Kokufu Bonsai Ten, Part III, #1 Through #89 (1934-2015)

("National Bonsai Exhibition")
Kokufu ten calligraphy
Koku       Fu          Bon        Sai       Ten

Compiled by Robert J. Baran, with William N. Valavanis



This Page Last Updated: July 4, 2019




Overview
The Shows by Year
Some Photos
Observations
Some Albums
Notes


AT SOME OF THE KOKUFU TEN, #1 Through #89 (1934-2015)

at the first Kokufu Ten, 1934 at the first Kokufu Ten, 1934
1934, No. 1
 1934, No. 1
Matsudairas at the first Kokufu Ten, 1934 outside the second Kokufu Ten, 1934
1934, the Matsudairas at the first exhibition



 1934, outside the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum for No. 2 exhibition


at the second Kokufu Ten, 1934 at the fourth Kokufu Ten, 1935
1934, No. 2


 1935, No. 4
Yuji Yoshimura at the 26th Kokufu Ten, 1952
"Yuji Yoshimura was a member of the Nippon Young Men's Bonsai Association which led visitors through the National Bonsai Exhibition.  Here he is holding his English translation guide for the [26th] held in December 1952."
Kokufu-ten Bonsai Association , c.1960
Specific members (circled, left to right): Saburō Katō (1915-2008), Kenji Murata (1901-?), Kamajiro Yamada, Toshiji Yoshimura (1892-1975), Kyuzo Murata (1902-1991), Ichiu Katayama, Fuzaso Takeyama (1914-1979), Norio Kobayashi (1889-1972), and Nobukichi Koide.
(Slide from Bill Valavanis's Classical Bonsai Art History PowerPoint presentation)


Tree exhibited by Masakuni Kawasumi at the 44th Kokufu Ten, 1970
Sinuous style Japanese five-needle pine (Pinus parviflora) exhibited by
second-generation toolmaker Masakuni Kawasumi in 1970, No. 44


1970, No. 44, album photo of outside


1971, No. 45, album photo of inside


Mame Bonsai Exhibited Feb. 1971, Bonsai, BCI, April 1971, pg. 3
Mame bonsai exhibited by Zeko Nakamura, 1971, No. 45


at the 58th Kokufu Ten, 1984
Overall view of one of the four exhibition rooms, 1984, No. 58


Informal Pine Kokufu award, 58th Kokufu Ten, 1984 Formal Pine Kokufu award, 58th Kokufu Ten, 1984 Slanting Crabapple Kokufu award, at the 58th Kokufu Ten, 1984
Kokufu Prize, 1984
Informal Upright style Japanese five-needle pine
(Pinus parviflora) with driftwood


Kokufu Prize, 1984
Formal Upright style Japanese five-needle
pine (Pinus parviflora)


 Kokufu Prize, 1984
Slanting style Crabapple (Malus sieboldi)
at the 61st Kokufu Ten, 1987 Kokufu Prize, 2002: Japanese flowering apricot
1987, No. 61
 Kokufu Prize, 2002: Japanese flowering apricot (Prunus mume)
Kokufu Prize, 2005: Siebold crabapple at the 80th Kokufu Ten, 2006
Kokufu Prize, 2005: Siebold crabapple (Malus sieboldii)
 Kokufu Prize, 2006: Japanese five-needle pine (Pinus parviflora aka P. pentaphylla)
at the 80th Kokufu Ten, 2006 preparing for the 80th Kokufu Ten, 2006
2006, No. 80


 At the Kato's Mansei-en Garden, Preparing Medium Bonsai for
Second Half of 2006 Show
at the 80th Kokufu Ten, 2006 at the 80th Kokufu Ten, 2006
Watering a Shohin Bonsai, 2006 Show


 Watering a Medium-sized Bonsai, 2006 Show
Prunus mume at 2007 Kokufu, photo by Wm N. Valavanis
Kokufu Prize 2006, Shimpaku Juniper (Juniperus chinensis var. shimpaku)


