North America Region
History of NABF
The North America Bonsai Federation (NABF) was established to represent the North American Region of the World Bonsai Friendship Federation (WBFF). WBFF was officially formed in 1989, although its roots extend to friendships formulated in 1970, at an exhibition in Osaka, Japan.
NABF's members include: Bonsai Clubs International (BCI), which is active internationally; the American Bonsai Society (ABS), which has members mainly throughout the United States; regional organizations that coordinate the activities of local clubs; nonprofit organizations affiliated with public bonsai collections; and the larger clubs in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean.
The original purpose in forming NABF was to provide support to WBFF from the North American Region and to serve as liaison between WBFF and NABF's member organizations. NABF's President is the Director of the North American Region and its designated representative to WBFF. Bonsai master John Naka, a Co-Founder and the initial Vice-Chairman of WBFF, was selected as NABF's first President. When John retired from the position in 2001, he asked Felix Laughlin, President of the National Bonsai Foundation, to succeed him. This occurred shortly before NABF presented to the WBFF Directors at the 4th World Bonsai Convention held in Munich, Germany, its bid to host the 5th World Bonsai Convention (the 5th WBC) in 2005. This bid was successful, and so NABF is now busy making plans for the 5th WBC.
The 5th WBC will be held in Washington, D.C. on May 28-31, 2005, and is being sponsored by ABS, BCI, the National Bonsai Foundation, the Potomac Bonsai Association, and the U.S. National Arboretum.
For information about the 5th WBC, please contact one of the Co-Chairs: Glenn Reusch (Ghreusch@aol.com) or Jack Sustic (susticj@ars.usda.gov).
The current officers and advisors of NABF are: John Naka (California) - President Emeritus; Felix Laughlin (Virginia) - NABF President and WBFF Chairman (flaughlin@bonsai-peace.org); Chase Rosade (Pennsylvania) - Vice President (chase@rosadebonsai.com); Roger Case (New Mexico) - Vice President (rcase30@comcast.net); Marybel Balendonck (California) - Vice President; Harold Harvey (Florida) - Treasurer (Hmhbonsai@aol.com); Ted Tsukiyama (Hawaii) - Secretary (fyttt@gte.net); George Heffelfinger - NABF Advisor and President, ABS (georgeheffel@shaw.ca); and Alan Walker - NABF Advisor and President, BCI (awbonsai@iamerica.net).
WBFF has twice published BONSAI OF THE WORLD in 1993 and in 2001. Ted Tsukiyama of Hawaii, a Co-Founder of and Legal Consultant to WBFF, has served as the Editor of Bonsai of the World I & II. In each of these publication, there was a summary article from each of the nine WBFF Regions. The articles "Bonsai in North America" from the two issues were the foundation for the updated text below which will acquaint all NABF supporters via "snapshots from our past." Both articles were compiled reports from throughout North America by David Fukumoto, who was the Assistant Editor of Bonsai of the World II and helped conceive of the idea of the NABF Newsletter. This update (as of January 2004) was edited and coordinated by the NABF Editorial Team who are listed at http://www.bonsai-wbff.org/nabf/editorial.htm.
DIVERSITY AMONG PLANTS & PRACTITIONERS (updated January
2004)
NABF's Region includes the tropics of Hawaii, Florida and the Caribbean; colder Alaska and Canada; and all climatic zones between. A huge number of plant varieties are grown with varying care to suit each locale. Because they require less care, tropical indoor bonsai are becoming increasingly popular. Led by many pioneers like Dr. Bertram Breunner of Washington State, Fred and Ernesta Ballard of Pennsylvania, the late Haruo "Papa" Kaneshiro of Hawaii, John Naka of California, Yuji Yoshimura of New York State and many others, an American form of bonsai is emerging that includes all forms of artistic pot plants.
Americans tend to be creative individuals and many bonsai hobbyists do not join clubs. They may have just one or two bonsai that they treat very casually or large collections of very creative artistic pot plants that are trained using various combinations of Japanese, Chinese, tropical, and international concepts.
GROWING NUMBER OF PUBLIC BONSAI COLLECTIONS (updated January 2004)
America has a very transient society in which children rarely follow in the footsteps of their parents. As American lifestyle changes, children are not willing or able to take over family bonsai collections. Bonsai need consistent skilled care and a public repository is often the best solution when there is no one to carry on. The early public bonsai collections on the East Coast at Arnold Arboretum and Brooklyn Botanic Garden have been joined by collections at Longwood Garden, and others in different areas of North America. In Washington, D.C., as explained below, what started out in 1976 as a Japanese Bonsai Collection at the U.S. National Arboretum has grown into the world renowned National Bonsai & Penjing Museum.
