Page 52 - Tài liệu Ebook cây cảnh Bonsai and Penjing

and others in the nursery were protected from the blast by a wall, and its

inclusion added a profound and poignant note to the Bicentennial Gift.
Another Japanese White Pine (Pinus parviflora ‘Miyajima’) arrived after the
Bicentennial Gift. The distinctive slant of the trunk is balanced by the design of
its branches and foliage. It was given to the museum by the late Daizo Iwasaki, a
noted bonsai collector in Japan.
A tree treasured by the Japanese is the cryptomeria or Sugi (Cryptomeria
japonica). It is often called a Japanese cedar though it is not a true cedar. In
Japan, some consider it the national tree because it is often planted around
temples and shrines, marking the passage from the “daily” world to a “sacred”
space. At the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, cryptomeria line the entrance
walk, creating a transitional space into the museum’s pavilion area, similar to
their use in Japan. Its evergreen quality is perceived as a symbol of longevity
and strength. In addition to its landscape use, Cryptomeria is also used for
lumber and for a variety of crafted products. The bonsai Cryptomeria forest
planting in the Bicentennial Gift echoes the “grown up” versions lining the
entrance walk and was a gift of a former Prime Minister of Japan, Eisaku Satō.

A Trident Maple (Acer buergerianum), in training since 1856, has a different
shape from Prince Takamatsu’s and was included in the Bicentennial Gift. It was
also grown from a seedling but this one conveys majesty in a different way. It
has a formal upright-style trunk tapering to an apex with flaring surface roots,
creating the illusion of great age and magnificence.
Following his state visit with President Clinton in 1999, Japanese Prime
Minister Keizo Obuchi (1937–2000) gave the museum a gift of seven bonsai.
One is a 9-inch-high Japanese Zelkova (Zelkova serrata) that has been in
training since 1984 and will never grow any larger. Dr. Thomas Elias, then
Director of the U.S. National Arboretum, played an important role in the gift,
ensuring the museum collections’ continued pre-eminence among public bonsai
collections in North America.