Bonsai tree: The 2011 Sakufu-ten

Friday, February 10, 2012

Bonsai tree: The 2011 Sakufu-ten


Source: Bonsai Tonight

The 2011 Sakufu-ten


I had long been curious about the Sakufu-ten. I’d visited Kokufu and seen the books from past Sakufu-ten, but didn’t know much about the event beyond that.


Toward the end of my visit to Japan, I learned that my flight home was scheduled for the same weekend as Sakufu. Not only did I not want to miss the event, but my ride to the airport, Junichiro Tanaka, was scheduled to be in Tokyo the same day, receiving the award for top large conifer. Before the day was out, I’d changed my flight. I was going to Tokyo.


The drive from Nagoya filled about half a day. Upon arriving in Tokyo, the three of us, Tanaka, Peter Tea and I, headed straight to the Green Club to set up Tanaka’s tree. Everyone else had set up their display before lunch – we arrived just before sundown. We walked past many beautiful displays with tree and stand in hand and found an empty display on the second floor with a photo featuring a familiar white pine. As soon as the tree stopped teetering on its stand, Peter and I took in the rest of the exhibit.


It was getting chilly when we headed to our hotel about a mile away. We checked in, relaxed for a bit, then headed out for dinner in Ueno. Dinner was a fantastic affair that entailed many delicacies that we could not identify. Sometimes it’s better that way.


Korean hornbeam


Korean hornbeam with spectacularly dense branches


Cypress


Cypress


Pine


Black pine


Spruce


Spruce


Trident maple


Trident maple


White pine


White pine on a rock


Japanese maple


Japanese maple – very good trunk


White pine


White pine


Satsuki azalea


Satsuki azalea


Japanese flowering quince 'Chojubai'


Japanese flowering quince, ‘Chojubai’


Japanese pepper tree


Japanese pepper tree


White pine


White pine


Antique pot


Very old pot


Satsuki azalea


Satsuki azalea


White pine


White pine


Shimpaku


Shimpaku


Black pine


Black pine


Jasmine


Jasmine


White pine


White pine


Shimpaku rock planting


Shimpaku rock planting by Kimura



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