Women and bonsai: MAKIKO KOBA

The wonderful Makiko Koba, a japanese bonsai writer and a true bridge between the most prestigious bonsai masters from Japan and the enthusiasts from all over the world has agreed to answer a few of my questions. This month we celebrate women and hopefully we will rich to more ladies who love bonsai.

I know you travel a lot, and you are connected to the biggest international bonsai events, but I was wondering how you became passioned about bonsai.
I have been interested in biology since I was a little girl, so my major was agriculture. Due to my husband’s work, my family moved to the United States. We returned to Saitama City, and I applied for an opening staff position at the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, which opened in March 2010. It was my first time seeing real bonsai and I fell in love with it. I majored in biology when I was a student, so I was able to absorb the knowledge of bonsai right away. I then joined the Nippon (Japan) Bonsai Association: they were looking for English speaking staff for the World Bonsai Convention to be held in Saitama in 2017. There I worked as an international and public relations staff. I love bonsai, English, and writing, so I have been working as a freelance writer since I left the NBA.

What benefits does pursuing bonsai bring you?
Bonsai has a long history. Not only the history of the trees and their cultivation, but also the history of the many people who have cared and nurtured bonsai, and the history of the society that has passed it on to the next generation. Without the dedication of these people and the social environment, bonsai would not exist. To share the art of bonsai with the world is at the same time to think about world peace. Bonsai always makes me think about the importance of world peace.

Traveling so much as you do, I am not sure if you have time to manage a bonsai collection, but I doubt you resisted without any trees. 🙂 I hope you can show us some of your bonsai. If not, maybe you have a preferred bonsai from another collector or artist and care to say a few words about it.
My family and I live in an apartment and take care of our bonsai on a small balcony. Therefore, we have only several bonsai. I have seen countless bonsai and have many favorite bonsai. Among them, my starting point is a red pine tree, named “So-kaku” (double cranes) at the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. さいたま市大宮盆栽美術館

There are just a few women in Romania who practice bonsai. I have noticed that even in The Trophy exhibition only few women had trees on display, one of them being the late wonderful Alda Clijsters. What is your opinion about this?

Good bonsai are expensive. It may still be difficult for women to own expensive bonsai as a hobby. It will also take more time for professional women bonsai artists to have the skills to exhibit their bonsai at top bonsai shows. However, there are many female bonsai artists all over the world who are currently training to become “professional” bonsai artists. I look forward to seeing their future success.

What other ladies from all over the world do you know that practice bonsai at a high level? (I will try to interview them too).
Many of the wives of Japanese bonsai artists are not out in the open but are at home with their husbands taking care of their bonsai. So, there are many women with good skills. Other than that, there are many women artists who are active as bonsai artists: MS. Chiyako Yamamoto of Shozan-en. 松山園 ４代続く信州長野の盆栽店 | 松山園　悠遊BONSAI

Ms. Chie Yamazaki BONSAIちえ

Ms. Kaori Yamada彩花盆栽教室　主宰　山田香織

Ms. Takako Fujikawa Facebook

Is it in Japan a better balance between the number of women and men pursuing bonsai?
In the field of professional bonsai artists, it can be said that there are still very few. As a general bonsai enthusiast, the number of women has been increasing quite recently. However, I would say that more women prefer flower arrangement and ikebana than bonsai.

Beside bonsai what hobby do you have?Traveling, appreciation of the arts, and theater going.

Do you have preferred species you like to work with? When you say bonsai, what type of tree do you imagine: a conifere, a deciduous, maybe a flouring tree?

My favorite species is Nishiki pine, Pinus thunbergii ‘Nisikimatsu’.

ニシキマツ／にしきまつ／錦松 – 庭木図鑑　植木ペディア

A mutant species of Japanese black pine found along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture. It is characterized by its thick corky bark that is deeply split.

You travel through many countries, all over the world and meet different bonsai artists, seeing their work and collections. What is your opinion, as a japanese, about the different way the art of bonsai change from country to country?
The real pleasure of Bonsai is Tokonoma/alcove ornamentation/display. However, it is deeply connected with Buddhist and Confucian religious beliefs, which is too difficult for non-Japanese to understand, so I will not discuss religious views here.

Tokonoma ornamentation is to display bonsai with a scroll and accent plant/suiseki/small objects in order to create an original landscape, such as the scenery of one’s hometown as seen in childhood, and others.

I noticed that there are many good bonsai imported from Japan at bonsai exhibitions outside of Japan. It is no surprise that they are good displays because they are good bonsai imported from Japan.

It may be a way to win prizes in competitions, but I would like to see native bonsai that have been grown with ingenuity and hard work in the area. Because I believe that Tokonoma displays using such bonsai are the only way to create “your own original landscape”.

If you like, please leave a word for the Romanian bonsai enthusiasts.
Romanian people may not have a long history of bonsai, but I encourage you to enjoy bonsai with native species. If you have time, learn more about the history of bonsai and how it developed in China, Korea, and Japan. I believe that with deeper knowledge, you will be able to create more tasteful bonsai and Tokonoma/alcove displays.

Articole

Articole