Sakufu-ten
NIPPON  BONSAI  SAKUFU  TEN  (JAPAN CREATORS STYLE BONSAI EXHIBITION)



Last Updated: October 26, 2024



       The Sakufu-ten -- Creative Bonsai Exhibition -- is the only one where professional bonsai growers who belong to the Japan Bonsai Association can exhibit traditional trees under their own names.  Even though it is a relatively small exhibit, the quality is high.  It provides bonsai professionals direct recognition for their work.  As such, Sakufu-ten prizes are valued highly by many professionals.  And unlike the multiple Kokufu prizes which can be awarded every year, there is only one grand prize awarded at each Sakufu-ten.  By convention, this tree is a large conifer.
       Professionals submit their trees for judging in October and learn who the winners are soon after.  The trees are photographed at this time as well in order to have the catalog available for the exhibit.  A few months later, the trees are returned to Tokyo for the exhibit.
       The first Sakufu-ten was organized by the late Hideo Kato in 1975 at the Daimaru Department Store at the Tokyo Station branch.  For about 30 years it was held there (just a short distance east of the Imperial Palace compound) in early to mid-January by Bonsai Kyodō kumiai, the Bonsai Cooperative Society.  However, they then lost their main sponsor so moved the event to early December at the Ueno Green Club (5 km northeast of the Palace), which is also home to the massive sales area during the Kokufu exhibit in February.  The 2011 Sakufu-ten exhibit occupied the first two floors of the Green Club.  A related exhibit was held on the third floor that consisted solely of Important Bonsai Masterpieces (kichou / kicho).  Outside the Green Club, vendors offer the usual variety of trees, pots, tools and the like. The 400 growers of this association are the source of the vast majority of trees for bonsai in Japan; however, the growers are not often recognized for their styling skills.  This exhibit provides that opportunity.  Among the awards presented to the best trees are the Prime Minister's Award, the Environmental Minister's Award, the Agricultural and Fisherie Minister's Award, and the Minister of Science and Education Award.
       The Mainichi Newspaper sponsors this event and publishes the annual photo album of the trees displayed.  An appealing sales area of plants, suiseki, equipment, and supplies offers everything an aspiring or experienced bonsai artist needs.  Approximately 20,000 visitors attended the January, 2002 exhibit.
       The 50th Exhibition was held at the Hanamidori Cultural Center in Showa Memorial Park.  This is in Tachikawa City in western Tokyo, about 28 miles (45 km) away from the usual Ueno Green Club venue.
       An award ceremony for prize winners is held on Saturday after the exhibit closes for the day.  Most attendees are bonsai professionals in town for the exhibit.

Sakufu-ten album No. 3
Sakufu-ten No. 3 Album

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YEAR
DATE
NUMBER
NOTES
1975 January
1st Exhibition

1976 January
2nd Exhibition

1977 January
3rd Exhibition

1978 January
4th Exhibition

1979 January
5th Exhibition

1980 January
6th Exhibition

1981 January 15 - 20
7th Exhibition
Informal upright style Chinese quince (Cydonia sinensis) by Toshinori Suzuki won highest award.
1982 January
8th Exhibition

1983 January
9th Exhibition

1984 January
10th Exhibition

1985 January
11th Exhibition
Ministry of Education Award (Best of Conifer Bonsai) to Kihachiro Kamiya. Japan Full Bloom Award to Kunio Kobayashi.
1986 January
12th Exhibition
Prize to Norboru Kaneko for root-over-rock Needle Juniper group.
1987 January
13th Exhibition

1988 January
14th Exhibition
Prme Minister's Award to Masahiko Kimura for his Z-shaped shimpaku juniper, "The Dance of a Rising Dragon."
1989 January
15th Exhibition
Prime Minister's Award to Kunio Kobayashi.
1990 January
16th Exhibition
Nippon Bonsai Sakufu-ten Committee Award (Best of Shohin Bonsai) to Kihachiro Kamiya. Japan Full Bloom Award to Kunio Kobayashi.
1991 January
17th Exhibition

