Kokufu ten albums

Rune

I'm trying to get a complete collection of the kokufu ten albums. Does anyone know where I can buy copys of the older (First 50) editions of the album?

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rockm

How much money do you have?

Kokufu ten albums usually run about $50 (325 kroner) a piece--prices have been going up lately too. Owning one pretty much is enough. There is nothing to be gained, really by owning all of them.

bunjingi

The early ones are VERY difficult to find. I use to be a rare book dealer and still search for hard to find books for people (and myself - I have a good collection of hard to find bonsai books) and know that the_old_ ones are rarely seen and very hard to find, even in Japan. Bill Valavanis, who has the very BEST collection of bonsai books - probably in the West (never mind the US) - is still looking for a few of the very old ones. I have a few book contacts in japan and still have not found many.
but RockM is correct that the newer ones (45+) are usually on ebay on a regular basis. With the more international flavor of ebay, there are many Japanese sellers posting them there - so keep your eyes open (along with the rest of us!).
John Romano
"In order to create art of your own time, there's no simple formula. You just have to keep working at it while you are doing it. You feel you must make something quite different from anything you have ever seen. This does not mean that you malign the past; you perpetuate the good points of the old style and in addition you try to produce something even better. That is the mission of those who respect their era. Bonsai, which is a legacy for the generations to come, must not be a mere repetition of the past. Then the achievement of the generation before us will be meaningless... Bonsai is a very difficult art and if someone asks for a simple formula for it, you cannot give it. In the case of a painting, when the picture is finished it is completed and stabilized. But in the case of bonsai, it will always be changing. It's a perpetual motion. How skillfully you can manage this changing object is the problem. Of course, this very problem provides us with a challenge and enjoyment as well. I always strive to free myself of a set bonsai style. To express it radically, even opposite or wheel formation branches should be made into a pleasing form without undue stress. Yet there are no set rules for doing it. Nature creates far more mysterious things than man's imagination can come up with. So if you take in interesting forms of nature into the world of bonsai, it will be a great help to those who aspire to learn the technique."

~ Saichi Suzuki, Daiju-en (Okazaki, Japan)

TreeBay

I don't think I have laughed quite so hard. I am at work and I am busting up.

You could say the same for the bonsai themselves, and quite a few people would agree with you. Most of them non-bonsai people. Many of them their spouses.

Regards,

Matt

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Wolfus

*Whisper*

Whats a [Kokufu-ten album] ??

David

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I.B.

See that is what happens when westerers use Japanese terms....

Generally speaking the Japanese have had an annual "National Bonsai Exhibit" (Kokufu Bonsai Ten) since 1934. I mention generally because some years during the war, there was none, and sometimes there were several in one year.

But for the past 40 or so years there has been an annual exhibition. It is currently held at the Metropolotian Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan in early February.

Next year in early February the Nippon Bonsai Association will be holding their 80th National Bonsai Exhibiton. Every ten years they have a big celebration by having the exhibition in two parts, thus displaying about 500 different bonsai rather than "only" 250.

Also, it is interesting to note that the Japanese bonsai professionals organized to host the National Bonsai Exhibition as "Kokufu Bonsai Kai", this professional bonsai organization eventually became the Nippon Bonsai Association in the early 1960's.

Hope this helps, and let's try to use English when there is a suitable translation.

Bill

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William N. Valavanis

TreeBay

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I.B.

One more thing...

If one is serious in studying bonsai and its history, it is important to be able to have reference books which depict bonsai design and display from many years ago. That is one reason old exhibition books are valuable, especially to me.

Also one can see how certain masterpieces have changed during the past decades. Often the branches and containers change, but the basic trunk does not and is often clearly visible.

Bill

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William N. Valavanis

Attila

Bill,

Since we are at it, is there such a thing as a Sakufu-ten album? I imagine these trees could be more interesting since the artist exhibits them under his own name, so there may be more room for creativity and diversity (not implying that Kokufu-ten trees are uncreative, but an artist on his own may have less restrictions then when working for a wealthy client).



(and I agree with Matt, my bonsai trees tend to look look all the same to my wife... and she thinks the same about the Kokufu-ten trees - I take this as a great compliment from her, bunching my trees with the ones from the big K)