NABF Newsletter No. 3

Feature #1

YUJI YOSHIMURA

A Memorial Tribute

Yuji Yoshimura shared his love, artistic skill and understanding of classical bonsai and I am honored to share some of his bonsai contributions. This article has been edited and reprinted from the 1998/NO 1 issue of International BONSAI.

By William N. Valavanis

Yuji Yoshimura was a bonsai pioneer, master and friend. He left a legacy in his numerous books, articles and bonsai masterpieces. He put importance on promoting and improving classical bonsai art and his dynamic bonsai became a part of the collections of his students. For nearly 40 years he continued to assist with the development and refinement of both his bonsai and his students.

What drove him to leave Japan, to spend his entire life teaching foreigners and introducing classical bonsai design throughout the world?

Yuji Yoshimura’s father was his great influence. Toshiji Yoshimura was born in Tokyo in 1891 and began his bonsai apprenticeship at the age of 16. In 1924 after 17 years as an apprentice, Toshiji Yoshimura established Kofu-En Bonsai Garden. Following World War II he became the first post-war president of the Nippon Bonsai Cooperative and contributed to the revival of the bonsai world. He studied bonsai and suiseki tirelessly until his death in 1975 at the age of 83.

Toshiji Yoshimura

Yuji Yoshimura was born on February 27, 1921 at the Taiko-En Bonsai Garden as the second son of 12 children. He began to grow plants at the age of two and as a boy he roamed the beautiful Japanese countryside and mentally gathered scenes that he would later recreate in a small container. Toshiji Yoshimura was very rigid, strict and demanding with his young son whom he was training to continue with classical bonsai. He made him weed the entire bonsai garden daily before going to school and to help set up and dismantle bonsai exhibits. This severe discipline established his unique character and integrity. He was a voracious reader of many topics, studied classical music, played guitar and violin, enjoyed drawing, and trained in the traditional arts of ikebana and tea ceremony.

December 1943

POST WAR JAPAN BONSAI REVIVAL

In 1948 Mr. Yoshimiura established “Naka Meguro Kofu-En Bonsai Garden.” Naka Meguro is an area of Tokyo and "Kofu-En" which means “Garden of the Fragrant Breezes” and was taken from his father’s garden name. Kyuzo Murata, a prominent owner of Kyuka-En Bonsai Garden in Omiya, introduced him to Kazuko Nagano whom he married on March 11, 1948. Yoko, their first daughter, was born on October 21, 1949.

Yuji Yoshimura was an excellent organizer who categorized bonsai, species, styles and other topics. When his father was president of the Nippon Bonsai Cooperative, he served as treasurer. He was an active member of numerous organizations including a private bonsai study group which included such friends and prominent members as Fusazo Takeyama (Fuyo-En Bonsai Garden), Toshinori Suzuki (Daiju-En Bonsai Garden), Kamajiro Yamada (Seiko-En Bonsai Garden) and Hideo Kato (Yagumo Mansei-En Bonsai Garden). As one of the founders of the Nippon Young Men’s Bonsai Association, he often led foreigners through exhibits.

Yuji Yoshimura, left next to Alfred Koehn, during his second class in English in 1952, Tokyo, Japan.

Mr. Yoshimura wanted classical bonsai art to become known around the world. The belief at that time was that bonsai would never be understood nor it techniques mastered or its aesthetics appreciated by Westerners. He did not believe this!

National Bonsai Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan 1965.

Mr. Yoshimura produced written guides in English for the National (Kokufu Ten) Bonsai Exhibition and became the first to offer bonsai instruction to foreigners. His first 1952 course of six lessons was an instant success and within three years he had taught over 600 foreigners. In 1953 he assisted German agricultural diplomat Alfred Koehn to write Notes on Bonsai, one of the first books in English on bonsai.

Giovanna Halford of England studied with him for two years and assisted him in the writing The Japanese Art of Miniature Trees and Landscapes, which was published in 1957. The book has been an excellent and consistent seller, has been reprinted 38 times and has been renamed The Art of Bonsai.

THE MOVE TO THE UNITED STATES

In the early 1950's Dr. John Creech, a young plant explorer for the United States Department of Agriculture (who later became Director of the U. S. National Arboretum), often visited Yoshimura’s Tokyo garden. He recommended him to Dr. George Avery, the director of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, who was looking for a bonsai authority and subsequently he was offered the C. Stuart Gage Fellowship.

