Page 34 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2016Q3

Exploring

the

African

Bonsai

Style

By Tobie Kleynhans,
South Africa

he 90th Kokufu-ten bonsai exhibition was The trees on display were of the highest quality.
displayed in the Metropolitan Art museum The immaculate refinement on each and every tree.
from the 5th to the 8th and from the 10th The absence of any trace of human interference.
to the 13th of February 2016 in Ueno Park, The quality and suitability of the pots, display tables
TTokyo. and accent plants.
The Kokufu-ten is the premier bonsai exhibition The number of antique pots used.
in Japan. The Nippon bonsai society celebrated their Most trees conform to a unique classical Japanese
90th exhibition by having a two part exhibition, Style.
replacing the trees after the first part with a new set of
trees for the second part. More than 200 trees were on Describing the classical Japanese bonsai style
display during each part of the exhibition —and what is difficult, but walking around the Kokufu-ten
a display it was! exhibitions, the inherent characteristics of this style
It would take a lot more space to describe and became quite clear. In a recent article William N
analyze the Kokufu-ten exhibitions of 2016, but to Valavanis, International Bonsai, 2015/No.1) reiterated
summarize my first impressions: the two bonsai styles described by the Japanese:
classical and naturalistic.

32 | BCI | July/August/September 2016