Sensei Koji Hiramatsu reports from Tokyo on the Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition as it reaches its historic 100th edition. Alongside the special display of first-edition entries and past award-winning works, he introduces two client exhibition pieces he personally prepared. Witness the passion of Japan’s premier bonsai exhibition and the process of finishing a display — all captured on video.
The Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition, first held in 1934 (Showa 9), is Japan's oldest and most prestigious bonsai art exhibition. Every February, masterworks selected from across the country gather at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno, Tokyo. This year marked the historic milestone of the 100th edition, and the entire bonsai world was filled with even greater enthusiasm than in previous years.
As a special exhibition unique to this anniversary edition, the works from the very first edition and the past Kokufu Prize-winning works were displayed together. This program—offering a sweeping view of more than 90 years of evolving bonsai aesthetics in a single venue—is an experience akin to a living textbook for those who study bonsai in depth. Through the actual specimens, one can feel how a tree's «rank» and the «expression of age» have been evaluated over time.
Running concurrently with the exhibition is the sales event «Risshun Bonsai Daiichi». Bonsai, tools, suiseki, and display stands gather from across the country, offering an array so rich that enthusiasts hardly know where to look. Works crafted by instructor Koji Hiramatsu are also on sale at the Ueno Green Club, and you can see the actual pieces in the video.
This video also introduces two exhibited works (first phase) belonging to clients whose trees instructor Hiramatsu cared for. After the work, the pots are switched, the display is arranged, and the pieces take their place in the hall. Once again, you will sense that the appeal of bonsai lies not only in the tree itself, but in the composition of pot, display stand, and accent plant.
Instructor Hiramatsu has described the level of this year's submissions as «higher than usual». Beyond honing one's own technique, seeing and knowing first-class works with one's own eyes—the Kokufu Exhibition will continue to serve as that very place, a guiding signpost for bonsai enthusiasts. Watch the video to feel the excitement of this milestone as it carries on toward the 101st edition.
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