Museum Donors & Their Trees: Dr. Yee-sun Wu

The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum is home to impressive trees from collectors and masters around the world. Among that amalgam of donors is Dr. Yee-sun Wu, one of the most prominent penjing connoisseurs and stylists. 

Dr. Wu was raised in a family that had practiced penjing for generations. He was born the eldest of 13 brothers and sisters in the Guangdong province of China. To support his family during the Great Depression, Dr. Wu started a bank in Hong Kong called Wing Lung Money Exchange – “Wing Lung” meaning “long-lasting harvest” or “good business.” 

The organization has grown over the decades into a multi-story, highly respected business in central Hong Kong and Kowloon now known as Wing Lung Bank. But Dr. Wu retired from the bank business at the end of World War II after his health declined and he was forced to rest.

During this period, he devoted all of his time to studying traditional penjing, creating a new persona for himself as “Man Lung,” or “scholar-farmer.” In 1967 in Kowloon, Dr. Wu and a few friends created the Man Lung Garden to display trees and serve as a forum for discussion about penjing. The Chinese government eventually acquired the land in the 1970s to build a railway station, but the garden was established at the Hong Kong Baptist University again in 2000.

In 1968, Dr. Wu printed 10,000 copies of his book the Man Lung Garden Artistic Pot Plants, his international term for penjing, to discuss the features of the garden and the ideology, history and celebration of artistic pot plants. 

He was one of six honorees at the Fuku-Bonsai Center International Honor Role in 1990. 

Dr. Wu, who died in 2005, is survived by 13 children and almost 40 grandchildren and great grandchildren in Hong Kong. 

Traditional styling 

Former NBF President Felix Laughlin said servicemen returning from their stations in Japan after World War II brought bonsai knowledge back to the United States. But he said many people didn’t realize that the tradition of penjing, the Chinese word for bonsai, could be traced back hundreds of years to China. 

Dr. Wu popularized traditional penjing, in the Lingnan style, throughout the Western world. Laughlin said Japanese bonsai artists often rely on wire to place branches in different positions, repeatedly replacing the wire as it cuts into the wood. Penjing artists like Dr. Wu tend to use the “clip and grow” technique, pruning again and again to determine branch placement, he said.

“You can tell bonsai have been heavily influenced by human care and training, while penjing are much wilder looking and free form,” Laughlin said. 

 Read more about the differences in the art form through our interview with Zhao Qingquan.

Dr. Wu’s trees

The penjing master curated a collection of more than 300 trees, which he donated to various institutions across the world. One can view Dr. Wu’s works in collections in Canada, Hong Kong, China and the United States. 

Former U.S. National Arboretum Director Dr. John Creech was familiar with Dr. Wu’s excellent penjing collection. He sent Col. John Hinds, a retired military officer who was heavily involved in the bonsai community, to visit Dr. Wu in Hong Kong to inform him about the plans to curate a collection in the United States. 

At first, Dr. Wu was impressed with the idea but thought his tropical trees would be better maintained on the West Coast, where the climate is more similar to Hong Kong and wouldn’t have cold winters like Washington, D.C. In 1983, Museum volunteer Janet Lanman wrote to Dr. Wu to renew the request that he display penjing at the Arboretum, assuring him that they could provide adequate winter protection for his trees. 

In July 1986, the Arboretum received 31 penjing from Hong Kong – 24 from Dr. Wu and seven from his colleague Shu-ying Lui. Dr. Wu provided a generous monetary gift for NBF and the Arboretum to construct the Yee-sun Wu Chinese Pavilion and even sent over some workers from Hong Kong to help with the details of the project. 

Although the Museum remains closed to protect staff and visitors during the spread of COVID-19, you can spot Dr. Wu’s trees online under our Chinese collection.

NBF Co-Presidents to Step Down After Two Years of Joint Leadership

As of August 20, Jack Sustic and Felix Laughlin will be leaving their roles as co-presidents of the National Bonsai Foundation.

Jack Sustic

Felix Laughlin

Laughlin has been an inspiring and dedicated member of the bonsai community. He was one of six founders who formed NBF in 1982 and became president in 1996, with Sustic joining as co-president in 2018.

Since NBF’s founding, the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum has become a world-renowned center for the art of bonsai, penjing and related art forms. During that period, the Museum has expanded from a single pavilion displaying the 53 bonsai given in 1976 to the American people by Japan as Bicentennial Gift to include multiple pavilions, exhibition buildings and courtyards presenting North American bonsai, Chinese penjing, tropical bonsai, and viewing stones.