1992 January
18th Exhibition
Prime Minister's Award to Kunio Kobayashi.
1993 January
19th Exhibition

1994 January
20th Exhibition
Prime Minister's Award to Kihachiro Kamiya. Ministry of Education Award to Kunio Kobayashi. Hana Ippai Association Prize to Isao Fukita for a Satsuki azalea. Kindai Bonsai Magazine Readers Award to Ernie Kuo.
1995 January
21st Exhibition
Minister of Environment Agency Award (Best of Chuhin Bonsai) to Kihachiro Kamiya. Ministry of Agriculture Award to Kunio Kobayashi. Hana Ippai Association Prize to Isao Fukita for a Satsuki azalea. Kindai Bonsai Magazine Readers Award to Ernie Kuo.
1996 January
22nd Exhibition
Ministry of Education Award to Kunio Kobayashi. Hana Ippai Association Prize to Isao Fukita for a Satsuki azalea.
1997 January
23rd Exhibition
Mainichi Newspaper Award to Kunio Kobayashi.
1998 January
24th Exhibition
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Award (Best of Broad-leaf/Deciduous Bonsai) to Kihachiro Kamiya, first person to have received all five of the different top awards. Japan Association Award to Kunio Kobayashi. Mainichi Shinbun Award to Isao Fukita for first style Bunjin.
1999 January
25th Exhibition
Prime Minister's Award to Kunio Kobayashi.
2000 January
26th Exhibition
Ministry of Environment Agency Award to Kunio Kobayashi.
2001 January
27th Exhibition
Prime Minister's Award to Kunio Kobayashi.
2002 January
28th Exhibition
Prime Minister's Award for Clump of Japanese Five-Needle Pine ("Zuisho") to Kihachiro Kamiya. Total of 57 trees exhibited this year.
2003
29th Exhibition
Shohin Award to Kunio Kobayashi.
2004
30th Exhibition

2005
31st Exhibition
Prime Minister's Award to Shinji Suzuki for a Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora). 79 pp album.
2006
32nd Exhibition

2007
33rd Exhibition
Hana Ippai Association Prize to Mitsuo Matsuda for a Satsuki azalea.
2008
34th Exhibition
At the age of 29, 2nd generation bonsaist Minoru Akiyama became the youngest artist to be awarded the Prime Minister's Award.
2009 December 4 - 7
35th Exhibition
Prime Minister Award was given in October went to Takatoshi Asako for a slant-stlye Japanese five-needle pine (Pinus parviflora) which previously had been in the 60th Kokufuten in 1986 and then had been restyled in 1991 by Yasuji Matsuda.
2010 December
36th Exhibition

2011 December
37th Exhibition
The top award went to Minoru Akiyama, who studied with Kunio Kobayashi at Shunka-en. Number two prize went to Junichiro Tanaka of Daiju-en for a cascade white pine. Number three prize was for best large deciduous tree, a silverberry by Takayuki Fukushima, also of Daiju-en. The final of about 9 prizes went to Akio Kondo for a root-over-rock trident maple.
2012 December
38th Exhibition
77 pp. album.  The first year in which non-professionals displayed trees for the show.
2013 December
39th Exhibition

2014 December 4 - 7
40th Exhibition
Prime Minister's Prize to Akio Kondo for a Needle Juniper (Juniperus rigida). 77 pp. album.
2015 December
41st Exhibition
Toshio Ohsugi received the Minister of the Environment's Award. 63 pp. album.
2016 December
42nd Exhibition
Prime Minister's Award to Takashi Iura.
2017 December
43rd Exhibition
Prime Minister's Award to Masayuki Fujikawa; Organizing committee chair prize (small piece section) to Hiramatsu Koji
2018 December 14 - 16
44th Exhibition
Prime Minister's Award to Kenji Oshima for a kuromatsu (Pinus thunbergii).
2019 December
45th Exhibition
Prime Minister's Award to Taiga Urushibata for a Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora); Organizing committee chair prize (original bonsai tree section) to Hiramatsu Koji
2020 December
Cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.
2021 December 17 - 19
47th Exhibition
Prime Minister's Award to Yoshihiko Moriyama for a Chinese juniper.
2022 December 16 - 18
48th Exhibition
Prime Minister's Award to Hiroaki Suzuki for a shimpaku (Juniperus chinensis 'Shimpaku')
2023 December 15 - 17
49th Exhibition

