This is the official catalogue of the 75th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition, held in 2001 — a record of the year’s most honoured trees in Japanese bonsai.
To understand the value of this book, you have to understand what it means to be in it. The Kokufu-ten, held in Tokyo since 1934 under the Nippon Bonsai Association, accepts only a few hundred trees from far more submissions. A tree is judged not on its own merit alone but on the whole presentation — the pot, the stand, the accent. Acceptance is a career milestone; the Kokufu Prize, awarded to the very best, is the highest distinction in the bonsai world.
So this catalogue is, in effect, a roll of honour for 2001. Each tree earned its place. For the owner, appearing in a Kokufu album is recognition that lasts long after the February show closes — the book is the permanent proof.
The edition is a deluxe hardcover in full colour, documenting the more than two hundred bonsai displayed that year, with text in Japanese. The photography is of exhibition standard, made to be studied.
For a collector or a serious grower, owning the record of a specific year is part of the pleasure — a fixed point you can return to, compare against later editions, and use to trace how the very top of the art has moved. It’s both a reference and a piece of bonsai history.
- Exhibition: 75th Kokufu Bonsai-ten
- Year: 2001
- Format: hardcover, full colour
- Contents: 200+ exhibited bonsai, text in Japanese