Sustic began his bonsai career as a Museum intern in 1996. He then served as curator twice – from 2001 to 2005 and 2008 to 2016 – and has served on the NBF Board of Directors for 19 years. Sustic has spent many long hours caring for some of the most prized parts of our collections, including the Yamaki pine. 

 As co-presidents, Sustic and Laughlin have led many projects and improvements to both the Museum and NBF operations. Under their supervision, the Museum was voted “Best Place To Take An Out-Of-Towner” and “Best Museum Off The National Mall” in multiple Washington City Paper Best of D.C. polls.

 The pair have both demonstrated their personal commitment to the spread of bonsai appreciation through their various leadership positions in national and global organizations, like the World Bonsai Friendship Federation and WBFF’s North American regional representative organization, the North American Bonsai Federation.

Laughlin served as chairman of the World Bonsai Friendship Federation from 2001 to 2005, and organized the 5th World Bonsai Convention held in Washington, D.C. in 2005. Sustic served as the chairman of that successful World Bonsai Convention. Sustic is currently serving as the North American Bonsai Federation president and a WBFF director.

Sustic and Laughlin have been driving forces of peace and friendship who amplify the voices of bonsai novices and artists around the world and helped pave the way for bonsai care and appreciation for years to come. NBF is incredibly grateful for the co-presidents’ leadership and dedication to the Museum and the art of bonsai.

Through their combined work in the bonsai world, Sustic and Laughlin have instilled a lasting legacy of goodwill and love for bonsai. NBF wishes the two the best in their endeavors and thanks them for being an asset in the world of bonsai.

Learn more about NBF’s new leadership here.

WE INVITE YOU TO LEAVE A MESSAGE ABOUT FELIX AND/OR JACK BELOW!

Bonsai Teaches Us Respect for All Life

Dear Friends of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum,

In this time of global pandemic and awakening to end racial injustice, we look forward to the reopening of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum so again we all can walk among the majestic and inspiring bonsai and penjing waiting for us there.

Our hearts are heavy for those hurting around the nation and the world, and we hope that you and your family are safe and healthy. We give thanks for those bonsai masters like John Naka, Yuji Yoshimura and Saburo Kato who were instrumental in creating the Museum and taught us the true meaning of bonsai. As Saburo Kato once said:

“From bonsai we receive peace of mind, health, and a life’s pursuit. We can also learn generosity, patience and even philosophy about life. We have also had the good fortune to make friends of all nationalities and races with whom we share a mutual trust and respect. This is all thanks to bonsai.”

The core values of bonsai, which we strive to uphold at the National Bonsai Foundation, are rooted in promoting and fostering world peace and respect for all life. Together we can take comfort in the art of bonsai to encourage inclusivity, empathy and peace throughout the world.

In Solidarity,

Felix Laughlin and Jack Sustic
NBF Co-Presidents

Bonsai Basics: Repotting Techniques and Tools

Bonsai Basics is a NEW blog series dedicated to providing beginner’s tips, tool recommendations and facts about basic bonsai tasks.
Thanks to all of our readers who recommended we start doing this on our 2019 survey!

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Photo Credit: Bonsai Empire

There’s the holiday season, spring cleaning season and back-to-school season – but as a bonsai beginner, there’s one season you should really familiarize yourself with: repotting season. 

You might have a lot of questions about when to repot, what to use to repot and how repotting works. We spoke with NBF Co-President Felix Laughlin about the basic tools and steps you need to get your repotting off to a great start this spring.

“We’re at the critical point where most bonsai are about to leaf out if they haven’t already,” Laughlin said. “This is when the bonsai are the healthiest for repotting and cutting back roots.” 

He said younger bonsai should be repotted each year, but more developed trees can wait longer. 

“Repotting is like renewing the life of the tree and giving it a chance to live a lot longer than it would growing in the ground,” Laughlin said. “That’s why you have 1,000 year bonsai – repotting helps bonsai roots not wrap around the pot, get old and stop feeding the tree.” 

How to Tackle Repotting

An eight-piece tool kit featuring the snips, three-pronged ranks, sickle and pliers discussed below. Available on bonsaioutlet.com for $69.95.

The first step to repotting your bonsai is cutting the wires tying the tree into the pot. Grab your root hook and transplanting sickle or scythe – a curved, sharp saw or cutting edge – and saw or cut around the edge of the pot to remove the root ball without tearing it apart.

Then use a three-pronged root rake to scrape the bottom of the root ball, removing soil and exposing the downward-growing roots.  For root balls removed from deep pots, you may first need to use the curved sickle or a saw to cut off the bottom portion of the root ball.

