2011年09月30日
Bonsai in Takamatsu
The 11th Asia-Pacific Bonsai and Suiseki Convention & Exhibition (ASPAC), which will be held in Takamatsu, is fast approaching. The dates are November 18 to 21. The registration deadline is today! September 30 and most of the events are only open to registered participants, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying this horticultural art. Takamatsu, which produces 80 percent of all pine bonsai in Japan, is actually a great place for learning more. For one thing, bonsai growers and enthusiasts abound, which means that there are plenty of opportunities to view, buy or even make your own. I just dropped in on one such event yesterday in Tamamo Castle Park right by Takamatsu JR Station.
Tamamo Castle Park entrance.
Actually, this park is one of my secret getaways in Takamatsu. Perhaps it is some weird fetish of mine, but I find the stones and the stonework in the rampart walls gorgeous.
Stonework in ramparts
But more on the park another time. The event was an exhibition of miniature bonsai by a local chapter of a national bonsai club (Kokufu Shohin Bonsai). I paid just 200 yen to get into the park and the exhibition was free. The works were displayed in Hiunkaku, former residence of the 12th feudal lord of Takamatsu built in 1917. It's an elegant wooden structure that is still used for events, weddings and etc. Surrounded as it is by lovely Japanese gardens, it seemed a very fitting setting.
Entrance to Hiunkaku
Like most traditional Japanese architecture, Hiunikaku appears deceptively unprepossessing but it's very extensive inside with every room facing a garden or courtyard.
The miniature bonsai exhibition filled three rooms. The friendly club member on duty explained that some members raise their own bonsai from seedlings or seeds while others start with ones they buy and further develop them.
Club member explaining
He also explained that several works, from 2 to as many as 8, are placed together to create their own little universe.
The works are meant to appear as full-size trees seen from a distance and are placed to be viewed from face on.
I, however, couldn’t resist getting up close and looking at them from all angles, imagining myself shrinking down to ant size and getting right inside that universe.
I just wish I was a better photographer! In case I've tweaked your interest, here are a few more events and places to visit in Takamatsu to experience the amazing world of bonsai.
ASPAC Related
In conjunction with ASPAC, bonsai as well as calligraphy by famous calligraphers will be on display at Sun Port, Tamamo Castle Park and Ritsurin Garden during the convention. The Sunport Shimin Gallery (1F) will also be hosting demonstrations of local Japanese crafts including Kagawa lacquer ware and Aji stone cutting. General tickets for these events are 1,000 yen. The fee covers participation in multiple events but not the entrance fees for Tamamo Castle Park or Ritsurin Garden.
For more information go to: http://www.aspac-takamatsu.jp/ and click on English
Ritsurin Garden
Ritsurin Garden has regular bonsai events throughout the year. Coming up is a bonsai fair from October 8 through to November 28 and a bonsai exhibition and auction from December 27 to January 11. Check the following for information in English: http://www.pref.kagawa.lg.jp/ritsurin/e-schedule18_e.html
The 24th Green Festival in Kokubunji Oct. 21(Fri)-23(Sun) 9:00-16:00
A bonsai artist will give a demonstration from 10:00 AM on Oct. 22 and there will also be a Koke Dama (moss ball) class at 10:00 AM on the 23 (Sun). The classes require a reservation either by phone or at the reception desk on the day and there is a fee for materials (\1,000 for the moss ball class). There are English speaking staff so you can request an English-speaking guide at the reception desk. Call 087-874-1215 for reservations (Japanese only). In addition, a Japanese drum performance will be held on October 22 at 8:30AM, a children’s mikoshi (portable shrine) parade on the 22 and 23, and a children’s drumming performance, also on the 23rd.
Access:
The festival is held in: Tachibana no oka sogo undo koen (橘ノ丘総合運動公園). Take the JR Yosansen Line to JR Hashioka Sta (端岡駅). There is a community bus on Fri and Sat to Hakucho Hot Spring (はくちょう温泉; about 10 min. ride). Get off at Tachibana no oka sogo undo koen (橘ノ丘総合運動公園). If you go on Sunday, you will need to take a taxi from JR Hashioka Sta. Bus timetable (Japanese only):
http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/file/10461_L16_kokubunjijikoku.pdf
The 29th Kinashi Bonsai Ueki Festival Oct. 28(Fri)-30(Sun) 9:00-16:30
This festival takes place at JA Kagawa Kinashi Ueki Bonsai Center. You can purchase a bonsai and take it to a class where the instructors will teach you for free how to care for it, tie the branches, etc. There are several English-speaking instructors..
Access:
Take the JR Yosansen Line from Takamatsu JR Station. Get off at JR Kinashi Sta (鬼無駅) and catch the private shuttle bus for the festival, which takes place right next to Takamatsu Nishi High School
*The above information on events is adapted from the Takamatsu International Association’s newsletter and used with permission.
Tamamo Castle Park entrance.
Actually, this park is one of my secret getaways in Takamatsu. Perhaps it is some weird fetish of mine, but I find the stones and the stonework in the rampart walls gorgeous.
Stonework in ramparts
But more on the park another time. The event was an exhibition of miniature bonsai by a local chapter of a national bonsai club (Kokufu Shohin Bonsai). I paid just 200 yen to get into the park and the exhibition was free. The works were displayed in Hiunkaku, former residence of the 12th feudal lord of Takamatsu built in 1917. It's an elegant wooden structure that is still used for events, weddings and etc. Surrounded as it is by lovely Japanese gardens, it seemed a very fitting setting.
Entrance to Hiunkaku
Like most traditional Japanese architecture, Hiunikaku appears deceptively unprepossessing but it's very extensive inside with every room facing a garden or courtyard.