In California, the Golden States Bonsai Federation (GSBF) in California
operates two world-class bonsai collections open to the public: (1) GSBF
Collection at the Huntington (www.gsbf-bonsai.org/huntington) which was
established in 1993 at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens located
in San Mario in the Los Angeles area, and (2) GS Bonsai Collection-North
(www.gsbf-bonsai.org/collectionnorth) which opened in 1999 in the Lakeside
Park located in Oakland. These collections are curated by the internationally
known bonsai masters -- Ben Oki for the Collection at the Huntington and
Kathy Shaner for the Collection-North. Both GSBF collections offer visitors
a chance to view bonsai and suiseki from the region's noted artists. Additionally,
the San Diego area has two smaller public bonsai collections-- one at San
Diego Wild Animal Park and another at the San Diego Japanese Friendship
Garden.
In Florida, the Japanese Garden Gulf Stream Bonsai Exhibit is located within
Morikami Museum near Delray Beach. The Museum has displayed a permanent
bonsai exhibit since 1978. The bonsai collection and exhibits have been
built, stocked, maintained and financially supported by members of the Bonsai
Societies of Florida (BSF). The collection is composed mostly of subtropical
species. Displayed is the world's largest collection of Buttonwood (Conocarpus
erectus) bonsai, a very rare Xylosma (Xylosma bahamensis), the unusual Escambrion
(Machaeriim lunatum) and many variations of Ficus species. For more information
about the Morikami Gardens, go to www.inusa.com/tour/fl/westpalm/morikami.htm.
To view trees from the collection, go to www.bonsai-bsf.com/morikami_exhibit.html.
In Hawaii, the Fuku-Bonsai Cultural Center in Kurtistown on the Big Island
is run by a Hawaiian corporation and the non-profit Mid-Pacific Bonsai Foundation.
Fuku-Bonsai Inc. provides the facilities, security, manpower, operating
expenses, and leadership. Mid-Pacific Bonsai Foundation is the public guardian
of donated bonsai artifacts and memorial bonsai in the Hawaii State Bonsai
Repository and participates in educational exhibits and activities. There
is no admission fee.
In 1986, the State of North Carolina Arboretum opened in Asheville, which
is located in the mountainous, western region of the state. Today, there
are over 100 bonsai in the Arboretum's collection. The bonsai represent
a wide range of plant material including tropical and traditional Japanese
bonsai material, and the Arboretum's bonsai curator, Arthur Joura, has made
a commitment to include a strong presence of plant species native to the
Southern Appalachians in its bonsai collection. For more information about
The North Carolina Arboretum, call (829)665-2492, visit the website at www.ncarboretum.org
or write to The North Carolina Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way,
Asheville NC 28806.
The public collection at the Chicago Botanic Garden is the largest, and
maybe the best, in Middle America. The collection contains approximately
185 bonsai, of which 25 were donated by Mr. Susumu Nakamura from Japan.
There are also excellent collections at the University of Michigan Matthaei
Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor, Michigan and the Michigan State University
Hidden Lake Gardens at Tipton, Michigan. Another collection is being established
at the Frederick J. Meijer Sculpture Park and Gardens in Grand Rapids Michigan.
In Iowa, an excellent collection is on display at the Des Moines Botanical
Center. Plans are under way in Minneapolis, Minnesota for a major collection
at Como Park.
Each new public bonsai collection is created for different reasons, with
different support groups, and funded in different ways. The Pacific Rim
Collection in Federal Way, Washington, was funded by a business with specimen
bonsai acquired throughout the world. The collection is maintained by a
private foundation and there is no admission fee. Nearby, Elandan Gardens,
featuring the Dan Robinson Collection, is supported by an admission fee
and income from its giftshop. To check on specific details of each collection
including hours and directions please check elandangardens.8m.com/location.html
or www.weyerhaeuser.com/aboutus/whereweoperate/
worldheadquarters/bonsaicollection.asp.
THE NATIONAL BONSAI FOUNDATION AND THE NATIONAL BONSAI & PENJING MUSEUM
The bonsai collection at the U.S. National Arboretum (http://www.usna.usda.gov/) in Washington D.C. began with a 1978 Bicentennial gift to the people of the United States of 53 bonsai and viewing stones from the people of Japan. Then Arboretum Director Dr. John Creech is credited with attracting the gift and coordinating with donors a year-long quarantine as required by law. The Department of Agriculture provided the funding to build the Japanese Bonsai Pavilion at the National Arboretum. The dedication ceremony was held on July 9, 1976.
