Page 28 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2014Q2

Top left; The clearly defined stripes on the Seta River stone contributes to its common name but also with ten foreign members participating. The
“black tiger stone.” It measures 7 cm high, 48 cm wide and 27 cm deep. individually owned stones on display were excellent.
Middle left; A gently sloping Saji River stone measuring 10.5 cm high, 44.5 cm wide and 24 cm deep. A display table was used for each stone. Normally in
Bottom left; Furuya stones such as this one often make beautiful landscape scenes. Bases on Furuya an exhibit like this, I can pick a few favorites that I
stones are typically more elaborate than those on other suiseki. This stone measures 6 cm high, would like to have in my home. At this venue, I would
24 cm wide, and 12 cm deep. have liked to take a majority of these stones home.
Bottom right; Figure stones are often placed on pedestals. This stone, one of the finest in Japan, The quality of the stones selected for the exhibit was
from the Seta River is 23 cm high, 5 cm wide, and 3 cm deep.
outstanding. I was happy to see the wide array of dif-
ferent types of Japanese stones used this Japanese su-
iseki exhibit. Western proponents of Japanese suiseki
should study the exhibit catalog and see the diversity
of stones considered fitting for this special exhibition.
Each of the fifteen accessary items—display stands,
suiban, doban, and small cast bronze figures (ten-
pai)—was of museum quality. The exquisite detail,
colors and workmanship of the items was superb. I
wish I could have sat and viewed each undisturbed
for several minutes. That was also true for most of the
stones on display. Learning about the subtle aspects of
Japanese aesthetic is not easy for many western visi-
tors. But, this exhibition and its accompanying catalog
helps with this process.
Fortunately, Seiji Morimae worked with Wil Laut-
enschlager and others to produce Japan Suiseki Exhi-
bition, an extraordinary exhibit catalog, the best book
published by the NSA in a decade. Readers should
pay special attention to the commentary by Morimae
and Lautenschlager, if they wish to develop a better
understanding of Japanese stone aesthetics. We are
grateful to Lautenschlager for his skillful translation

26 | BCI | April/May/June 2014