 Japanese flowering apricot (Prunus mume), 2007
First American Exhibit at 2010 Kokufu, Japanese hemlock (Tsuga diversifolia)
Japanese beech (Fagus crenata), 2007


 First American Exhibit, 2010, No. 84,
Japanese hemlock (Tsuga diversifolia) by Doug Paul


Prize winning pine at the 84th Kokufu ten, 2010 Prize winning pine at the 84th Kokufu ten, 2010
Kokufu Prize, 2010: Cascade style Japanese five-needle pine
(Pinus parviflora)		 Kokufu Prize, 2010: Informal upright style Japanese black pine
(Pinus thunbergii)

Prize winning pomegranate at the 84th Kokufu ten, 2010
At the 85th Kokufu ten, 2011, with Mr. Nakamura
Kokufu Prize, 2010: Twisted-trunk pomegranate
(Punica granatum 'Nejikan')		 Wednesday Feb. 16, 2011, No. 85, in the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center.
Susumu Nakamura is on the right and has white hair.
He is one of the members of the NBA who is in charge of the exhibition.

Prize winning pine at the 85th Kokufu ten, 2011 Prize winning flowering apricot at the 85th Kokufu ten, 2011
Kokufu Prize, 2011: Informal upright style Japanese five-needle pine
(Pinus parviflora); it also received the Prime Minister Award
at the Taikan Ten Exhibition in November 2010.		 Kokufu Prize, 2011: Slant style Japanese flowering apricot
(Prunus mume)

Prize winning Korean hornbeam at the 85th Kokufu ten, 2011
At the 86th Kokufu ten, 2012
Kokufu Prize, 2011: Twin-trunk Korean hornbeam
(Carpinus turczaninowii)		 2012, No. 86, in the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center.


At the 86th Kokufu ten, 2012, from WNV Facebook
2012, No. 86, in the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center (from WNV Facebook posting).


Japanese black pine award winner at the 86th Kokufu ten, 2012 Satsuki Osakazuki award winner at the 86th Kokufu ten, 2012
Kokufu Prize, 2012: Slant style Japanese black pine
(Pinus thunbergii)		 Kokufu Prize, 2012: Informal upright style Osakazuki Satsuki
(Rhododendron lateritium var. Osakazuki)

Shimpaku juniper award winner at the 86th Kokufu ten, 2012 Shishigashira Japanese maple award winner at the 86th Kokufu ten, 2012
Kokufu Prize, 2012: Informal upright style Shimpaku juniper
(Juniperus chinensis var. shimpaku)		 Kokufu Prize, 2012: Slant style Shishigashira Japanese maple
(Acer palmatum)


# 87
New Gallery A Room (from WNV Facebook posting)
New Gallery A Room, Metropolitan Art Museum,
2013, No. 87 (from WNV Facebook posting)



Chinese quince award winner at the 87th Kokufu ten, 2013, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis Japanese five-needle pine award winner at the 87th Kokufu ten, 2013, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis
Kokufu Prize, 2013: Broom style Chinese quince
(Pseudocydonia sinensis)		 Kokufu Prize, 2013: Slant style Japanese five-needle pine
(Pinus parviflora)

Japanese black pine award winner at the 87th Kokufu ten, 2013, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis Toyo Nishiki Japanese flowering quince award winner at the 87th Kokufu ten, 2013, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis
Kokufu Prize, 2013: Slant style Japanese black pine
(Pinus thunbergii)

 Kokufu Prize, 2013: Clump style Toyo Nishiki Japanese flowering quince (Chaenomeles japonica)

White Japanese rose award winner at the 87th Kokufu ten, 2013, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis Japanese five-needle pine award winner at the 87th Kokufu ten, 2013, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis
Kokufu Prize, 2013: Semi-cascade style White Japanese rose
(Rosa rugosa alba)		 Kokufu Prize, 2013: Informal upright style Japanese five-needle pine
(Pinus parviflora)