In 1982, the National Bonsai Foundation (http://www.bonsai-nbf.org/) was incorporated with directors from all sections of the country. Its first project was to raise funds to build the North American Bonsai Pavilion for the display of bonsai from or trained in North America. In 1983, Dr. Yee-sun Wu of Hong Kong pledged a donation of Chinese penjing and after extensive study and approvals, 24 penjing from Dr. Wu and seven from his colleague, Mr. Shu-ying Lui, were imported and immediately placed into a two-year long quarantine. On September 30, 1988, the bonsai complex at the National Arboretum was, for the first time, referred to the "National Bonsai & Penjing Museum."
On October 1, 1990, the National Bonsai Foundation dedicated the John Y. Naka North American Pavilion, the Yuji Yoshimura Lecture and Demonstration Center, the Harry Hirao Educational Fund, and the National Collection of North American bonsai, initially consisting of 56 trees representing 38 species from 50 donors and 15 states. This was followed by the Haruo "Papa" Kaneshiro Tropical Conservatory and Temperate Glasshouse to provide winter protection for the non-hardy trees from China and warmer parts of the United States. Also dedicated was the George Yamaguchi Garden located between the Japanese and American pavilions.
Commemorative funds were established to create the Fredric Ballard Special Exhibits Wing; the Vaughn Banting Atrium; the Melba Tucker Viewing Stone Exhibits; the Jean Smith Chinese Scholar's Studio; the Janet Lanman North American Display; the H. William Merrit Tokonoma; the Marybel Balendonck Library and Research Center; and the Bonsai Clubs International Information Gallery.
On May 2, 1996, the National Bonsai Foundation completed a 20-year master plan of the Museum and dedicated the Yee-Sun Wu Chinese Garden Pavilion and the Mary Morse International Pavilion. Also dedicated was the Museum's collection of North American viewing stones.
In 2002, the Museum held its first International Scholarly Symposium which focused in detail on the history and development of the arts of bonsai and suiseki. The extensive proceeding are in the process of being published. That same year the Japanese Garden leading into the Japanese Bonsai Pavilion was named the Kato Stroll Garden in a ceremony honoring bonsai master Saburo Kato and his family. In 2003, the Museum completed the renovation of the upper courtyard and dedicated it as the Maria Rivero Vanzant Upper Courtyard. Plans are now underway to renovate the lower courtyard.
The Museum's experienced staff includes Jack Sustic, Supervisory Curator; Jim Hughes, Assistant Curator of Plant Collections; and Jackson Tanner, Curator of Artifacts and Archives.
BONSAI NEWS FROM THE REGIONS (updated January 2004)
The California Bonsai Society (CBS), the oldest bonsai club in America,
celebrated its 45th Anniversary Convention and Exhibit on March 2002 in
Burbank, California by inviting Mr. Hatsuji Kato from Japan. CBS was founded
in November 1957 by John Naka and other issei bonsai pioneers and has rendered
significant influence and service to American bonsai over the past 45 years.
Since 1978, bonsai activities in California have been coordinated by Golden
State Bonsai Federation (GSBF), which holds annual conventions and serves
as the umbrella organization for over 70 clubs (including CBS) in California
and close neighboring areas in Nevada and Mexico. The 26th Convention was
held in November 2003 in Fresno California with invited guests Mr. Shinji
Suzuki from Japan and Mr. Walter Pall from Germany. Besides its annual conventions,
GSBF serves its member clubs through the bimonthly magazine "Golden
Statements." GSBF provides many other benefits and activities such
as grants for internship with a bonsai master in Japan, scholarships for
bonsai or horticulture studies, visiting master workshops, the Kinshu Award
bonsai contest, and club insurance.
The Circle of Sensei Award was established by the GSBF in 2001 to honor
individuals with a recognition of their teaching and promotional contributions
to the art of bonsai and the cultural understanding. The first group of
awards were presented to Harry Hirao, Mas Imazumi, and John Y. Naka who
showed a dedication to passing on their knowledge of bonsai to others to
continue the tradition and study of bonsai.
Spearheaded by Dennis Makishima, GSBF conducted forums at various venues
in 2003 to complete the guideline of "Bonsai Basics" initially
documented in 1995. The intent of the guideline is to help the individual
bonsai clubs in developing bonsai instructors and to assist newcomers to
bonsai for long term satisfaction with bonsai as a hobby and as an art form.
The guideline is available by contacting GSBF www.gsbf-bonsai.org.
