THE BOOKS ON BONSAI AND RELATED ARTS
(bonsai, bonseki, bonkei, saikei, penjing, pentsai, suiseki)

1900 - 1949

Language Prefix:
"  "   English
" FR "   French
" JA "   Japanese
" JA/E "   Japanese/English
" ZH "   Chinese

Subject Code:   penjing , viewing stones , bonkei , saikei-related , indoor , bonsai


JA                          Bonsai Japanese flag; Tokyo : Bonsai Dokokai, 1916.  Illustrated.  Bonsai gaho dai 47, 98, 107, 110-118-go 12-satsu gappon seihon.   New 02/27/22

JA                          Bonseki gafu Japanese flag ; 1915.  LCC #79813416. 143 pp. on double leaves, illustrated.  Scores of simple landscapes, most with mountains in the distance, including Fujiyama, and many with shorelines and tiny landscape trees.  Each line drawing model faced with calligraphy page apparently describing the scene.  A few drawings also about how to properly hold the tools used for making these landscapes. 1

JA                          Bonseki zufu ; Kiyohara-ryū Bonseki Chuko Iemoto; 1929.

JA                          Sanyu-en Bonsai-Dan (History of Bonsai in the Sanyu nursery) ; 1910.  Apparently the first book which treats the subject of wiring. 2

JA
                         Taiten Kinen, Bonsai Meihin Shu (Anniversary of Taiten, Collection of Excellent Bonsai) ; 1929.  Two volumes which contain numerous photographs of the outstanding specimens in Japan for that year.  USDA

ZH                         Wanshizhai Lingyan shipu (Lingyan Stone Catalogue of the Wanshi Studio) ; 1924.

           Beard, [Emma] Patten   Adventures in Dish Gardening ; New York: A.T. DeLaMare Company, Inc.; 1930.  204 pp.  Illustrated by the author.  Photographs by H.E. Griffin and Curtis Owens.  Four color plates and sixty b&w half-tones. 

JA      DaiNihon Bonsai Kyokai   Zenkoku Bonsai Chinretsu Taikai Kinen Chyo (A Souvenir Booklet of the First All Japan Bonsai Exhibition) ; Greater Japan Bonsai Association; 1941.

ZH      Hsia, I-pin   Hua hui p'en tsai fa ; Shanghai: Shang wu yin shu kuan; 1935.  114 pp.  Illustrations.  USDA

JA      Inoue, Masayoshi   Bonsai Teien Matsu Baiyo Oyobi Teireho (Methods of Training and Maintaining Garden Pines as Bonsai) Japanese flag; Daigaku Kan; 1912.

JA      Ishii, Isayoshi   Saishin Bonsai No Shitate Kata (Newest Bonsai Techniques) ; Kinseido; 1938. 

JA      Kaibara, Tooru   Jumoku Bonsai Ron (A Discussion on Bonsai) ; 1910.

JA      Katō, Ginjirō   Bonsai Japanese flag; Tokyo : Bonsai Dokokai ; 1916.  Over 400 pp.  Illustrated.  "Bonsai gaho dai 47, 98, 107, 110-118-go 12-satsu gappon seihon."  Many trees shown -- mostly two per photo -- displayed on stands, low tables, planks, or carved roots.  Due to the size of this volume, we believe that this might be a hidden gem of value about the early 20th century display of bonsai.  Hopefully we can get someone to either translate or summarize the contents.  

JA      Katō, Ginjirō   Bonsai baiyoho ; Tōkyō: Sangin Suisekien; 1921.  89 pp.  Illustrations.  USDA

JA      Katō, Ginjirō   Bonkei hitorikoshirae, tsuketari suiseki biko ; Tōkyō: Sangin Suisekien; 1906.  LCC #90186398.  Illustrations.

JA      Katsuno, Buseki   Hosokawa-ryū shiki no keizu ; 1912.

JA      Katsuno, Genpō   Meishō bonseki zu hen; Hosokawa-ryū Bonseki Iemoto Jimusho; 1934.  50 pp.

JA      Katsuno, Genpō   Hosokawa-ryū shin hyakkei zuhen; Hosokawa-ryū Bonseki Iemoto Jimusho; 1940.  100 pp.