Next you’ll want to use some scissors or hand snips to cut back the exposed roots, including those growing laterally around the sides of the root ball. You might use bent-nose tweezers and a root hook to help untangle the roots.

This seven-piece tool kit includes: root cutters, root rake, sickle, angled scissors, broom, bent-nose tweezers and root hook. Available on bonsaitonight.com.for $135.

But pay attention to which kind of bonsai you’re working on. Laughlin advises that the roots of deciduous bonsai can be cut back harder than those of evergreen bonsai. 

“It’s a balancing act,” Laughlin said. “You want to rejuvenate the roots without diminishing the ability of the tree to recover.”

Next, place some fresh soil into your pot and tie the tree back in with wire, pliers and wire cutters. Laughlin said any pair of pliers from a hardware store will work, but some technical bonsai pliers offer more precision – though they cost more. 

Watch bonsai master Boon Manakitivipart as he demonstrates some of these repotting steps and illustrates the use of the repotting tools. 

Sickles, three-pronged root rakes and root hooks generally each sell for around $10.  Laughlin likes the Okatsune heavy-duty hand snips, which can be found at Bonsai Outlet for $40. 

“They’re top-notch Japanese shears that are great for cutting heavy roots and getting the root ball back down to where you want it,” Laughlin said.

Bonsai tools can rack up a lengthy bill, but Laughlin said you can cap your costs at about $100 if you do your research. He said not many brick and mortars offer kits with all the tools he discussed, but you can find reasonably priced starter sets or individual tools on sites like Amazon, Bonsai Tonight, Bonsai Learning Center, Stone Lantern, Bonsai Outlet and Brussel's Bonsai.  

When Should You Start Repotting?

NBF Co-President Jack Sustic works with NBF board member Dr. Joe Gutierrez to repot a bonsai.

NBF Co-President Jack Sustic said you’ll want to repot deciduous trees first, which grow more vigorously and sooner than conifers, which are generally ready for repotting in late April. 

Sustic said the repotting season can change depending on where you live – someone in South Carolina might be done with repotting for the year but someone in Michigan could just be getting started. Sustic says to start repotting once buds have started to swell up and gain a bit of color. 

For Sustic, the frequency of repotting depends on the tree itself. Your bonsai likely needs repotting if water sits on the soil and doesn’t drain well or if the overall health of the tree is poor.

“I look at it from a horticulture standpoint,” Sustic said. “Questions like, ‘Is the tree healthy, is it growing, is the soil draining well?’ Ultimately, the tree will tell you when it’s ready to be repotted.”

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Check out our Youtube page for a demonstration by Danny Coffey repotting a boulevard cypress.

NBF Board Member Passes Away at 94

Jack Wells, middle, while volunteering at the Museum in the late 1990s with (right to left) David Gavin, Jack Cardon, former assistant bonsai curator Dan Chiplis and Warren Hill.

The National Bonsai Foundation is sad to announce the passing of former Board of Directors member Jack Wells. 

Wells was an establishing member of NBF in 1982, served on the Board for many years and previously held the top post at the Potomac Bonsai Society. 

“Jack’s dedication to and history of the Museum was evident from the start,” NBF Co-Presidents Felix Laughlin and Jack Sustic said in a letter to NBF board members. “As a friend, mentor to many and bonsai leader, Jack played a significant role in the development and appreciation of the art of bonsai in our nation’s capital.”

Jack and his wife Kathi at an NBF reception in 2011 talking to the U.S. National Arboretum’s then-Director Tom Elias.

Born in Independence, Oregon in 1925, Jack grew up on the family farm which eventually became a century farm. He graduated from Oregon State University in 1951 from the College of Agricultural Sciences with a major in horticulture, according to his obituary.

Through the International Foreign Youth Exchange program, Wells traveled to Bolivia where he discovered his love for agriculture. While working with the USDA as an Agriculture Marketing and Seed Specialist, Wells traveled to 68 different countries to educate on agriculture improvement techniques. He also worked for the American Seed Trade Association, according to his obituary.

He is survived by his wife Kathi, four children, two stepchildren and 16 grandchildren, his obituary states.

A GUIDE TO BONSAI: Forest Bonsai Presentation

Creating Forest Bonsai: A Relatively Easy & Inexpensive Way to a Lifetime of Bonsai Enjoyment

Our Co-President, Felix Laughlin, gave this presentation on November 10, 2019 at the Blue Ridge Bonsai Society in Asheville, NC, as part of their regular education program for club members. We wanted to share it with you.

Laughlin created this presentation in order to do two things:

1.) To show how easy and relatively quick it is to create a forest bonsai using young seedlings.