In Canada, many additions have been made at the Montreal Botanical Garden,
with recent gifts of bonsai from Susumu Nakamura as well as penjing from
Yee-Sun Wu. Thanks to the generosity and friendship of the Japanese, the
Bonsai Garden harbours a collection of rare beauty. In 1989, the Nippon
Bonsai Association gave the Botanical Garden a superb collection of 30 bonsai.
Carefully preserved and maintained for many generations, these miniature
trees, varying in age from 25 to 350 years, bear the heart of the Japanese
people and evoke the friendship that unites Canada and Japan. Visitors to
the Botanical Garden enter the Springtime Courtyard through a door with
four petals, a shape that symbolizes the apricot blossom. The courtyard
contains an impressive collection of penjing. Many of the penjing were donated
by the City of Shanghai during the Floralies internationales held in Montréal
in 1980.
Bonsai Societies of Florida has sustained the Morikami Museum exhibit. BSF
speaker programs, including an annual Ben Oki demonstration, provide for
public education about bonsai. Likewise, the BSF provides speakers, exhibits,
demonstrations, and clinics at the Hatsume Fair-- an annual spring festival
held in late February. One Alabama club sponsors a one-day bonsai event
called the "Day of Bonsai," which attracts participants from Louisiana,
Mississippi, Alabama and north Florida. The annual, regional Tri-City Bonsai
Exhibit (sponsored by one Alabama and two Florida clubs), features bonsai
of three clubs with the host club rotating so that each club has the duties
every three years.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College invites the Mississippi Gulf
Coast Bonsai Society to use its classrooms to hold meetings and give presentations.
These meetings as well as demos and lectures are open to the public and,
in return for use of the rooms, a bonsai club member gives presentations
to the community college students from time to time. A win/win situation
for all concerned.
The Louisiana Bonsai Club in Baton Rouge was the earliest club in that state,
and the Greater New Orleans Bonsai Society (GNOBS) was founded shortly thereafter
in 1972. In 1974, GNOBS invited John Naka to New Orleans to conduct a demonstration
and several workshops. John Naka later came each year for a full week's
activities. Soon the St. Charles Bonsai Society, the Bonsai Society of Acadiana
in Lafayette LA and the Shreveport Bonsai Society were formed making a total
of five active clubs in the state.
A significant contribution to the art of bonsai was the development of the bald cypress in a new "flat-top" style. The style reflects the mature form of bald cypress which is quite distinct from its juvenile form. Vaughn Banting of Louisiana was not the first person to notice this unique structure, but Vaughn launched inquiries into the branch structure that produced this effect which are now applied by many enthusiasts. Other members of Greater New Orleans Bonsai Society have gone on to enjoy national and international bonsai community recognition including: David DeGroot (currently director of the Weyerhauser Bonsai Collection), Guy Guidry (owner/operator of Bonsai North Shore and noted teacher and lecturer) and Gary Marchall (international lecturer and owner of a very large collection of fine bonsai).
On the East Coast, the Bonsai Society of Greater New York is one of the oldest bonsai organizations in the United States. The Brooklyn chapter was renamed to honor the late bonsai master Yuji Yoshimura and the Queens chapter was renamed to honor Frank Okamura, who retired as curator of bonsai at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. A number of clubs that grew out of the original organization have joined together as the Mid Atlantic Bonsai Societies. They invite guest lecturers and demonstrators and hold a major annual convention that rotates through different parts of the region. This attracts more vendors and allows local community participation.
The major Midwest organization is the Mid-America Bonsai Alliance (MABA). It is an alliance of bonsai clubs and societies from 8 states and Toronto Canada. Its purpose is to foster the sharing of knowledge and talent among the clubs and states of the Midwest, as well as to encourage the use of native species in the art of bonsai. MABA also sponsors a regional bonsai convention every three years. In 2003 it was in Cincinnati Ohio.
In 2002. the Milwaukee Bonsai Society hosted the American Bonsai Society Symposium. Demonstrations and workshops were given by five outstanding artists: Larry Ragle, Harold Sasaki, John Biel, David DeGroot and Cheryl Manning.
It was at the Milwaukee/ABS 2002 Symposium that the first North American New Talent Bonsai Competition was held. Entries were received from around the country and eight finalists competed at the convention. Rob Kempinski of Melbourne Florida was the winner of the free trip to Japan. The competition was presented in 2003 in Seattle Washington and will occur in 2004 at the combined BCI-ABS Convention in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Midwest Bonsai Society, Chicago Illinois, hosts the Mid America Bonsai
Exhibit every August at the Chicago Botanic Gardens. It is one of the largest
events of the year at the Garden and often draws close to 20,000 people
in a weekend. The Frederick J. Meier Gardens in Grand Rapids Michigan hosts
the All Michigan Bonsai Show each year. In 2003, the Milwaukee Bonsai Society
presented an eleven-day exhibit during the Wisconsin State Fair in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. Many of the local clubs and societies host public exhibits sometime
during the year.