JA      Katsuno, Hakuen   Bonseki chokuden no zu ; 1912.

JA      Katsuno, Hakuen   Rikyu Takasago nijuhachi bonkeizu ; 1912.

JA      Katsuno, Hakuen   Katsura no maki Japanese flag ; 1915.  120 pp.  Images in black and/or blue ink on white pages: 97 on oval background, 9 on fan-shape, and 7 on rectangle.  Hosokawa-ryu bonseki.  On double leaves, East Asian style (fukurotoji).

JA      Katsuno, Haruo   Hosokawa-ryū shin hyakkeizu hen ; Hosokawa-ryū Bonsekikei Iemoto Jimusho; 1929.

JA      Kibe, Hanjirō   Taiten kinen bonsai ippinshū Japanese flag ; 1916.  Two volume exhibition catalog of Kantō Bonsai Taikai held in commemoration of Emperor Taishō's coronation in 1915.  First album has mostly tokonoma settings, second volume has individual compositions.

JA      Kibe, Yonekichi   Bonsai Baiyo Ho (Cultivation Methods for Bonsai) ; Tōkyō: Sangin Suisekien; 1903.

           Kiktavi, John   How to Grow and Cultivate Miniature Living Trees ; Published and distributed by Living Ming Trees, National Nursery Supply, Inglewood, CA; July 1949.  47 pp.  Forty-two b&w photos and twenty-two figures or sets of line drawings.  Cover title is "how to grow living miniature Ming Trees at home".  A wire-bound 25-page version with a green textured paper cover was issued earlier that year.

JA       Kiso, Shōshichi   Juraku-kai Zuroku (Catalog of Juraku-kai) ; Tōkyō: Gishōdō; 1903.  This two-volume work is a catalog and description of the two major private displays at Jurakukai.  It is generously illustrated with full-page, detailed line drawings of the exhibit.  The tokoname settings are shown where the various bonsai were exhibited along with the accompanying scrolls, companion plants, suiseki and ikebana arrangements in individual rooms in two high-class Japanese restaurants.   USDA 3

JA
     Kobayashi, Norio   Bonsai no Kenkyu (The Study of Bonsai) ; Tōkyō: Hakubunkan; 1930.

JA      Kobayashi, Norio   Ima no bonsai to sono baiyōhō Japanese flag (Contemporary Bonsai and their Care) ; Tōkyō: Kusamurakai; 1936.  152 pp.  Illustrations.

JA      Kobayashi, Norio   Satsuki no kenkyū to baiyō (Study and cultivation of Satsuki azaleas) ; Tōkyō: Hakubunkan; 1936.  159 pp.  Illustrations, some colored.  USDA

           Koehn, Alfred   Japanese Tray Landscapes ; Peking: Lotus Court Publications; 1937.  First edition.  52 pp.  Edition limited to 500 numbered copies.  Signed by the author.  Printed on Chinese hand-made paper.  Chinese grass-linen cloth with silk cord and mounted color print on front.  Original woodblock prints by seven artists, including 17 full page color prints as well as b/w and color in-text plates.

JA      Komatsu, Shizan   Bankei no tsukurikata ; Tōkyō: Shizan-ryū Bankei Sōke; 1934.  LCC #94464152.  Illustrations.

JA      Maruyama, Shinji   Bonsai, Baiyoujitsuken (Bonsai, Experiments in Culture) ; Hakubukan; 1934.

JA      Matoba, Keinosuke   Ikebana and bonseki Japanese flag , Shōbundō, 1901.  179 pp.

FR      Maumené, Albert   Les Arbes nains japonais, Leur formation au Japon, Leur utilisation et leur traitement eu Europe French flag ; Paris: Librairie Horticole; 1902.  60 pp.  Sixteen b&w photos. The earliest known work in a European language entirely on the subject.  E-texte edition 2002.

JA       Miyazawa, Bungo   Bonsai, fu hachiue kaki (Dwarfed potted plants and flowers) Japanese flag ; Tokyo Shokabo; 1922.  336 pp.  Illustrated.  