Mr.Yoshimura arrived in New York City on December 2, 1958 at the age of 37, bringing with him over one ton of teaching material including many bonsai and seeds. His first “Bonsai Study & Practice” course that began on January 12, 1959 was very successful and he followed with other courses on many levels. By May of 1959 he was also teaching a short course at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

He began traveling across the country to teach and introduce classical bonsai to the San Francisco area; Cleveland, Ohio; Denver, Colorado and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His students included Jerald Stowell, David Andrews, Doris Froning, Marion Gyllenswan and Joseph Burke. Many of his bonsai became a part of the Longwood Collection. He loved the United States and at the conclusion of his Brooklyn Botanic Garden fellowship, he decided to stay.

INTRODUCING CLASSICAL BONSAI NATIONALLY

In November 1959 Mr. Yoshimura established the Yoshimura Bonsai Company in Tarrytown and Ossining, New York, at the home of his business partner and student, Juanita Schiff, who also assisted him in teaching activities. A few years later they moved the business to the Detmer Nursery in Tarrytown and expanded his teaching and growing. Edna Kane became his long time secretary and assistant. During this time many of his students began calling him “Mr. Y”, an expression he truly loved. He also established the Japan Bonsai Trading Company, based in Tokyo.

In 1962 Mr. Yoshimura made teaching trips to Australia, Hawaii and Hong Kong and presented programs throughout the Northeast. He began teaching bonsai courses at the New York Botanical Garden in Bronx, New York, and continued until 1994. In February 1963 seven of Mr. Y’s serious students organized the Bonsai Society of Greater New York and; with his assistance, began to publish the quarterly Bonsai Bulletin. Membership quickly grew to almost 1,000 members. Bonsai exhibits were held at the New York Botanical Garden and at the International Flower Show in New York City.

Throughout the early 1960’s he traveled annually to the San Francisco area where Tosh Saburomaru assisted him. He urged the clubs to organize and Bonsai Clubs Association (now known as Bonsai Clubs International) was started. In August 1966 he held an extensive auction of bonsai, containers, stands and suiseki. A Bonsai Album & Auction Directory was published to celebrate six years of importing Japanese bonsai and accessories and the creation of more than one thousand bonsai using native American plant material. Many of the bonsai from this auction are now well-known masterpiece bonsai. Mr. Y’s escorted tours to Japan to view bonsai and see gardens and tours included other Japanese art forms and culture to widen the total experience.

Yuji Yoshimura with Mr. & Mrs. Kyuzo Murata at Kyuka-en Bonsai Garden, Omiya, Japan 1968.

When the Detmer Estate was sold for development in 1972, the business moved to Briarcliff Manor and was renamed the Yoshimura School of Bonsai. Here he had time to reflect and teach his simple but distinctive style of classical bonsai. Mr. Y was noted for his meticulously preparation of soil and organization of plant material and supplies for each class. He carefully prepared slides, carved feather rock for rock plantings, made drawings for handouts and assembled other demonstration material. Often months of preparation were necessary, especially for major presentations at bonsai conventions. He remained at this location, maintaining an intense teaching schedule until he retired in 1995.

RECEIVING GREATER PUBLIC ACCLAIM IN THE 1970'S

The Bonsai Society Of Greater New York hosted a testimonial dinner in March 1972 and many of his long-time students and friends came from across the country to honor him. He presented a major program and demonstration at Bonsai Congress ‘72 in Kansas City, Missouri, which was sponsored jointly by the American Bonsai Society and Bonsai Clubs International. That year, he and Samuel Beach authored the English translation of Bonsai Masterpieces - Grand View of Japanese Bonsai and Nature in Four Seasons.

During a demonstration at the National Arboretum in September 1973 Mr. Yoshimura spoke with Director Dr. John Creech about his dream of a National Bonsai and Penjing Museum as a place to which American bonsai hobbyists could give their treasurers and this dream is now a reality.

