fat buds for their autumn splendor.

The pond was designed in the shape of Lake Biwa, north of Kyoto and several bright red bridges which carry visitors from one side of the pond to the other. The views are breathtaking and its now one of my favorite, if not the favorite garden in Japan.

Watch for my article in a future issue of International BONSAI, and visit Discover Shikoku!

http://www.discovershikoku.com

30^th Anniversary Kokubunji Bonsai Green Festival

The 30^th anniversary of the Kokubunji Bonsai Green Festival is being held on October 20-22, 2017, in the town of Kokubunji. This is one of the two bonsai production towns or areas of Takamatsu. The other bonsai area is Kinashi, more on that festival in a future blog.

Hiro Yamaji and Koji Hiramatsu are the main organizers and leaders of this large and important festival which attracts thousands of bonsai hobbyists. The exhibition is comprised of both armature, professional and invited bonsai.

I was honored to participate in the Opening Ceremony and Ribbon Cutting, yes, complete with white gloves standing on a red carpet. Sound familiar? They also had a Taiko Drum Presentation, which is missing and will not be part of our US National Bonsai Exhibitions… .

Mr. Saito, a bonsai collector from Okayama and Director of the Nippon Bonsai Association had a special exhibit of seven of his finest masterpieces on display. They were magnificent and all have been displayed in past Kokufu Bonsai Exhibitions, many award winning. I’m quite familiar with many of these bonsai and am including old photographs of their true naked beauty from past shows.

Kiyo Hime Japanese maple in a deep container. If you are wondering where that beautiful blue glazed antique is, look at the image of the Chinese quince. That’s a famous container often appearing in both the Kokufu and Taikan Bonsai Exhibitions.

Mr. Saito also has large special displays at the November Taikan Bonsai Exhibitions which have themes. In the past he has exhibited several masterpiece Japanese maples, Korean Hornbeam, Hinoki cypress, Chinese quince and many others. Kenji Oshima is the curator of his collection. Next month he will display Pomegranates.

This cut leaf Japanese maple has excellent trunk taper which is hidden this season. I’ll have to return during the winter season to enjoy its naked beauty. But, I really don’t need a reason to return to Japan.

The sales area was hopping with sales. It seemed that mostly shohin bonsai were for sale and blossoming companion plants were popular with the lady visitors.

All the bonsai were beautiful, especially a special display featuring “Creative Displays,” which I’m certain will interest Westerner who want to express individually, or something different than classical Japanese bonsai. That’s a hot topic which I don’t have the time to discuss here and now.

Watch for my article in a future issue of International BONSAI, and visit Discover Shikoku!

”www.discovershikoku.com

Yesterday we traveled in our large comfortable van from Kochi in southern Shikoku Island to Kagawa in the north. Even with the light, sometimes heavy rain the drive was beautiful going through mountain passes and in many tunnels. Mist was rising from the mountains and some spectacular views of waterfalls and native trees were enjoyed.

The City of Takamatsu is the capital of Kagawa Prefecture and home to the largest bonsai pine production in Japan. According to 2014 figures, 219 bonsai nurseries shipped 75,000 bonsai valued at approximately US $2,400,000. There are two major production areas, Kinishi Bonsai Village and Kokubunji Bonsai Village. Each has their own bonsai festival in April and October, this weekend and I’ll report on them in the next blog entry.

Kandaka Shoju-en Bonsai Nursery

This is one of the oldest and most respected bonsai nurseries on Shikoku Island and now operated by fifth generation bonsai artist Keiji Kandaka. His father, forth generation is now 84 years old and still working, while the sixth generation son and grandson is also working in the nursery.

Keiji Kandaka

This is the season to remove old needles

Mr. Kandaka’s father

Mr. Kandaka’s son– sixth generation of Kandaka Shoju-en Bonsai Nursery

I first visited Kandaka Shoju-en Bonsai Nursery in 1970, when all of us were younger. The main focal point of this garden is a huge, 200 year old trained Japanese black pine garden tree, not bonsai. There are two main branches, each spreading about 25 feet in each direction, but trained horizontally, about one foot high. The trunk rises from the center and is quite powerful. I’ve been told Chinese buyers want this tree, but it would be impossible to ship.

I asked Mr. Kandaka about the origin of this container. He was not certain but said perhaps Shigaraki or Tokoname-ware.

