III.
PAUL MATSUSAKI (1904 - 1970)
JOHN Y. NAKA, Honorary Teacher
This Page Last Updated: January
7, 2001
"Learn from your trees: they are a reflection of you."
First you must know the rules -- the underlying
principles of your art --
and then you can break the rules.
When you go to a show or demonstration,
don't try to learn a lot of new things.
Just learn one new thing each time.
Then come back and apply that until you
know it well.
If you're trying to make a cascade with
a branch that has been growing more upright,
you can help it by tipping the container
on its side for a while
so that nutrients flow easier to the tip
of the cascade-branch-to-be.
If you have several cascades in your collection,
consciously try to redesign one or more
so that they curve in a different direction:
we inadvertently tend to develop trees
in a particular individual pattern
which can be related to which type of
handedness we have.
The three most important things are: material,
material, material.
It's a lot easier if you start with something
of interest that draws your eye in,
a tree with good rootage, thick trunk,
quality,
rather that spending a lot of time
trying to develop poor material, leggy,
spindly, with weak or clumped roots.
Develop the existing material rather than attempt to bend branches to get movement.
When you see a bonsai, you should always
look closely at how it was developed,
how it was created. Try to figure
out what the artist was trying to convey.
First, keep the tree alive. Second, cut it back often.
Keep your tools in good repair. Clean them and respect them.
A good master is not doing his job if he's not learning from his students.
The greatest compliment a master can receive
is when his trees cannot be told apart
from those of some of his students.
-- Leroy Fujii (1925 - 1998)
(Things we've learned from Leroy, an ongoing compilation of various member's memories of our sensei.)
[Sermon delivered by Rev.
Lee Rosenthal of the Arizona Buddhist Temple
at the funeral of the late
Mr. Hideo Leroy Fujii, Nov. 6, 1998]
| Many years ago, the Buddhist priest Shinran Shonin compared the growth of a pine tree to that of a tree which is said to lie dormant one hundred years under the ground before beginning to grow. As it grows, it does so at a most remarkable rate each day. That this tree remains dormant under the ground one hundred years was likened to our living in this mundane world, while enjoying the benefit of our assurance of birth in Amida's Pure Land upon release from this worldly existence. That the tree grows at a most remarkable rate each day was compared to our arriving at enlightenment after death, and we say that such a person is equal to the Buddha. Today, Mr. Hideo Leroy Fujii is such a person. |
| The art of bonsai, in many ways, mirrors the appreciation and understanding of life and death as seen through the Buddha's teaching. The experience of bonsai, like Buddhism, will expand our horizons in countless ways and change the manner in which we see the natural world in which we live. Bonsai often suggest scenes in nature. The artist never merely duplicates nature but rather expresses a personal aesthetic or sensibility by working with and manipulating nature. The tree with a knotted and twisted trunk gives the appearance of old age. A forest scene may be created by planting several trees in a single tray. A pair of trees may represent a couple; three plantings, parents and child, and so on. Yet, in all cases the bonsai must look natural and never show the intervention of human hands. In each of the beautiful bonsai that Fujii-sama has worked on with his own hands, he now gives to us in them, a part of himself to be treasured always. His presence will forever be felt in each miniature tree touched by his two hands. |
| The bonsai with its own container and soil, physically independent of the earth since its roots are not planted in it, is a separate entity, complete in itself yet still part of nature. This is what is meant by the expression "heaven and earth in one container." Through the art of bonsai we can learn great love and respect for nature, and other universal, spiritual truths. |
| Because bonsai grow in shallow containers, they require frequent watering and inspection, careful pruning as well as occasional fertilizing, root trimming and repotting, to keep them healthy and within bounds. They must receive moisture, sufficient sunlight, and bottom heat. Upon entering the "Way of Bonsai" one therefore becomes responsible for the nurturing and care of the plant. It becomes an extension of ourselves and the natural world in which we live. When we put a tree in a pot we are committing ourselves to the care of that tree. We cannot simply ignore it or it will die. Bonsai is a responsibility as well as a hobby. With bonsai, as with our life itself, we are dealing with living things, and we must be respectful of that. We should commit ourselves to understanding why every tree dies. Almost nothing in bonsai is immediate. Miniature trees develop over many years, even decades. It may be ten years (or longer) before a plant will actually be a "bonsai." We should not be discouraged by this, but think of it as part of the experience of life. |
| A bonsai tree should always be positioned off-center in the container. Not only is asymmetry important to the visual effect, it also enhances our understanding that the true center is where earth and heaven, or man and spirituality, meet and communicate. Nothing should ever occupy this place but our hearts and minds in communion with Truth. |
