Page 63 - BSAM 2015 Q4

Taikan-ten is their favorite bonsai show in Japan, and in their eyes only surpassed by Kokufu-ten. They had spoken many times at past exhibitions to two of Fujikawa’s students from the USA, Bjorn Bjorholm and Owen Reich.
Both were very excited at the prospect of visiting Kouka-en for the rst time during their planned trip in November 2012. e day of their visit was sunny with crystal clear blue skies...perfect! ey travelled by train and taxi to the nursery. On arrival, and a er saying their hellos to everyone, they began to look at the trees. As in many bonsai nurseries in Japan, numerous clients’ trees were being cared for in a dedicated area. e number and variety of species of bonsai for sale was impressive, as was the range of sizes.
ey were particularly impressed by several goyo- matsu (Japanese white pine or Pinus parvi ora), and two were moved indoors for them to take a closer look at. One tree in particular, a Kokonoe—a variety of Japanese white pine—greatly appealed to them both, however these trees were not available for export yet as they hadn’t completed their two years of quarantine in the nursery; in any case they thought it was not possible to arrange export to the UK.
Nonetheless they spent a thoroughly enjoyable day at the nursery and eventually, as daylight was fading it was time to return to their hotel. During the train journey back to the hotel in Kyoto, with the images of the trees they had seen at Kouka-en still fresh in their memory, they began to think how they could, maybe, possibly, arrange to get a tree home from Kouka-en in Osaka to the UK. A few long distance phone calls to the UK were made to see if it was possible to import a bonsai to the UK privately. It transpired that it certainly wasn’t going to be easy, nor cheap.
Many bonsai hobbyists perhaps don’t appreciate that Japanese bonsai nurseries must have a license to export bonsai, and not all bonsai nurseries in Japan have this. So, although the process of buying and importing a tree may sound straightforward, it certainly isn’t.
A chance encounter with a Dutch friend
However the thoughts of a previously scheduled visit to one of their favorite nurseries the following day, the famous Taisho-en in Shizuoka owned by Nobuichi Urushibata, were beginning to loom large in their thoughts. ey had visited there many times before. Many shohin bonsai enthusiasts will know of Taisho-en, but Urushibata San and his son Taiga keep a wide range of bonsai from mame to large trees.
On arrival at Taisho-en, they noticed that a bonsai friend of theirs from the Netherlands was already at the nursery, Maarten van der Hoeven, the owner of Bonsai Plaza in Del , Netherlands. Of course Maarten speaks Japanese which is an important skill if you want to do business in Japan.
ey chatted with Maarten about what they had done so far on that trip to Japan, and what their plans
were for the next few days. Oddly enough, Maarten was planning to visit Mr. Fujikawa at Kouka-en the following day. Mark and Ritta said that they had visited there just the day before and had seen some great trees, and explained their plight regarding the export of bonsai from Japan into the UK. To their surprise and delight, Maarten said that he may be able to help, and invited them to visit Kouka-en with him the following day, and maybe he could sort something out. Was this fate playing its part here?
ey immediately changed their travel plans for the following day, and plans were made to meet up with Maarten in Osaka and to travel together to Kouka-en. ey all arrived at Kouka-en a er a short taxi ride from the local station. Mark and Ritta were mindful that the prime purpose of Marten’s visit was to buy special trees for his business. So whilst Maarten focused on business, Mark and Ritta took the oppor- tunity to have another look around at the bonsai and to explain to Keiichi Fujikawa’s team why they had returned just two days a er their previous visit! Once Maarten had completed his business, he spoke with Mr. Fujikawa to explain what Mark and Ritta wanted to do. e good news was that in principal this was all possible. Great!
Green tea, a white pine and Taikan-ten
ey had both agreed that their favorite tree was still the goyomatsu, a Kokonoe, which they had seen two days previously. Maarten con rmed that this was a very good choice too. A er further and careful inspec- tion, much discussion, and several cups of green tea, a price was agreed with both Keiichi and Maarten.
e tree needed to remain in Japan for a further year to complete its quarantine period. ey agreed that the tree would be le at Kouka-en for the following year, 2013, and then it could be exported in 2014 by Bonsai Plaza. ere would be a modest fee for the care of the tree during this time in Japan.
It was soon a er this discussion and with some translation help from their friend Bjorn Bjorholm
Kokonoe was put on display at Kouka-en in anticipation of for our second visit in January 2013.
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