# 88
New Tablecloths (from WNV blog)
New Tablecloths, 2014, No. 88 (from WNV blog)



Japanese red pine award winner at the 88th Kokufu ten, 2014, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis Japanese beech award winner at the 88th Kokufu ten, 2014, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis
Kokufu Prize, 2014, Part 1:
Sinuous style Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora)		 Kokufu Prize, 2014, Part 1:
Clump style Japanese beech (Fagus crenata)

Japanese flowering apricot award winner at the 88th Kokufu ten, 2014, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis Sargent juniper award winner at the 88th Kokufu ten, 2014, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis
Kokufu Prize, 2014, Part 1:
Twin trunk Japanese flowering apricot (Prunus mume)

 Kokufu Prize, 2014, Part 1:
Sargent juniper (Juniperus chinensis var. sargenti 'Shimpaku')

White Japanese rose award winner at the 88th Kokufu ten, 2014, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis
Kokufu Prize, 2014, Part 1:
Japanese five-needle pine (Pinus parviflora)

Japanese five-needle pine award winner at the 88th Kokufu ten, 2014, Part 2, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis Japanese black pine award winner at the 88th Kokufu ten, 2014, Part 2, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis
Kokufu Prize, 2014, Part 2:
Multiple trunk Japanese five-needle pine (Pinus parviflora)		 Kokufu Prize, 2014, Part 2:
Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii)

Japanese flowering apricot award winner at the 88th Kokufu ten, 2014, Part 2, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis Sargent juniper award winner at the 88th Kokufu ten, 2014, Part 2, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis
Kokufu Prize, 2014, Part 2:
Cascading Japanese flowering apricot (Prunus mume)

 Kokufu Prize, 2014, Part 2:
Sargent juniper (Juniperus chinensis var. sargenti 'Shimpaku')

Dwarf star jasmine award winner at the 88th Kokufu ten, 2014, Part 2, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis Kiyo Hime Japanese maple award winner at the 88th Kokufu ten, 2014, Part 2, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis
Kokufu Prize, 2014, Part 2:
Slant style Dwarf star jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum 'Nana')

 Kokufu Prize, 2014, Part 2:
Informal upright style Kiyo Hime Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Kiyo Hime')



# 89
Japanese black pine award winner at the 89th Kokufu ten, 2015, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis Itoigawa Sargent juniper award winner at the 89th Kokufu ten, 2015, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis
Kokufu Prize, 2015, Part 1:
Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii)		 Kokufu Prize, 2015, Part 1:
Itoigawa Sargent juniper (Juniperus chinensis var. sargenti 'Itoigawa')

Deshojo Japanese maple award winner at the 89th Kokufu ten, 2015, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis Dwarf star jasmine award winner at the 89th Kokufu ten, 2015, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis
Kokufu Prize, 2015, Part 1:
Deshojo Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Deshojo')

 Kokufu Prize, 2015, Part 1:
Dwarf star jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum)

Shohin bonsai composition award winner at the 89th Kokufu ten, 2015, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis
Kokufu Prize, 2015, Part 1:
Shohin bonsai composition



Japanese five-needle pine award winner at the 89th Kokufu ten, 2015, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis Trident maple award winner at the 89th Kokufu ten, 2015, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis
Kokufu Prize, 2015, Part 2:
Japanese five-needle pine
(Pinus parviflora)		 Kokufu Prize, 2015, Part 2:
Trident maple (Acer buergerianum)

Chinese quince award winner at the 89th Kokufu ten, 2015, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis Japanese grey-bark elm award winner at the 89th Kokufu ten, 2015, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis
Kokufu Prize, 2015, Part 2:
Chinese quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis)

 Kokufu Prize, 2015, Part 2:
Japanese grey-bark elm (Zelkova serrata)

Japanese five-needle pine award winner at the 89th Kokufu ten, 2015, photo by Wm. N. Valavanis
Kokufu Prize, 2015, Part 2:
Japanese five-needle pine
(Pinus parviflora)


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Kokufu Bonsai Ten Shows, Part III, #90+ (2016-present)


Overview
The Shows by Year
Some Photos
Observations
Some Albums
Notes
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