2024 October 24 - 28
50th Exhibition
Prime Minister Award to Masahiro Sasaki's work "Black Patsu".


NOTES:

"The Best Bonsai and Suiseki Exhibits in Japan" by Dr. Thomas S. Elias, originally published in Bonsai, BCI, May/June 2002;
"Sixth [sic] Creators' Style Bonsai Exhibition" in "International News and Notes," International Bonsai, Spring/81, pg. 27;
"The Bonsai of Ernie Kuo, The Art of Bonsai;
"Guests to Crespi Cup 2023, Crespi Bonsai;
"We Have a Winner! by Wayne Schoech, Bonsai Bark;
"Japanese Shows," Crataegus.com, November 1, 2008;
"Japanese Five-Needle Pine," "About the Cover," International Bonsai, 2010, No. 1, pp. 26-27;
"Sakufu-ten -- the bonsai professional's exhibit" by Jonas DuPuich, Bonsai Tonight, February 7, 2012;
"Sakafu/Kokufu Shimpaku Juniper" section of "2013 Kokufu-ten Submissions" by Tyler Sherrod, January 21, 2013;
"Bonsai Summer Festival: Part 3, Melanie's dreams, September 21, 2013;
"Kunio Kobayashi," Bonsai Empire; "Esprit Bonsai" Facebook post, December 19, 2014;
"44th Nippon Bonsai Sakufu-ten Exhibition," Esprit Bonsaï blog, December 21, 2018;
"Boon's Sensei, Kihachiro Kamiya," Bonsai Boon;
"Bonsai Master's Voice," Tokoname Bonsai Pots;
"Profile - Toshio Ohsugi, Garden Owner," Gashouen, 2019 ;
"Some of the Most Exquisite Bonsai You'll See Anywhere (if I exaggerate, it's only by a little) by Wayne Schoech, Bonsai Bark, December 14, 2019;
"Demonstrators," The 2021 EBA Convention;
"Matsuda Seishoen bonsai garden;
"
The Beautiful, Brutal World of Bonsai" by Robert Moor, The New Yorker, November 14, 2022;
"Teachers/Gallery," Bonsai no Takamatsu;
50th Japan potted style exhibition per Nippon Bonsai Sakufuten Facebook posts on Oct 7 and on Oct. 9, 2024;
Sakufu album picture from "Bonsai Network Japan."
"Re: EBAAugsburg2022," post by PeterBonsai, Bonsai Fachforum, Nov. 15, 2021.



Several websites have partially outdated info regarding when this event takes place. Per Bonsai Empire's "Bonsai exhibitions in Japan" (Wayback Machine since at least Aug. 21, 2016) "Sakufu-ten, Tokyo. A Bonsai exhibition held early January."); per More Japan Please "8 Bonsai Exhibitions in Japan You Really Should Not Miss", (Wayback Machine since at least Sept. 21, 2020) "The Sakufu-ten is held each January in Ueno, Tokyo."  Per e-mail from Ms. Harumi Fujino to RJB 20 Nov 2011, the Sakufu-ten takes place in December and is "held by Bonsai Kyodō kumiai (Bonsai cooperative society) which is in Ueno Green Club."  Per William N. Valavanis in e-mail 30 Nov 2011 to RJB to clarify this discrepancy, "For about 30 years it was held in mid-January at the Daimaru Department Store at the Tokyo Station branch.  However, they lost their main sponsor so moved the event to the Ueno Green Club.  It has been held in early December for the past few years."

And per ebay-offered albums, the 2nd is dated 1977 through at least the 17th dated 1992 -- all one year past our page's listings. Per Bonsai Network Japan, the 31st album is dated 2005, which matches our chronology.

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