JA       Miyasawa, Bungo   Bonsai, tsuketari hachiue kaki Japanese flag ; Tōkyō: Yokendo; 1922; Gen-shin-sha; 1923.  1925 printing of first, LCC #86207266.  A 1931 edition or printing also was made.  USDA  

JA       Morinaga, Tatsuo   Bonkei sanbyakushu ; Kinryudō; 1935.  Shinsen bonkei sanbyakushu on cover.

JA       Murata, Kenji   Showa Bonsai Itsupinsyu (A Sampling of Showa Bonsai) ; Kojuen; 1937.

JA       Murata, Kojuen   Konishi To Watanabe Shozo Bonsai Tenkan Mokuroku (Konishi and Watanabe: A Program for Two Families' Bonsai Exhibit) ; 1936.

JA       Murata, Sōjirō and Shōichi Koyama    Shashin zukai bonkei no tsukurikata ; Bunbudō; 1918.

JA       Nakajima, Nobuyoshi    Bonsai Shitate Hihō Japanese flag ; Tōkyō: Hakubunkan; 1902.  172 pp.  Illustrations.   Describes the contemporary state of the art: "There was heavy influence from Chinese culture in the early Meiji period which resulted in a type of bunjin bonsai and a strong demand for Chinese bonsai pots occurred, especially among the sophisticated gentlemen.  Some of the favorite types are namako [sea cucumber], kochi [glazed], shidei [purple clay], shadei [sand clay], and ohibi [large crackled glaze]."  This work also contains an article dated 1603 accompanied by a sketch of a pine rooted over a rock.  The tree is in a low, wide, drum-nail studded pot, tan/orange in color, sitting on a low bamboo stand.  USDA 4

JA        Nakajima, Nobuyoshi    Sōmoku Jikken Bonsai Shitate-ho (Secrets of dwarf-tree growing) ; 1917.  172 pp.  USDA

JA        Nishikawa, Issōtei   Bontei to bonseki ; Sōgensha; 1936.

JA        Nomura, Yasutaro   Bonsai Shoku Butsu Saisyu Oyabi Baiyo Hou (Creating and Maintaining Plants for Bonsai) ; Daigaku Kan; 1906.

JA        Nozaki, Nobuo   Komono bonsai shitatekata: tsuketari sansō yasō ; Tōkyō: Hakubunkan; 1931.  USDA

JA       Nozaki, Nobuo   Shumi No Jumoku Bonsai: Shitate Hihou (The Hobby of Bonsai Trees: Cultural Secrets) ; Tōkyō: Sanseidō; 1938.  LCC #98838139.  252 pp.  Illustrations.   

             Nozaki, Shinobu   Dwarf Trees (Bonsai) ; Tōkyō: Sanseidō Company, Ltd.; 1940.  199 pp.  Two color and 121 b&w photos.  First 74 pages are text.  USDA  The first English language book on the subject.

JA        Nozaki, Shinobu   Kaju no hachiue saibai (Potted cultivation of fruit trees) ; Tōkyō : Chikuyō Shobō, 1948.  

JA        Ōi, Raisei   Kofu zue ; Hosokawa-ryu Bonsekikei Iemoto Jimusho; 1929.

JA        Ōi, Raisei   Meishō zue ; Hosokawa-ryu Bonsekikei Iemoto Jimusho; 1929.

JA        Sakuma, Yosaburo   Katei Engei Kwaki to Bonsai (Floriculture and dwarf plants for the home) ; Tōkyō: Okura-Shoten; 1905.  228 pp.  USDA

JA        Shikun'en Shujin   Bonsai ryūkōshi: tsuketari kakushu baiyō hanshokuhō ; Tōkyō: Ritsumeikan Shuppanbu; 1934.  243 pp.   Illustrations.  USDA

JA        Shimizu, Kitsusue   Bonsai Teien Take Sasa Baiyo Oyobi Teireho (How to Raise Garden Bamboo as Bonsai, Culture and Techniques) ; Daigakukan; 1913.