In late 1975 I lived at the Yoshimura School of Bonsai to conduct the spring 1976 introductory and intermediate bonsai courses while continuing my private study of classical bonsai with Mr. Y. A special exhibition of the Muriel Leeds collection was held at the school in July 1976; and to mark Mr. Yoshimura’s 25th year of bonsai instruction, a commemorative album was published in 1977. It showed how the bonsai in the collection had changed during a ten year period. In July 1978 Mr. Y was the “Master In Residence” for the American Bonsai Society Annual Symposium held at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and presented several demonstrations.

THE 1980’S

In July 1981 Mr. Y made his finest presentation at the International Bonsai Convention sponsored by Bonsai Clubs International and the Atlanta Bonsai Society in Atlanta, Georgia. He spent months preparing the plant material, the appropriate music, clothing and staging for his “An American Fantasy” demonstration, a large six-foot, three-piece tray landscape which when put together, represented the entire United States from shore to shore. The demonstration was performed in a darkened room with only lights shining on his hands and plants in order not to spoil the effect.

Yuji Yoshimura, Frank Okamura and John Naka in 1983

When the demonstration was completed, a complete set of slides was immediately available for sale. Mr. Yoshimura had traveled to Atlanta one week prior to the convention and had created the entire tray landscape while Edwin Symmes, Jr., photographed the creation. After the slides were developed the composition had been taken apart and replanted into training containers for recreation at the convention. This unique time consuming creativity was typical of Yuji Yoshimura.

In 1984 Mr. Y made a second teaching trip to Australia. That year also, he and Vincent T. Covello wrote The Japanese Art of Stone Appreciation: Suiseki and Its Uses with Bonsai, the first English suiseki book that has since been reprinted several times. In 1988 he traveled to San Antonio, Texas, to headline another Bonsai Clubs International convention, creating several multi-shaped sections which when combined, formed a star to honor Texas -The Lone Star State.

Yuji Yoshimura at the Texas Lone Star Convention in 1988.

THE 1990’S

In appreciation for his lifetime bonsai work, his students and friends donated funds to the National Bonsai Foundation to build the Yuji Yoshimura Educational Center at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. The complex opened in October 1990 and he donated two bonsai for the North American Bonsai Collection. One was a Crepe Myrtle cutting rooted by his father and grown in the United States for over 20 years. The second was a Zelkova which he had trained since he came to the United States.

Yoshimura bonsai display in 1994.

Mr. Yoshimura was an active member of the Yama Ki Bonsai Society of Westchester County, New York. He presented numerous programs, workshops, critiques and field trips. He was a tireless worker and presented several bonsai exhibits at the New York Botanical Gardens and other locations. He often set up the display, traveled daily to tend to the bonsai, and presented lecture-demonstrations during the exhibits. To commemorate their 20th anniversary the Yama Ki Bonsai Society published the Yama Ki Bonsai Society Almanac, A Guide to the Care of Bonsai. Mr. Y was the project director and compiled data and text on plant care and a seasonal bonsai schedule.

Yuji Yoshimura was a true scholar on bonsai and related topics. His library included many rare and historical volumes from his father which were used for references. He often said, "you can't change history" and before you knew it the table was full of old books, exhibition albums and magazines to prove his point.

Yoshimura and Valavanis demonstrating in September 1995.

He wrote articles for Japanese publications. The most significant article in Japanese was on the development of modern bonsai which was published in the 1990/No. 3 issue of The Journal of Bonsai Science. Craig W. Risser translated Mr. Yoshimura’s article and it appeared as “Modern Bonsai- Development of the Art of Bonsai from a Historical Perspective” in three parts beginning with the 1991/No. 3 issue of International BONSAI.

Yuji Yoshimura was an authority on suiseki. With his enthusiasm and participation, International BONSAI sponsored the first Stone Appreciation Seminar outside of Japan in June 1994. Speakers included Mr. Yoshimura, Vincent Covello, Patrick Coen, David Bennett, Marion Gyllenswan and William Valavanis. His idea of combining together to reach a higher goal once again worked and approximately 80 participants attended the two day seminar learning how stones can be appreciated alone or with bonsai. Afterwards, James Hayes and several participants joined forces and established The North American Viewing Stone Society. Waiting To Be Discovered, was a quarterly magazine published by the society.