2.) To raise awareness around the late Saburo Kato, a Japanese bonsai master who made possible the 1976 Bicentennial bonsai gift that lead to the birth of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. Throughout the presentation, Laughlin cites Kato’s classic book on forest bonsai plantings, Forest, Rock Planting & Ezo Spruce (Translated into English and published by NBF - Available for purchase here).

The seedlings Laughlin used were Stewartia seedlings grown and donated for the demonstration by Sage Smith. As you will see from the photographs, his fellow club members were a big help with every stage of the process, from preparing the young trees to tying them down in their proper place in the container.

Enjoy!

A 2001 Photo of Saburo Kato at Mansei-en

Saburo Kato with Forest Bonsai at Mansei-en

Inside the Museum: The Japanese Pavilion and Stroll Garden

From the calming garden to the intriguing bonsai display, few places in the United States are as beautifully serene as the Japanese Pavilion at The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. But as stunning as the nearly 45-year-old pavilion looks now, the structure has seen a lot of change over the last few decades. 

Esteemed architect Masao Kinoshita of Sasaki Associates – who also designed the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C. – built the original pavilion from 1975-1976 after the Nippon Bonsai Association presented 53 Japanese bonsai to America on its bicentennial.

The pavilion’s construction marked the first segment of The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum.

But in 2011, the pavilion’s features showed signs of deterioration from decades of constant exposure to various weather conditions. The National Bonsai Foundation hired Rhodeside & Harwell, a landscape firm headquartered in Alexandria, Va., to work with American landscape designer Hoichi Kurisu on a restoration plan to restore the pavilion to its former glory. 

Designer Hoichi Kurisu’s preliminary sketches of the new pavilion.

NBF co-president Felix Laughlin said stucco was peeling from the pavilion’s walls, and the benches were falling apart. 

“We initially thought this was all superficial, that a complete rebuild wasn’t really necessary,” he said. “But once we realized that the underlying concrete blocks were disintegrating, we knew we literally had to tear the whole thing down and start over using the footprint that was there.” 

The construction process began in 2013, and the new pavilion finally opened in October 2017.

While the new walls are in the same place, the contractors tore the whole pavilion down and used the old foundation as a blueprint for the new structure. The pavilion’s interior also underwent a full renovation, Laughlin said. 

Kurisu designed the pavilion to align with the Japanese concept of transitioning from a formal design – where bonsai are displayed on cut pedestals – to a more relaxed, informal display area and ending at the naturalistic section, Laughlin said. 

“Kurisu really does understand bonsai and display of bonsai so we thought he would be perfect for this job,” he said. “Everybody’s been very pleased with it. 

The Japanese Stroll Garden, courtesy of Stephen Voss.

The Japanese Stroll Garden, which leads visitors into the first section of the pavilion, was included in the original design concept in 1976. The garden is meant to foster mindful relaxation to help visitors focus on nature before entering the pavilion, Laughlin said. Not much has changed from the original garden, as Kurisu merely updated the space and added a water feature at the beginning of the stroll. 

Laughlin said the bonsai looked like “toy soldiers” when they were displayed in one line on the old-fashioned wooden benches, but the new design encourages visitors to stop and appreciate each tree. He said the pavilion’s new world-class design sets a high bar for bonsai displays across the globe. 

“These are such masterpieces of bonsai,” Laughlin said. “Each one is so important and so precious and should be appreciated for itself.”

National Bonsai & Penjing Museum Enters into Historic “Sister Museum” Relationship with Omiya Bonsai Art Museum in Japan

Photo Credit: Stephen Voss

The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum officially became a Sister Museum to The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum in Saitama, Japan on Monday, Aug. 5th! 

Our Museum was formed in 1976 as the result of Japan’s Bicentennial Gift of 53 masterpiece bonsai. The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, created in 2010, is located in the famous “Bonsai Village” that has been at the center of bonsai in Japan for almost 100 years.

Many board members and leaders from both museums attended the ceremony, which was held at our Museum in Washington, D.C. Dr. Richard Olsen – Director of the U.S. National Arboretum, which houses our Museum – and The Honorable Hayato Shimizu, Mayor of Saitama, signed the “Sister Museums Declaration.”

Photo Credit: Stephen Voss

Attendees heard remarks from Dr. Olsen, Mayor Shimizu, Felix Laughlin – National Bonsai Foundation Co-President – and Takahiro Shimada, Minister for Communications and Cultural Affairs at the Japanese Embassy. A luncheon in the Exhibits Gallery followed the ceremony, and Dr. Fumiya Taguchi – Manager of The Omiya museum – gave a presentation called “The History of Bonsai in Japan.”