| Another aesthetic principle in bonsai is the three-way relationship or triangle necessary for achieving visual balance and expressing the relation between (1) a universal principle of life-giving energy, (2) the bonsai grower, and (3) the tree itself. Tradition holds that these three basic virtues are necessary when creating a bonsai: In Japanese these qualities are referred to as shin-zen-bi (truth, goodness, and beauty). It is also said that the successful bonsai grower must possess the qualities of benevolence, justice, courtesy, wisdom, and fidelity. The radiance of Mr. Hideo Leroy Fujii reflects all of these virtues. |
| The relationship between bonsai teacher and student is invaluable. Wherever possible, the student should do the majority of the work. This is how the bonsai truly becomes the student's bonsai. This means the teacher and student together develop a plan for the bonsai. Yet, teachers should not do the plant for the student even if the final result is not totally satisfactory. The final product does not have to be perfect; the final result does not have to be a masterpiece. Over time, a good bonsai teacher lets the students find their own mistakes and then correct them. Learning from mistakes can lead to mastery. Our teacher has not abandoned us today; he merely allows us each to grow individually through all that he has taught and given us. We are still very much working together with him in completing our plan for the bonsai. |
| Miniature trees can live hundreds of years if cared for properly. Prized specimens in Japan are passed on from generation to generation in the same family, admired not only for their age and beauty but also as a reminder of the people who have cared for them over the centuries. Old, venerable bonsai are often more respected and valued than young ones; however, age is not an essential quality of good bonsai. It is more important that the tree produce the artistic effect desired, that it is placed in a proper container in correct proportion to it, and that it is in good health. Today, we are each as a miniature tree, planted and lovingly cared for by Mr. Hideo Leroy Fujii. |
| With bonsai, one should discover the tree inside the plant and let the tree itself suggest possibilities to us. We should work with the natural character of the tree in unison with it to make that nature a feature of the bonsai. There are always possibilities in every tree. The real trick is in finding them, bringing them out, and highlighting them. The tree is always right, just as it is -- it is usually just a matter of listening to it closely enough to hear what it is telling us. In this way, Fujii-sama is also as a bonsai that we are now tending. We should each listen deeply to what he continues to say about nature and human existence. |
| There are several basic styles to bonsai arrangement. Today each of us is as a bonsai tree arranged in what is referred to in Japanese as the Kengai style: a weeping full cascade where the curves in the trunk and extending branches fall below the pot rim. Upon deep reflection of the life of Mr. Hideo Leroy Fujii, and of our connectedness to the Wisdom and Compassion of the Amida Buddha, we are caused to bow our heads in gratitude as we shed tears of sadness at the loss of our dear friend and teacher, and tears of joy in the realization of all that has been imparted to us for all eternity. |
| Namo Amida Butsu... |
PAUL MATSUSAKI (1904 - 1970)
| To Paul Matsusaki's many students he was affectionately known as the "professor." But he insisted that "there isn't a man living that is himself more than a student of the Bonsai." Paul believed that these dwarf trees can be and do different things to many people. "To architects the Bonsai provides a study in unpredictable nature; to the interior decorator it provides natural simplicity in contemporary design; and to others it is either an expression of beauty like a classical painting or a means by which ‘today's busy men' can relax." |
| "But to me," Paul once explained, "the Bonsai tells something of human life. Growing as it does in a limited state, the Bonsai retains a powerful will to exist. No man's life runs smoothly; we are all faced with hardships, yet, unlike most men, the Bonsai, without ‘cussing' or giving up, continues to endure. They always seem to be so patient with us." |
| The first rule of success, according to Paul was, "to study the nature of the tree's natural environment," thus to understand the plant's particular requirements of soil, climate, humidity, water, and food. "Trimming and shaping a dwarf tree requires skill and understanding but results will always prove rewarding." He also recommended that unless a person was willing to devote daily care to his Bonsai, he should find another hobby. |
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(from Designing
Dwarfs in the Desert, pp. 26-27)
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"Bonsai is not the result: that comes after. Your enjoyment is what is important."
"It must have philosophy, botany, artistry, human quality behind it to be a bonsai."
"The bonsai is not you working on the tree; you have to have the tree work on you."
"You must have spaces between the branches for the birds to be able to fly through."