During August 1994 Mr. Yoshimura made his first trip to England to conduct a "Summer School" at Harry Tomlinson's Greenwood Bonsai Studio in Nottingham. Students came from throughout Europe and he demonstrated many styles including a large tray landscape requiring several people to help assemble. In August 1997 Harry Tomlinson’s summer school topic was “Rock Festival” featuring viewing stones. Although Mr. Y could not attend the event, at the conclusion, the participants organized The International Stone Appreciation Society and he was made the honorary life president. Mr. Yoshimura also became an honorary member of many bonsai organizations in many countries.

The twin trunk Crape myrtle bonsai was originally started by a cutting by Toshiji Yoshimura and later trained and donated to the North American Bonsai Collection by Yuji Yoshimura. The scroll reads "minum gaseki", sleeping on the clouds or resting on the stone looking towards heaven. The viewing stone, from the Kamo River in Kyoto Japan has been appreciated as a suiseki for over 150 years in Japan. Mr. Yoshimura rode his bicycle from Tokyo to Omiya to purchase it from Kyuzo Murata when he was 20 years old in 1941. Mr. Yoshimura has sold this stone on several occasions, lastly to Wm. Valavanis in 1978. The water basin was a gift to Mr. Valavanis when he completed his studies at Kyuka-en Bonsai Garden in Omiya, Japan in 1970. The Chinese antique scrolls weights were a gift from Mrs. Murata. Although not visible in this photograph there is an antique bronze crab on the stone edge which was purchased from Mr. Kawai, on of Toshiji Yoshimura's first apprentices. This memorial display combines Toshiji Yoshimura, Yuji Yoshimura and Mr. Murata (who was the matchmaker for Yuji Yoshimura) with Wm. Valavanis who continues to teach Classical Bonsai Art as taught by both Toshiji Yoshimura, Yuji Yoshimura and Kyuzo Murata.

In November 1994 Mr. Yoshimura was honored by Bonsai Clubs International and the Golden State Bonsai Federation at their combined convention held in San Jose, California, for his contributions to bonsai art. During the convention he presented a comprehensive educational program on stone appreciation and created two plantings using stones. In addition to the numerous bonsai awards and accolades, he was an accomplished and award-winning designer of Japanese gardens.

In February and March 1995 Mr. Yoshimura suffered a series of strokes while on a lecture tour in North Carolina and was forced to curtail his extremely active schedule of teaching, promoting and improving bonsai art. He moved to Norfolk, Massachusetts, a Boston suburb, to be near his daughter. In July 1995 Yama Ki Bonsai Society organized an auction to sell his bonsai, nursery stock, containers, suiseki, tools and supplies and many attended from across the country and Canada. Although he looked older, he was only 74 years old when he began moving towards retirement in 1995. His last formal presentation was at the 1996 International Bonsai Symposium in Rochester, New York.

Yama Ki Bonsai Society held a testimonial dinner in September 1997 to honor the artist who added so much to their lives. At the testimonial, Bernard Gastrich, President of the Yama Ki Bonsai Society, called Mr. Yoshimura a “Living Treasure Of The World”, a title well deserved. In December 1997 the National Bonsai Foundation established the Yuji Yoshimura Fund to raise $500,000 as a permanent endowment for supporting the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum to keep Yuji Yoshimura’s spirit alive for future generations. Mr. Yoshimura passed away on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1997, in Norfolk, Massachusetts, suburb near the home of his daughter, Yoko Said.

AN EPILOGUE

The bonsai community has lost a true pioneer and leader, he leaves behind many books, articles, and beautiful bonsai creations. His legacy will continue through the Yoshimura Center for Learning at the Bonsai and Penjing Museum at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Yoshimura was the direct link between classical Japanese bonsai and the Western approach. At great personal sacrifice, he spent his entire life promoting classical bonsai and suiseki. His tremendous talent and high standards eventually cost him his health. He gave up much and did not create a fortune, nor even retain a great personal bonsai collection.

Mr. Yoshimura reached the top of his field unafraid to break tradition. His knowledge, training and the strength of his artistic genius forged and refined classical bonsai design. Mr. Yoshimura was a true original … a self-proclaimed perfectionist in an imperfect world. His work was pure and uncompromising.

I am very honored to have known Yuji Yoshimura for 30 years as a master teacher, close friend and advisor. He opened my eyes to the true beauty and understanding of classical bonsai.