Photo Credit: Stephen Voss

In the advent of their new partnership, the two museums plan to share information about their upcoming educational bonsai exhibits and programs. 

“Both museums hope to help increase awareness and appreciation for the other as premier destinations to experience the art of bonsai at its highest level of creativity and development,” Laughlin said.

Photo Credit: Stephen Voss

MEDIA ADVISORY: Sister Museum Announcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The U.S. National Arboretum’s National Bonsai & Penjing Museum and the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum of  Saitama City, Japan to Sign Sister Museum Declaration

Official signing, private celebration and special presentation will take place August 5th at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum

WASHINGTON, DC – On Monday, August 5, 2019, the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, located at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC, will officially become a “Sister Museum” to Omiya Bonsai Art Museum of Saitama City, Japan. The National Bonsai Foundation (NBF) will help host a formal dedication ceremony to mark this occasion at the Washington, DC Museum. Discussions around this idea started in 2012 when NBF Co-President, Jack Sustic visited OBAM to discuss beginning a relationship between the two museums. 

On August 5th, Dr. Richard Olsen, Director of the U.S. National Arboretum, and the Honorable Hayato Simizu, Mayor of Saitama City, will sign the "Sister Museums Declaration.” This will be followed by brief remarks from Richard Olsen, Mayor Simizu, NBF Co-President, Felix Laughlin, and Minister Takehiro Shimada, of the Japanese Embassy.  There will be lunch in the Museum’s Exhibits Gallery followed by a presentation from Dr. Fumiya Taguchi, of Omiya Bonsai Art Museum on "Japanese Bonsai History."  

This event is invite only. Members of the press interested in attending can contact Kendra@KendraRubinfeldpr.com. 

The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum will be closed from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. for this special event.

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Founded in 1982, the National Bonsai Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit that works in cooperation with the U.S. National Arboretum to supply financial, programmatic and curatorial support for the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. The Foundation offices and Museum are located on the grounds of the Arboretum in Northeast Washington, DC.

www.bonsai-nbf.org

A CELEBRATION OF JAPANESE BONSAI: DEDICATING THE RENOVATED JAPANESE PAVILION

Board President, Felix Laughlin addresses crowd.

Last month, our staff, board members, friends, and supporters of the National Bonsai Foundation gathered to celebrate the long-awaited re-dedication of the Japanese Pavilion.

The Japanese Pavilion was originally built in 1975 to house and display the 53 bonsai gifted to the American people for the bicentennial from the Nippon Bonsai Association on behalf of the Japanese people.

After nearly 40 years serving as a symbol of peace, and hosting visitors from all over the world to view the historic collection, the pavilion was in need of renovations. The $2 million project was almost completely donor-funded, and the National Bonsai Foundation is so grateful to those who contributed, particularly Dr. Deborah Rose, whose generous leadership gift made the pavilion redesign possible.

Interior of new Japanese Pavilion

The new pavilion was designed by world-renowned Japanese garden designer Hoichi Kurisu. Kurisu’s design for the pavilion invokes traditional Japanese design concepts Shin, Gyo and So, featuring natural elements like boulders and running water.

In his own words:

“Unlike painting or sculpture, bonsai is a pure and living art form. My challenge is to express that beauty and dignity, as well as the timelessness of the trees … We need peaceful moments in our lives. I think 99 percent of people in this country are missing that. To understand nature is to understand the universe.”

You can read more about Kurisu’s life, work, and vision for the garden here.

At the October opening, guests heard remarks from Dr. Richard Olsen, director of the U.S. National Arboretum; Mr. Felix Laughlin, president of the National Bonsai Foundation; Mr. Takehiro Shimada, minister for communications and cultural affairs at the Embassy of Japan; Mrs. Naemi Iwasaki, chair of the Nippon Bonsai Association; and Mrs. Marybel Balendonck, vice president of the National Bonsai Foundation.

Throughout the weekend, guests enjoyed other events like a presentation on the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi from Bonsai Master Seiji Morimae, who recently donated three trees to the Museum’s collection, and Bonsai Artist Peter Warren. The National Bonsai Foundation also hosted a dinner to honor Dr. Deborah Rose for her leadership gift and our guests from Japan, including Mrs. Naemi Iwasaki, the chair of the Nippon Bonsai Association.

Finally, we were honored to welcome Mr. William Valavanis into the Bonsai Hall of Fame, presented by former Museum Curator Jack Sustic.

The renovated Japanese Pavilion, along with the rest of the national bonsai collection, is open to the public daily from 10 am – 4 pm. (All photos by Colella Digital).