Page 64 - BSAM 2015 Q4

Top; Ritta preparing the kusamono to accompany the Kokonoe at Taikan-ten exhibit.
Middle; Mark meticulously cleans the pot.
Bottom; The Kokonoe on display at Taikan-ten.
that Mr. Fujikawa suggested to Mark and Ritta that they should consider submitting the tree for exhibit at Taikan-ten in 2013.
is came as a pleasant and unexpected surprise to them both, that Mr. Fujikawa considered the tree to be of high enough quality. e details and costs of doing this were discussed. Mark and Ritta thought that this would be a once in a lifetime experience for them, and they quickly agreed to do this.
In Japan, the exhibitor has to pay a fee to exhibit a bonsai at a top show, and these fees can o en run into hundreds of dollars. ey also felt it would provide a good excuse (if one were needed!) to visit Japan and Kouka-en again!
ey le Japan later that month a er visiting the 32nd Taikan-ten show 2012, with the exciting thought of seeing their tree in the 33rd Taikan-ten exhibition in November 2013. A few months passed, and in January 2013, it was time to visit Japan again. The prime purpose of this trip was to visit the famous Gafu-ten shohin bonsai exhibition in Kyoto (held in the same venue as Taikan-ten), and to go to the Meifu-ten show in Nagoya as well. Of course they scheduled in a visit to Kouka-en to see their white pine and to see Keiichi Fujikawa and his team. On arrival, they were delighted to see that their tree was displayed in the tokonoma in the reception area. Despite it being early January, it was a surprisingly sunny and pleasant day.
During the coming months of 2013, Mr. Fujikawa kept them up to date via Bjorn, and Bjorn sent them a photo of the tree a er repotting.
As an enthusiastic and very competent couple, they always carefully prepare their trees for show them- selves, and they both thought it would be something special for them to have input into the preparation of their tree for Taikan-ten. They weren’t entirely
62 | BCI | October/November/December 2015