Masterpiece famous bonsai are throughout the nursery and there are thousands of smaller commercial quality bonsai, many which would be show worthy “masterwork” bonsai in the United states. I saw a few interesting cascade Sargent juniper bonsai trained with three main trunks, but it was raining and difficult to properly photograph. Even with Photoshop they will be hard to correct. But, I’ll try later in my spare time, IF I ever get any.

Kokubunji Bonsai Center

The approximately 20 bonsai nurseries in Kokubunji formed a cooperative sales area, open to the public where each nursery offers their trees for sale.

While we were there Hiroyoshi Yamaji, second generation bonsai grower pulled in with two trucks to pick up trees for sale at the festival tomorrow. He was accompanied by his wife and son, who is now an apprentice with Minoru Akiyama. He returned home to help the family business during this important event. Sound familiar? Loving wife and sons returning home to help. The bonsai industry, both in Japan and the United States is still considered to be a “cottage industry” dependent on family support.

Most of the bonsai were pines, of course, but there was a smaller are under shade cloth for deciduous, small and azalea bonsai.

Bonsai Shrine

This was the first time I’ve visited the Bonsai Shrine. See, I have not seen everything yet, but enjoying trying. The shrine dedicated to the God of plants, trees and flowers. It is high up on a steep hill and when arriving, you must walk down slippery metal steps only to go back up on steep concrete steps. They were slippery, especially in the rain and I’m proud to say I got up AND down again on my own two feet, which have been broken six times, first time broken in Omiya Bonsai Village.

Next to the Bonsai Shrine there is a huge stone commemorating the significant contributions of the Suezawa family to the bonsai production area. I remember a Mr. Suezawa about 30 years ago and he was over 80 years old at that time. He owned “Suezawa Heights” as well as many good pine bonsai. When I went shopping, he wanted cash in hand before I selected bonsai. I said OK, but need plastic bags. He stopped, thinked, then rode his bicycle down, and back up the mountain with bags so he could make a sale.

Konishi Shoraku-en Bosnai Nursery

Operated by Yukihiko Konishi, this nursery produces pine bonsai as well as brokering large trained garden trees for sale to the Chinese market. His son produces blueberries under shade cloth to protect the delicious fruit from hungry birds.

Mr. Konishi was recently awarded a government sash award medal for his contributions to bonsai. He is also active in ASPAC (Asia Pacific Bonsai & Suiseki Association) and the (WBFF) World Bonsai Friendship Federation where he is a consultant, like me to help the organization. In 2011, he was the chairman for the successful and well attended ASPAC Convention in Takamatsu. He is one of the prime leaders of Japanese bonsai and I frequently see him around the world at bonsai conventions and exhibitions. I’ll be with him in a couple of weeks in Taiwan.

He showed us a new Japanese black pine seedling introduction he is propagating. It’s an unnamed selection which has short needles, but are quite attractive because of their angled character.

Mr. Konishi has many fields and he showed us how Miyajima Japanese Five-needle Pine are produced. Young Japanese black pines are used as understock to produce good roots. They are tightly wired and developed in the ground. The wire is NOT removed, but rather bites into the trunk and swells into interesting forms. In a few years the wire scars disappear.

The Nishiki (Cork bark) Japanese black pine develops bark into “wings” and adds to create an interesting heavy trunk. By the way, this bark characteristic is can also be seen on Japanese red and Japanese five-needle pines, as well as a few deciduous species. The pines are mostly grafted, but there are a few cultivars which will root. Although the bark is disnctive and adds impact to the bonsai design, it is not easy to produce a bonsai with a thick lower trunk to create taper. Usually the lower trunks are thin and do not appear to be attractive. However, with skill, some propagators can produce low grafts where the bark seems to roll over presenting a thick lower trunk with taper. The Nishiki Japanese black pine was once popular and quite expensive, but was over produced and not widely grown here now. In the past decades, I’ve seen fields of beautiful developed Nishiki Japanese black pines, plowed down to make room for other varieties which have value.

A good graft

A poor graft

I saw an interesting Nishiki (Cork bark) Japanese black pine in Mr. Konishi’s display area. The bonsai had a different character than others I’ve seen and studied. I know there is a cultivar with only develops the winged bark on branches, rather than the trunk. However, Mr. Konishi explained that this bonsai was collected from a nearby mountain 50 years ago and is not grafted, even though it looks like it. He told me that it had thick bark which was quite heavy and fell off, only leaving the winged bark on the branches. I suggested super glue…..

BoPoster for the Kinishi Bonsai & Garden Tree Festival. YES, I know what the

Watch for my article in a future issue of International BONSAI, and visit Discover Shikoku!

http://www.discovershikoku.com