Naka discussing a tree at a Nampu Kai meeting in 2003. Photo Credit: Cheryl Manning
Among all of the great bonsai artists, one stands out for his generosity, encouragement and approachable personality: John Yoshio Naka.
Naka was born in Colorado but grew up in Japan, where he studied bonsai under his grandfather. He moved back to the United States in his 20s and grew the bonsai movement largely from the West Coast. Among his copious accomplishments, Naka was one of the founding members of the California Bonsai Society and the World Bonsai Friendship Federation, advised the National Bonsai Foundation for many years and received various awards from both Japanese and American leaders and fellowship programs.
Cheryl Manning, a longtime student and friend of the late bonsai master, started learning from Naka’s books even before she met him at a bonsai show in the 1980s. She eventually held a coveted seat in one of Naka’s classes as well as a spot in his invite-only bonsai study group Nampu Kai.
“I’ve encountered some really good bonsai artists, people who are wonderful teachers, who are great on stage in front of an audience, but I’ve never seen anyone who captured all the qualities he had,” Manning said. “He was so artistic, knowledgeable and entertaining, and he made everyone feel like they are the most special person in the world.”
Manning was the second American woman to study as a bonsai apprentice in Japan. She said she found out after her apprenticeship ended that Naka, who was famous in Japan, had written to her teacher about how talented she was, allowing her to thrive in the position.
“I truly believe that my year in Japan was so fabulous because he went that extra mile,” Manning said.
Naka was known for repeating proverbs, a collection of which bonsai artist Nina Ragle made into a book.
An open teaching style
You can find myriad books preaching the “right” way to style bonsai, but even masters slightly differ in their practices. Naka was known for encouraging independence in style and finding the right techniques for each student.
Former Curator and NBF Co-President Jack Sustic developed a relationship with Naka over several years, from working on trees at the Museum and assisting him at bonsai conventions to one-on-one sessions on the West Coast.
Sustic said Naka brought out the individuality of each artist he mentored, encouraging them to think outside the box rather than adhering to strict rules. He said one of Naka’s most influential instructions was to draw pictures of one’s intended bonsai design before working on a tree to help process the structure of each bonsai.
“If you were working on a tree, you would be totally comfortable saying to him, ‘What if we did that?’” Sustic said. “That’s why Naka had so many good students. He really grew the population of bonsai artists because it was so enjoyable to learn from him and do bonsai with him.”
LEFT: Jack Sustic receives instructions from Naka on how to care for Goshin, 2002 – credit: Jack Sustic
RIGHT: Naka and Nampu Kai members gather around a tree during a 2003 meeting in – credit: Cheryl Manning
Manning added that Naka would laud imperfections and push students to be inspired by the sporadic nature of the wild, instead of mandating that every tree look “perfect.”
“He would say that it’s a nice surprise to see an imperfection, to see something a little askew,” she said. “None of us are perfect, nature isn’t perfect, so to have the perfect tree can almost look artificial.”
Immortalizing Naka’s work
When Naka traveled the world to teach bonsai, he often turned to his fine arts roots to breach language barriers between him and his students, sketching out blueprints of how trees should eventually look.
Former NBF Board members Jack Billet and Dorie Froning wanted to publish a collection of sketches from Naka’s trips, so they asked a publishing company to create a book. The company took years to develop a first draft, which Manning said was riddled with errors like name misspellings, blurry scans and duplicate sketches.
“It was heartbreaking, and it was unpublishable because it was close to 300 pages,” she said.
Manning, who also hails from a fine arts background, had been asked to write an introduction and history of the drawings and to create a sketch of Naka for the cover, so she took over the process entirely to avoid further bungling. She laid out the sketchbook over the course of a year, hoping to incorporate as many bonsai styles and locations as possible. The book opens with a picture Naka drew for his grandson and closes with the last sketch he made – a medium-sized juniper at a Nampu Kai meeting.
The book has now been distributed for about 15 years by Stone Lantern and is estimated to be out of print by next year (order your copy here). As a gift to NBF, Manning is creating an electronic version of the sketchbook, the proceeds of which will contribute to NBF’s John Naka endowment.
On Goshin
Naka’s most famous bonsai is a forest planting he has trained since 1948 titled Goshin, or “protector of the spirit.” In the arrangement, he planted 11 Foemina junipers – one for each of his grandchildren.
Sustic said the styling and uniqueness of Goshin is beautiful, but the planting is so famous simply because Naka created it. Naka wanted Goshin to retain its juvenile foliage, which has a needle-like appearance, to keep the trees looking more like old pines. He maintained that each jinned – or deadwood – apex should be visible to the viewer, not covered with foliage.
A word of advice Naka gave Sustic when he became curator was, when you’re finished working on a tree in the collection, nobody should be able to tell you’ve changed anything.
“You want Goshin to look like Goshin now and 20 years from now,” Sustic said.
Donated to the Museum in 1984, Goshin can be found in the North American Collection. While the Museum is currently closed to maintain staff and visitors’ safety during COVID-19, you can take a virtual tour of our collections on the NBF YouTube channel.