Our semi-annual bonsai tour to the Japanese bonsai world began a couple a few days ago. Kora Dalager and I have been introducing friends from around the globe to the Japanese bonsai world for over 25 years. 

This autumn tour includes 14 people from across the United States, Canada and Switzerland. A great friendly group to travel with, no troublemakers, slow pokes or lost participants…. So far.

Diane and I arrived a day early with some good friends so she would have time to visit and study the outstanding masterpiece bonsai of Hiroshi Takeyama, proprietor of Fuyo-en Bonsai Garden in Omiya Bonsai Village. When I was an apprentice in the bonsai village in 1971-72 the garden I was studying at was across the street from Mr. Takeyama’s garden, and whenever I had rare day off, I would simply walk across the street visit his garden, Fuyo-en Bonsai Garden which was founded by the father, Fuzaso Takeyama over 70 years ago.

All bonsai artists seem to have a specialty, like carving old collected junipers with full of distinctive dead wood focal points or training pines and maples from seed or creating rock plating bonsai featuring a single species.

There are two different methods for creating bonsai; training collected trees or by actually growing the trees from seed, cuttings and air layering. Both methods have advantages and advantages and disadvantages. Basically, shaping old collected trees which requires creativity and skill which does not take a long time; or by growing and developing bonsai from seed, cuttings and other cultivated methods which requires patience and often several decades. But the end result is the same a beautiful, artistic living work of art. When creating from collected and old trees, the artist makes a bonsai using an established tree and attempting to work around plant features, trying to solve “problems” or unusual shapes often requiring design comprises to create art which requires less time than growing and developing “cultivated bonsai,” from young material, like cuttings, seed and younger trees right from the beginning from which really requires long periods of time. However, when training a cultivated bonsai there should be no excuse for not developing an ideal shape; while working with old and collected trees, one must actually work with what you have (because focal points have already been selected) or to add branches or trunks to develop distinctive work of art.

Basically, one method uses “subtraction,” and the other method requires “addition or growing” necessary branches to develop an almost “ideal” shape. Both of these methods are excellent and rewarding which often requires the use both methods. One method is not better than the other.

Both father and son Takeyama specialize in creating forest, rock planting or using unusual deciduous species. Since this these are my favorite group of bonsai, I appreciate the time and talent the Takeyama family have contributed to the bonsai world.

Attached are several images I took which I found interesting in my study of classical bonsai art.

More to come….