Page 39 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2016Q4

Top and bottom; The Japanese
practice of cultivating stones
outdoors or yoseki will develop
a nice patina on some types
of stones, but not all stones.
It is also an effective method
of eliminating signs where a
stone has been worked.

We have consistently heard from Western students carvers. For a period of several years, he could not
of Japanese suiseki, that Japanese stones are never manufacture enough suiseki to meet the demand. One
treated with oils or waxes and that they are always day he sold over 300 stones to an engineer working
natural and aged with the process of yoseki. Howev- on the construction of the Narita airport in the early
er, we learned several years ago that some Japanese 1970s.
stones, especially those coming from the earth, that Sakurai continues to make suiseki today even
the final stage of cleaning involves the use of a soft though the peak of suiseki popularity has long passed.
pliant wax from the Ibota beetle. This is placed in a He saw several of his stone carving friends close their
soft cotton cloth and then rubbed on the surface of businesses as demand dropped sharply and the sup-
the stone. When we ask Mr. Sakurai if he ever used ply of inexpensive suitable stones became difficult to
oils or waxes, he responded by saying that he does obtain.
apply natural oil to many of his dark stones and then It is time to dispense with the myth that Japanese
leaves them outdoors for at least one month before suiseki are all natural and recognize that a significant
he will sell it. number of the stones held in collections and shown
We asked one final question. Why did you do this? in exhibitions have been worked to some degree.
The driving motivation for Sakurai was financial. It Despite that, a carefully worked stone can have all
was a very profitable business. He was probably the the attributes sought after in a fine suiseki and can be
most financially successful of all the professional stone appreciated as much as a natural stone.

October/November/December 2016 | BCI | 37