The Pacific Northwest region of the NABF includes many active clubs in Idaho,
Montana, Oregon, Utah and Washington. Many of these clubs as well as clubs
in British Columbia are members of the Pacific Northwest Bonsai Clubs Association
(PNBCA)(pnbca.8m.com)
-- an organization of 18 member clubs. While these active clubs have their
own shows and programs, there is an annual three-day convention of the PNBCA.
This 2004 convention is the fifteenth, and it will be hosted by the Vancouver
Island Bonsai Club (www.victoriabonsai.bc.ca).
The Hawaii Bonsai Association (HBA) produces an annual show followed by a 10-session course called "The ABC's of Bonsai" that it has undertaken each year since 1972. A recent addition to its schedule is participation in Japan Day sponsored by the Japan-America Society of Hawaii. About 100 Japanese language high school students are invited to Tokai University to learn various aspects of Japanese culture including calligraphy, ikebana (flower arranging), origami (paper folding), sumo (wrestling), cha-no-yu (tea ceremony), and bonsai. The HBA celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1997 and hosted the International Bonsai Congress in 2000.
The other Hawaiian umbrella organization, the Big Island Bonsai Association, also has an annual show and other events. In 1994, in cooperation with the University of Hawaii at Hilo, it produced a 15-week, one credit course via stateside television accompanied by a beginner's text.
As the above examples show, the creation of regional bonsai organizations to pool resources and coordinate the activities of several clubs has been very successful. Often there is only a single club within a region, but there almost always is at least one enthusiast who takes responsibility to provide needed support. Throughout the entire North American Region, many enthusiasts were once formerly isolated individuals who over time helped to form and support local clubs. Clubs banded together into regional organizations or became affiliated with Bonsai Clubs International or the American Bonsai Society. By participating in conventions or visiting each other, overlapping networks of bonsai leaders developed. In this manner, bonsai has spread throughout North America. A new generation of bonsai leaders are now emerging.
A challenging perspective of "the state of bonsai in the U.S." is offered by John Palmer, former editor of Bonsai Today, one of the most popular bonsai magazines. Palmer, while seeking more quality than in years past and acknowledging significant growth in the appreciation of the subtleties of bonsai art, observes:
"Although serious bonsai enthusiasts seem to be creating better trees, the art form does not seem to be attracting as many new enthusiasts as one would expect. It is very hard for those of us who are serious about bonsai to understand why anyone with any sense of beauty at all is not absolutely captivated by the elegance and mystery of a fine bonsai. Perhaps this lack of growth is because there are lot of ersatz bonsai out there, marketed at low prices by the large discount chains. Not only are these imitations artistically deficient, but also the likelihood that they will survive even given the best of care is often low. A soon-dead tree is not conducive to stimulating a bonsai newcomer to further accomplishment. So, it is important for all of us to make people more aware of what "real" bonsai is all about and the great personal satisfaction that can be gained from caring for a little tree and bringing out its best."
A VISION OF AN INTERNATIONAL BONSAI FUTURE
The catalyst that created the international bonsai movement was Expo '70 held in Osaka, Japan. Then, the efforts and unity of the Japanese bonsai community impressed the world and created a huge surge of interest. It energized the isolated individuals and scattered small pockets of bonsai groups. Saburo Kato's motto, "World Peace Through Bonsai," moved a giant step forward with the gift of bonsai that 20 years later became the completed National Bonsai and Penjing Museum.
Since then, there have been explosive advances made possible by an idealistic unselfish generation of national and international bonsai leaders. Bonsai business emerged to support the growing interest with professional publications, specialty bonsai nurseries, and importers and manufacturers of tools, pots, and supplies. Bonsai throughout North America is developing rapidly and if the western world can make such remarkable advances in such a relatively short time, then we can look forward to greater popularity, more innovations, and an exciting future. Our current challenge is to develop international interest in the emerging generation of bonsai leaders to expand internationally the extraordinary progress that has been made in the regions.
In the midst of all of this activity, we must remember that although bonsai can be a challenging creative art, for most people, it's a hobby. The basic bonsai commitment is to nurture and to treat your bonsai as you would your children. In doing so, we become better people and can work toward bonsai becoming a bridge to international friendship and peace!