The miniature bonsai exhibition filled three rooms. The friendly club member on duty explained that some members raise their own bonsai from seedlings or seeds while others start with ones they buy and further develop them.
Club member explaining
He also explained that several works, from 2 to as many as 8, are placed together to create their own little universe.
The works are meant to appear as full-size trees seen from a distance and are placed to be viewed from face on.
I, however, couldn’t resist getting up close and looking at them from all angles, imagining myself shrinking down to ant size and getting right inside that universe.
I just wish I was a better photographer! In case I've tweaked your interest, here are a few more events and places to visit in Takamatsu to experience the amazing world of bonsai.
ASPAC Related
In conjunction with ASPAC, bonsai as well as calligraphy by famous calligraphers will be on display at Sun Port, Tamamo Castle Park and Ritsurin Garden during the convention. The Sunport Shimin Gallery (1F) will also be hosting demonstrations of local Japanese crafts including Kagawa lacquer ware and Aji stone cutting. General tickets for these events are 1,000 yen. The fee covers participation in multiple events but not the entrance fees for Tamamo Castle Park or Ritsurin Garden.
For more information go to: http://www.aspac-takamatsu.jp/ and click on English
Ritsurin Garden
Ritsurin Garden has regular bonsai events throughout the year. Coming up is a bonsai fair from October 8 through to November 28 and a bonsai exhibition and auction from December 27 to January 11. Check the following for information in English: http://www.pref.kagawa.lg.jp/ritsurin/e-schedule18_e.html
The 24th Green Festival in Kokubunji Oct. 21(Fri)-23(Sun) 9:00-16:00
A bonsai artist will give a demonstration from 10:00 AM on Oct. 22 and there will also be a Koke Dama (moss ball) class at 10:00 AM on the 23 (Sun). The classes require a reservation either by phone or at the reception desk on the day and there is a fee for materials (\1,000 for the moss ball class). There are English speaking staff so you can request an English-speaking guide at the reception desk. Call 087-874-1215 for reservations (Japanese only). In addition, a Japanese drum performance will be held on October 22 at 8:30AM, a children’s mikoshi (portable shrine) parade on the 22 and 23, and a children’s drumming performance, also on the 23rd.
Access:
The festival is held in: Tachibana no oka sogo undo koen (橘ノ丘総合運動公園). Take the JR Yosansen Line to JR Hashioka Sta (端岡駅). There is a community bus on Fri and Sat to Hakucho Hot Spring (はくちょう温泉; about 10 min. ride). Get off at Tachibana no oka sogo undo koen (橘ノ丘総合運動公園). If you go on Sunday, you will need to take a taxi from JR Hashioka Sta. Bus timetable (Japanese only):
http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/file/10461_L16_kokubunjijikoku.pdf
The 29th Kinashi Bonsai Ueki Festival Oct. 28(Fri)-30(Sun) 9:00-16:30
This festival takes place at JA Kagawa Kinashi Ueki Bonsai Center. You can purchase a bonsai and take it to a class where the instructors will teach you for free how to care for it, tie the branches, etc. There are several English-speaking instructors..
Access:
Take the JR Yosansen Line from Takamatsu JR Station. Get off at JR Kinashi Sta (鬼無駅) and catch the private shuttle bus for the festival, which takes place right next to Takamatsu Nishi High School
*The above information on events is adapted from the Takamatsu International Association’s newsletter and used with permission.
My Profile
Cathy Hirano キャシー ヒラノ
I've lived in Japan since 1978. After graduating from a Japanese university with a BA in cultural anthropology in 1983, I worked as a translator in a Japanese consulting engineering firm in Tokyo for several years. My Japanese husband and I moved to Takamatsu in 1987 to raise our two children in a slower-paced environment away from the big city pressures. We've never regretted it. I work as a freelance translator and interpreter and am involved in a lot of community work, including volunteering for Second Hand, a local NGO that supports educational and vocational training initiatives in Cambodia, and for the Takamatsu International Association. I love living in Takamatsu.
Cathy Hirano キャシー ヒラノ
I've lived in Japan since 1978. After graduating from a Japanese university with a BA in cultural anthropology in 1983, I worked as a translator in a Japanese consulting engineering firm in Tokyo for several years. My Japanese husband and I moved to Takamatsu in 1987 to raise our two children in a slower-paced environment away from the big city pressures. We've never regretted it. I work as a freelance translator and interpreter and am involved in a lot of community work, including volunteering for Second Hand, a local NGO that supports educational and vocational training initiatives in Cambodia, and for the Takamatsu International Association. I love living in Takamatsu.
Posted by cathy at 22:44│Comments(2)
│Bonsai
この記事へのコメント
I played with Bonsai for years after I got out of the Army and had my home where I live today, in Brookville, Ohio. I was never good at it. This is beautiful examples.
I was amazed at the stone work and how the corners are squared off and straight. I was at the emperor's palace in Tokyo and took photos of the walls on the inside of the moat and they are laid up the same way. Only the corners are stacked straight. The remainder or field seems to have just been tossed in and lined themselves up.
Love your blog format. I may try to duplicate it since I can't see anyplace to get it at. It is lovely.
I was amazed at the stone work and how the corners are squared off and straight. I was at the emperor's palace in Tokyo and took photos of the walls on the inside of the moat and they are laid up the same way. Only the corners are stacked straight. The remainder or field seems to have just been tossed in and lined themselves up.
Love your blog format. I may try to duplicate it since I can't see anyplace to get it at. It is lovely.
Posted by Abraham Lincoln at 2012年05月08日 23:14
Thanks for visiting this site and for your comments. It is quite amazing to look at the stone walls in different castles in Japan and imagine how they were made, especially before the machine age. Impressive.
Posted by cathy at 2012年05月16日 00:01
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