50th Gafu-ten January 10-12 2025, Kyoto Japan
- Thread starter Sansokuu
- Start date
I’m planning to be there the first day of the exhibition. Do you know if we can buy tickets when we arrive or do we need them in advance?Biggest bonsai show in Japan, with a focus on shohin. Many prominent potters in Western circles have showed their pots. 50th anniversary is a big deal! Who’s going?
Ruddigger
Omono
Wish I could, but I’m probably gonna be going to Kokufu in 2026 instead.
JEads
Mame
I am going with my two kids. First time to Japan. We are spending 10 days there with the show in the middle. Looking forward to it!
TomP
Yamadori
Have fun john. Kyoto is great
Deep Sea Diver
Imperial Masterpiece
Hey folks, our very own @Pitoon has a pot on display at Gafu Ten.
See Bill V’s blog Gafu Ten part two
Cheers
DSD sends
See Bill V’s blog Gafu Ten part two
Cheers
DSD sends
pandacular
Masterpiece
I'm excited to see more photos after drooling over some of Bill's. I love the colorful tones of those digicam photos, and I look forward to the more tight depth of field from a large lens.
Has anyone found any photos on Japanese blogs or similar? I would love more links to photos!
Has anyone found any photos on Japanese blogs or similar? I would love more links to photos!
SeanS
Omono
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Real Japanese Garden and its elements | Yesterday I went to the 50th Gafu Exhibition held at Miyako Messe near Heian Shrine | Facebook
Yesterday I went to the 50th Gafu Exhibition held at Miyako Messe near Heian Shrine. I took some photos, but I had a problem moving the data from the SD card to the hard disk. For some reason, they...
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pandacular
Masterpiece
Thank you, I never go on FB besides for bonsai, so I didn’t even look! Here’s another post that had pictures I quite liked:
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Kisetsu-en Shohin Bonsai School group | Beautiful bonsai display | Facebook
Beautiful bonsai display. Some nice painted Tofukuji & Tsukinowa pots
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Deep Sea Diver
Imperial Masterpiece
Lots of wonderful trees! Could look at the trees all day,
As a side note, not for nothing…. Most of the small tree displays are somewhat cookie cutter for my taste. I know, the displayers are copying the existing genre… to win an award so they make a lot of money in the future with clients. … Folks love to copy past winners etc…. And the trees are awesome…but just my lonely opinion…
…somehow, taken together, the aggregate effect appears a bit of a bail out pledged to a well worn aesthetic … provoking a somewhat heretical thread amidst the magnificence displayed.
That said, excepting the pots, many of which shown on Facebook links are fantastical, incredibly artistic and quite often pushing the boundaries… something I do love..
….here are my favorite displays of those shown in the photos I could find. Likely a whole ‘nother category… “Other displays”
The first display has the same stand as perhaps 40-50 other displayers, but the content of the trees included is incredible! A cool walling hanging (kakemono) on the middle right might of helped, but the trees and their individuality speak for themselves. Gold star.
Next is a multi tree display eschewing the cookie cutter display and just letting the standout individuality of each tree and overall variety speak volumes. Sadly image taken was somewhat off kilter and out of focus. Also got my vote! Another gold star.
… and finally a vote for someone who wasn’t afraid of being a bit different, at least in the wall hanging genre. Again, a display having lots of variety letting the trees speak for themselves. Love the kakemono or prints which add a light touch. That said, there are some issues of scale and the display is missing an object lower left.. perhaps the image was taken before complete set up… or perhaps akin to the symbolic empty saddle it was left out on purpose. Whatever…. Liked it a lot. A diamond in the rough!
Cheers
DSD sends
As a side note, not for nothing…. Most of the small tree displays are somewhat cookie cutter for my taste. I know, the displayers are copying the existing genre… to win an award so they make a lot of money in the future with clients. … Folks love to copy past winners etc…. And the trees are awesome…but just my lonely opinion…
…somehow, taken together, the aggregate effect appears a bit of a bail out pledged to a well worn aesthetic … provoking a somewhat heretical thread amidst the magnificence displayed.
That said, excepting the pots, many of which shown on Facebook links are fantastical, incredibly artistic and quite often pushing the boundaries… something I do love..
….here are my favorite displays of those shown in the photos I could find. Likely a whole ‘nother category… “Other displays”
The first display has the same stand as perhaps 40-50 other displayers, but the content of the trees included is incredible! A cool walling hanging (kakemono) on the middle right might of helped, but the trees and their individuality speak for themselves. Gold star.
Next is a multi tree display eschewing the cookie cutter display and just letting the standout individuality of each tree and overall variety speak volumes. Sadly image taken was somewhat off kilter and out of focus. Also got my vote! Another gold star.
… and finally a vote for someone who wasn’t afraid of being a bit different, at least in the wall hanging genre. Again, a display having lots of variety letting the trees speak for themselves. Love the kakemono or prints which add a light touch. That said, there are some issues of scale and the display is missing an object lower left.. perhaps the image was taken before complete set up… or perhaps akin to the symbolic empty saddle it was left out on purpose. Whatever…. Liked it a lot. A diamond in the rough!
Cheers
DSD sends
Glaucus
Omono
TimIAm
Yamadori
Thanks for sharing these. The print in the middle stuck out because it appears to be kanji for 50 五十
The one on the left is 祝 and the one on the right is 楽, 祝 means to "wish" someone sth. like wish you a happy birthday. 楽 means joy or music. My background isn't in Japanese; I've never seen 祝 and 楽 together. So, I don't understand why they chose 楽 to go with 祝 50.
ShimpakuBonsai
Chumono
Glaucus
Omono
Wait, those drawings are kanji? I know the Kanji for music but I would never in a 100 years look at the one on the right, and see that kanji.
I guess if you are a native reader of Chinese or Japanese, you see kanji in a lot of stuff.
This is some next level Rorschach test.
There was a special exhibit of famous pots and trees that was really spectacular. I enjoyed walking the show with Bjorn and Jonas and Andrew and @JEads the most.
I got some stands and pots but the selection was not as good as the Shunga-ten or Shuga-ten, or even the Kokufu.
The Meifu-ten was also going on in Nagoya and many of us went there the next day, so the big trees at the end are from that show. I was in Japan for pottery reasons and also went to Tokoname and Shigaraki.
I have been attending shohin shows in Japan for over 8 years now and the personal evolution goes like "what the fuck!? how do you do that?" to "I understand how they did that" to "I can do that too" and finally " I know how that can be better" and that was quite eye opening for me this year.
I got some stands and pots but the selection was not as good as the Shunga-ten or Shuga-ten, or even the Kokufu.
The Meifu-ten was also going on in Nagoya and many of us went there the next day, so the big trees at the end are from that show. I was in Japan for pottery reasons and also went to Tokoname and Shigaraki.
I have been attending shohin shows in Japan for over 8 years now and the personal evolution goes like "what the fuck!? how do you do that?" to "I understand how they did that" to "I can do that too" and finally " I know how that can be better" and that was quite eye opening for me this year.
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Shogun610
Masterpiece
I’ll be in Japan next December or January! Prob Kokufu or Taikan
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