JA        Shimizu, Naganori   Bonsai-dokuhon ; Tōkyō: Hakubunkan, 1937.  387 pp.  Illustrated.   New 04/22/23

JA        Shinohara, Hakutei   Bonkei ; 1935.  LCC #77803275. 172 pp.  Illustrations .  

JA        Shuin, Kanai   Bonsai ; Tōkyō: Kosei-do Shoten; 1922. 

JA        Shujin, Kōjuen and Shunmu Ebara   Meika aizō bonsai kiseki ippinshu (Collection of Excellent Bonsai and Unique Stones Held by Prestigious Families) ; Tokyo: Tokyo University, Kōjuen; 1903.

JA        Sugimasa, Shōun   Bonkei hiketsu zugai ; Bonkei Kyōkai ; 1928.  2 vol.

JA        Sumida, Masao   Bonsaido (The Way of Bonsai) ; Hakubunkan; 1931.

JA        Tomimasu, Ryoichi and Keisaku Suzuki and Takamasa Tanaka   Jitsuyo Engei Zensyo: Sosai, Kaju, Kaben, Bonsai Japanese flag (A Complete Book on the Contemporary Garden Arts: Vegetables, Fruits, Flowers, and Bonsai) ; Jugyo No Nihon Sha; 1911. 

ZH       Ts'ui, Yü-wên   Chung-kuo P'ên ching chi ch'i tsai p'ei ; 1948.  LCC #67002590.  169 pp.  Illustrations. 

JA        Ushimaro, Sawada    Bonsai Geijyutsu (The Fine Art of Bonsai) ; 1934.

JA/E     Yamazaki, Akira   Kiku-shi (Chrysanthemum Stones) ; Gifu: Getsumei-kai; 1940.  

JA        Yamanouchi, Masanori   Bonsai shōkei Japanese flag ; 1907.  

JA        Yoshimura, Iwao   Shumi no bonsai shitatekata ; Tōkyō: Meibundo; 1933.  1935 printing LCC #86211694.  258 pp.  Illustrations.


SAMPLE PAGES AND COVERS FROM THESE BOOKS
Juraku-kai Zuroku, 1903 [3, Nonkey]
Juraku-kai Zuroku, 1903 [3, Classic ]

Les Arbes nains japonais, 1902
  How to Grow and Cultivate Miniature Living Trees, 1949



NOTES

   Per the Library of Congress Online Catalog, http://catalog.loc.gov/.  Resulted from keyword search for "bonkei."  Link per Ian Chrystie in email to RJB 06/28/18.

2    Toshiro, Yonetami   "Wiring," Bonsai Today, No. 1, May-June 1989, pg. 20.  Adapted by John Palmer.

3    Nippon Bonsai Association, Classic Bonsai of Japan (Tokyo and New York: Kodansha International; 1989), pg. 154 has b&w spread of 4 pairs of facing pages; Ishiyama, Nonkey T. "Historical Notes on Japanese Bonsai," Bonsai Journal, ABS, Vol. 5, No. 3, Fall 1971, pp. 43 -44 has b&w [shown above] on former page captioned "A nineteenth-century [sic] arrangement of bonsai and ikebana from an old illustration.  Courtesy of N.T. Ishiyama."  It is RJB's belief that because of similarities with the illustrations in Classic, Nonkey's is actually from that 1903 work also; Elias, Dr. Thomas S. "New Library Additions," NBF Bulletin, Vol. XI, No. 2, Winter 2000, pg. 4.  Per the National Agriculture Library AGRICOLA Database, www.agricola.nal.usda.gov, Call Number:  SB433.5.K57 1903 DNAr.

4    "Notes on Antique Chinese Bonsai Pots" by Ikune Sawada, Bonsai, BCI, September/October 1988, Vol. XXVII, No. 5, pp. 25-26, which contains the quote; Bonsai Today, No. 24, pp. 10-11, color photo on pg. 10.  These give a 1902 date.  Author per the National Agriculture Library AGRICOLA Database, http://agricola.nal.usda.gov, Call Number:  SB433.5.N35 1903 DNAr; per pg. 537, "The Catalogue of Recently Published Japanese Books on Agriculture," in the 1902 Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan (Preface dated September 1902).


1850 - 1899
1950 - 1999

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