Page 30 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2016Q3

altered other than to have their bottoms cut and lev-
eled, if needed, to allow for easy placement within a
wooden base.” Rivera pointed out that many Japanese
collectors made single basal cuts to make suiseki. In
southern California, the sentiments were against any
altering of the stone, including a single bottom cut.
This was promoted by the California Aiseki-kai Club,
led by Larry and Nina Ragle. According to the current
California Aiseki-kai web site, “suiseki are small stones
shaped by nature, unaltered by man, which suggest
familiar landscapes such as mountains, islands, wa-
terfalls, shorelines or seascapes.”
Shaping, carving, polishing and inscribing stones
is an ancient business in Japan necessary to meet the
demand for various sizes and types of monuments,
lanterns, pagodas, and Buddha figures. These skills
were well developed and easily applied on a smaller
scale to the art of stone appreciation. An examina-
tion of many older, important suiseki will show
that the bottom was modified. Our Meiji era Kamo
River stone, purchased from former Nippon Suiseki
Association Chairman, Arishige Matsuura is a good
example.
The Japanese stone appreciation community did not
try to conceal the fact that many stones were partially
or totally modified for use as suiseki. In fact, numer-
ous articles were published beginning in the 1960s
about the processes used to modify stones. Stones that
have been worked and extensively polished, often to
a mirror smooth finish, frequently colorful, usually
quite beautiful, and placed in the category of biseki or
beautiful stones, are not included in this article.
Two references were found to Sakai Teikyo, usu-
ally considered by the most well-informed Japanese
stone professionals to be Japan’s finest stone carver.
Top; This California Eel River Pius Notter by Arishige Matsuura and Martin Pauli One reference is an article, A Story of Sakai Teikyo
stone was collected and cut defined suiseki as small stones that were formed by published in the book How to Appreciate and Take
from a larger rock by Ben nature. The concept that suiseki are completely natural Care of Suiseki, edited by Inoue Yoshio in 1966. Teikyo
Nanjo, a well-known stone
enthusiast from the San was further promoted by Willi Benz in his book, The was one of three sons of Sakai Sahichi, a stone carver
Francisco Bay area. It is typical Art of Suiseki published in 1996. This was an English in Gifu. Teikyo learned stone carving from his father
of the many fine viewing adaptation of his earlier book, Suiseki: Kunstwerke and while he specialized in Ibi River stones, he also
stones obtained from a single der Natur Präsentiert von Menschen. Thus, European worked some Setagawa stones. He was known for his
basal cut. stone collectors believed that Japanese suiseki were ability to make such natural looking suiseki that others
Bottom; This attractive Kamo all natural stones formed by nature. This belief was could not see that they were enhanced. Sakai Teikyo
River stone has a cut bottom. It
was attributed to the Meiji Era supported by Felix Rivera when he wrote that “Suiseki studied different rivers, their rock formations and the
by Arishige Matsuura, former is an art form that values the intrinsic qualities of hard way water flowed over and through them, to under-
chairman of the Nippon minerals and stones shaped by natural forces into stand how they were formed. The way he worked on a
Suiseki Association, when it forms suggestive of mountains, islands, waterfalls, rock depended upon the river in which it originated.
was acquired. glaciers, plains, people, and animals” in his book, He believed that movement in stones was important,
Suiseki, The Japanese Art of Miniature Landscape Stones and that working stones was unavoidable. This was
(1997). Many newly formed stone clubs accepted this due to the rapid increase in the number of collectors
notion, first presented by Covello and Yoshimura, and the limited supply of stones. He also maintained
then reinforced by Benz and Rivera, as fact. that if working on a stone multiplies its value by many
In California, stone collectors from California times, then a stone should be worked. The article in-
Suiseki Society in the San Francisco Bay Area were cluded many photographs showing Sakai manufactur-
regularly cutting stones to make suitable landscape ing suiseki.
stones with stable bases. Felix Rivera, founder of this Another important document was Memories of Ibi
society and author of the book, The Japanese Art of River Stones by Sakai Teikyo, third son, which was
Miniature Landscape Stones, described suiseki by size, published in 1989 in a local publication, Stone Friends
color, and patina and by saying that they “may not be by the Ibi River Aiseki-kai association. It is an account

28 | BCI | July/August/September 2016