NABF Newsletter #4

Feature #2

Bonsai, a Bridge in Time Between Cultures

By Scott Clark

A medic from the ravages of world war II sees bonsai for the first time in Japan. Construction of the bridge in time begins. Completion spans 60 years. A magnificent collection of 20 bonsai is donated by Susumu Nakamura of the Shohan School of Bonsai in Yokohama Japan to the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe Illinois, USA, in the early 21st century. It traveled along this bridge through time and distance.

You might be interested in the connection between this medic from WWII and a bonsai master from Japan and those with whom they came in contact. That connection and others like it resulted in the growth of bonsai in the Midwest and other locations. The growth of bonsai will continue as this generation now begins to pass their masterpieces on to the next generation.

With the end of the war in the Pacific theater American soldiers occupying Japan were exposed to the art of bonsai. Bonsai was one of the cultural experiences soldiers took home with them. One soldier, Alex Alexander, took that experience home to Elgin Illinois. With this new vision and passion Alex began to develop bonsai for the next 60 years.

There wasn’t much to go on in those early days. Visions of those “ming trees” were about all he had to on. Alex created trees and formed a group to explore this new artform. The new group met at a local nursery and styled trees. Eventually the group from Elgin made contact with Japanese-American masters emerging from California. John Naka, Ben Oki and Toshio Saburumoro began regular trips to Elgin to conduct workshops and study sessions. As time progressed the group eventually formed a relationship with the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe Illinois and held regular meetings in a potting shed at the Garden.

By this time bonsai was emerging as a respectable artform and the Chicago Botanic Garden became the benefactor of several bonsai from members of the Garden who had passed away. Chris Jarantoski of the Garden took on the responsibility of the maintenance of the Garden’s new collection with the help of several members of the now formed Midwest Bonsai Society. During all these years the Elgin Bonsai Study Group and the Midwest Bonsai Society under the direction of Alex Alexander, Jack Wilson, Harold Lenz, Steve Lahuta, Ruth Ladany and others, continued to import masters to conduct workshops, to develop trees and produce mini exhibits. The collection didn’t get the care it required and became quite “hairy” and in fact, suffered many casualties

In 1976 the idea of a formal exhibit with Bonsai Clubs International was proposed and plans were formulated. A headliner was needed so Alex Alexander decided to go to Japan and seek help from Saburu Kato of the Nippon Bonsai Association. It was there that he met Mr. Nakamura and persuaded him to be the headliner at the 1977 convention. Mr. Nakamura came to Chicago for the next 25 years to provide guidance and mentor the Elgin group

In the middle 90’s the Garden began to feel the strains caused by the onset of the economic strains of the local economy. Increasing costs of maintenance, thefts and all the associated problems with maintaining and growing a collection were forcing the Garden to make decisions as to what collections to keep and which to discard. Mr. Nakamura understood the problems and asked for a meeting with the Garden managers where he announced that he would donate his best trees to the Garden’s developing collection. The Garden saw the upside to this right away and plans were set.

The first time I met Susumu Nakamura his hair was black. Now his hair is white. Alex’s hair is white as well. Alex has passed his trees on to the Garden and others, so has Mr. Nakamura. The association between Mr. Nakamura and Alex has resulted in the exchange of culture and the proliferation of bonsai. Bonsai, a bridge in time between cultures.