Page 23 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2015Q1

individuals. Beyond that, Fujikawa-san looks for
material that he personally finds interesting, but that
could still provide a positive margin once sold. On
occasion, he will actually purchase a tree for himself
to keep and develop at the nursery—it all depends on
the quality and variety at any given auction. In most
cases, though, Fujikawa-san looks for material that is
healthy, though slightly unkempt, as these trees tend
to be overlooked by other bidders who aren’t willing
or able to put in the work to get them back to peak
condition.

If the same trees show up in auctions again and
again, do they reflect a continual refinement?
Sometimes, we do see the same material resurface
time and again at auctions. Often, these trees either
have defects and are difficult to sell, or the bids don’t
go high enough to satisfy the seller.

Mention was made of specimens grown from pencil-
thin stock at the nursery. Others are acquired at auc-
tions and some come from growers. Are bonsai still
collected from the wild in Japan? Are any imported?
This can be a touchy subject in Japan, particularly re-
garding imported material. Collecting in most areas
in Japan is now illegal—with the exception of privately
owned land—so it’s rather rare to see new native ya-
madori material flowing into the market, especially
Shimpaku Junipers. The demand is still there, though,
for high quality yamadori, especially for Juniperus
species. Many nurseries have begun legally import-
ing collected Junipers from Taiwan and subsequently
grafting them with native Juniper foliage (i.e. mostly
using Itoigawa foliage). I’m not sure what the motiva-
tion is—perhaps a sense of national pride—but there
seems to be very little or no mention after-the-fact
that these trees were imported. Most nurserymen
simply refer to them as grafted yamadori Shimpaku.
In any case, there is a seemingly never-ending supply
of high-quality material entering the Japanese bonsai
market, which is one thing that makes working here
so exciting.

How does a client of Kouka-en decide when to put a
tree into shows like Kokufu-ten or Taikan-ten?
The Kokufu-ten, or National Exhibition, is the pre-
mier show in Japan, and all entries go through a pre-
judging process—more than 50% are weeded out prior Is there a monetary incentive to win at a show or is Top; apprentice Yuri Hamaya
to the exhibition. In contrast, the Taikan-ten does not it about status? prepares trees for the
Taikan-ten exhibition held in
require trees to be pre-judged by a larger commit- There are no monetary awards given to Kokufu-ten November.
tee. When a client decides to put a tree in either of or Taikan-ten winners —it’s status that drives most Middle; it takes two people to
these shows, they nearly always consult a professional individuals to display their trees in these shows. move most of the large trees
nursery to assess the likelihood that the tree will be I think you and your young colleagues have success- that will be exhibited or sold at
accepted—as in the case of the Kokufu—or will hold fully altered the perception that bonsai is for old Taikan-ten.
up to the standards of the exhibition—as in the case people. What is your next big challenge? Bottom; apprentices work
of the Taikan-ten. Once the decision has been made My next biggest challenge is to complete my appren- late into the night to ensure
their trees are meticulously
to exhibit a tree in one of these exhibitions, profes- ticeship, receive certification from the Japanese Bonsai groomed for the Taikan-ten
sional nurseries then take the trees into their care and Association and continue to expand global under- exhibition.
transport them to the events on behalf of the clients. standing of bonsai art. My schedule is jam-packed for
This is mainly done to avoid having too many people the next few years, but I’m hoping to establish a larger
swarming the event halls on set-up day.

January/February/March 2015 | BCI | 21