Ryan Neal article in The New Yorker

[rockm]

Fascinating profile on Ryan Neal and a bit on Masahiko Kimura in the The New Yorker magazine. Brutal apprenticeship gave us Mirai, but put Ryan in therapy. And you thought bonsai was gentle...

The Beautiful, Brutal World of Bonsai

An American undergoes a gruelling apprenticeship to a Japanese master.

www.newyorker.com

 

[Colorado]

Nice read, thanks for sharing.

I can’t help but feel that Ryan Neil’s genius has yet to be fully appreciated. A familiar tale for some of the great artists of history…

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I have only met Ryan once, right after he returned from Japan. I was struck by how quiet he was. Very unassuming. I am glad that the Mirai videos have been successful. By watching hundreds of hours of him working with trees, you get the opportunity to understand him a little better.

I think this article may give people a better appreciation for why his trees cost so much. You aren't just buying a tree - you are buying ten years of professional experience, six of which were in arguably the most prestigious and demanding nursery in the world.

 

[bwaynef]

When I saw that article beginning to make the rounds, I fully expected to see rockm post a link to it.

 

[penumbra]

I just read this article. A friend emailed me this last night.
Insightful.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Let me also add... I think articles like this in mainstream media are good for the art of bonsai in the US. Though I think Ryan may get tired of his role as poster boy...

 

[Adamski77]

Just finished reading… mind-bugging. Beautiful story with not yet written happy end.

 

[rockm]

When I saw that article beginning to make the rounds, I fully expected to see rockm post a link to it.

Well, yeah. Why not? Not enough people posting current events really. No one posted links to the Pacific Bonsai Expo, so I did. SOMEONE has to do it...

 

[rockm]

Let me also add... I think articles like this in mainstream media are good for the art of bonsai in the US. Though I think Ryan may get tired of his role as poster boy...

Ryan has been pretty successful in getting high-visibility press in high-end publications, from Architectural Digest and a few others. Profiles in The New Yorker and AD don't just "happen." They take lobbying and punching the right buttons at those celebrity/"taste-making"-oriented publications. I've worked for publications in that environment. I salute his press-savvy marketing talent as well as his bonsai skills.

 

[BobbyLane]

Well, yeah. Why not? Not enough people posting current events really. No one posted links to the Pacific Bonsai Expo, so I did. SOMEONE has to do it...

I sometimes feel like im the only one who watches youtube.
mirai have been posting some great free content lately too.

 

[jandslegate]

I feel ike his asymmetry podcast with Dan Robinson left an impression on him. I don't know either of them personally and have never met them, obviously, but anything I see pop up on YouTube from Mirai or concerning Dan Robinson I watch often more than once lol. I remember when he works his Sierra Juniper on the BSOP video and he tells the story of his first time going back to Japan and how he was received. I just feel like you can see that feeling in his work. I really hope to see the PNW and visit Mirai one day.

 

[rockm]

That article kind of puts some perspective on Kimura. Definitely takes some of the mystery out of him. Sounds like a complete dick...The "maggots at the bottom of the toilet" remark about U.S. bonsai is special.

 

[Maiden69]

They take lobbying and punching the right buttons at those celebrity/"taste-making"-oriented publications.

Agree 100 times on this... it is not easy to pull this off, but Ryan's notoriety is reaching the right channels and the right clientele to pull this off.

That article kind of puts some perspective on Kimura. Definitely takes some of the mystery out of him. Sounds like a complete dick...The "maggots at the bottom of the toilet" remark about U.S. bonsai is special.

If you know anything about Asian culture or have lived there for more than a few months you will know that the way Kimura treated the apprentices was "fairly common." I was stationed in S. Korea and the ROK Army Sergeant Major used to beat up his soldiers as part of their discipline. This was in 2005, the same time Ryan was in Japan.

I think that happened at the 1987 Golden State Federation Bonsai Convention... from what I read, US Bonsai was in diapers at that time, and Japanese people, as well as Germans are not known for sugar coating things... LOL

 

[rockm]

Agree 100 times on this... it is not easy to pull this off, but Ryan's notoriety is reaching the right channels and the right clientele to pull this off.

If you know anything about Asian culture or have lived there for more than a few months you will know that the way Kimura treated the apprentices was "fairly common." I was stationed in S. Korea and the ROK Army Sergeant Major used to beat up his soldiers as part of their discipline. This was in 2005, the same time Ryan was in Japan.

I think that happened at the 1987 Golden State Federation Bonsai Convention... from what I read, US Bonsai was in diapers at that time, and Japanese people, as well as Germans are not known for sugar coating things... LOL

The late1980's, through the "bubble economy" of the 90's brought out a pretty unattractive face for the Japanese. It was borderline racist-I worked for a Japanese conglomerate then. That "not sugar coating things" is not really what I saw. It was more "you all are inferior because you're not Japanese and have no concept of what we're doing."

 

[Maiden69]

@rockm unfortunately it is like that in a lot of places. Especially the ones that are very structured like the Japanese and Germans are. I have been in several countries where at the beginning I was treated as inferior because of where I was from.

 

[jandslegate]

The late1980's, through the "bubble economy" of the 90's brought out a pretty unattractive face for the Japanese. It was borderline racist-I worked for a Japanese conglomerate then. That "not sugar coating things" is not really what I saw. It was more "you all are inferior because you're not Japanese and have no concept of what we're doing."

I have no first hand experience but I know it seems to be a huge contrast in the post apprenticeship relationships between what Ryan has expressed and Bjorn for example. Bjorn said that Fujikawa was very enthusiastic about not just Bjorn's early progress but that he wanted to be involved as well. He said what ultimately stopped Fujikawa from being in any more of his videos was simply his distaste for travel. That just struck me as unexpected. From what I understood Kimura had this reputation as a maverick. It's a shame, as Ryan seems like a genuinely nice guy and his passion for bonsai and horticulture are literally contagious.

 

[rockm]

@rockm unfortunately it is like that in a lot of places. Especially the ones that are very structured like the Japanese and Germans are. I have been in several countries where at the beginning I was treated as inferior because of where I was from.

Having worked in a lot of places over a very long time, I found the environment not so much "structured" as much as it was "don't talk to us, We will tell you what to do because you are a barbarian who isn't all that smart." Reading the article, it sounds as though I'm not alone in that perception.

 

[Maiden69]

This is more common than you think...

 

[markyscott]

Thanks @rockm for posting the link to this article. I read it last night and found it fascinating. I’ll also take the opportunity to plug Michael Hagedorn’s book, “Post Dated” about his different, but equally interesting, experience as an apprentice in Japan.

Despite his challenging apprenticeship. all my interactions with Ryan have been very positive. Although he can be a little long winded at times, he gets his points across with clarity and is excellent at sharing his enthusiasm with his audience. I’m glad he is getting some very positive and public exposure. It’s good for everyone in the bonsai community.

Scott

 

[rockm]

This is more common than you think...

Sorry. not the same thing. Wasn't " Those Americans--eyeroll" it was "you're not Japanese" and you're mostly inferior. The same thing was going on in the bonsai world back then (80's into the 90's) as well. More than a few hardcore Japanese bonsaiists were firmly convinced Westerners couldn't do bonsai because they weren't Japanese and lacked the refined perception to understand it.