Devoted Bonsai Luminary Passes at 98

Ted Tsukiyama (left) at the 2005 World Bonsai Convention in Washington D.C. next to (left to right) Felix Laughlin, Saburo Kato, Yaoi Kato, Fuku Tsukiyama, Daizo Iwasaki and Naemi Iwasaki.

We are saddened to hear that Ted Tsukiyama, a World War II veteran and dedicated bonsai devotee, passed away earlier this month.

Tsukiyama’s daughter, Sandy Tsukiyama, said her father suffered a stroke on Martin Luther King Day and had been receiving hospice care at home. She said Tsukiyama, 98, passed at ease and was surrounded by family.

“Everything was taken care of and we couldn’t have asked for better support," she said. “It couldn’t have been more peaceful.”

Tsukiyama, 98, devoted many years of his life to the art of bonsai, personifying the tenet of “bonsai no kokoro,” or “peace through bonsai.” He was a co-founder of the World Bonsai Friendship Federation, and served for many years on the National Bonsai Foundation Board of Directors as well as an honorary director.  

Tsukiyama was a graduate of Yale Law School who practiced as an esteemed labor lawyer in Hawaii. Tsukiyama’s autobiography, "My Life's Journey: A Memoir,” was published in 2017.

“Ted was a gentleman in every sense of that word and he will be dearly missed by all who were enriched by his friendship,” NBF Executive Director Dr. Johann Klodzen said.

Photos from Our Photo Class!

On February 9th, Stephen Voss lead his first photography class with us at The Museum. It was a great success. Check out some photos that class participant, Robert Vitale, snapped. And, if you’re interested in joining Stephen at his next class, learn more here. Save the dates: April 27th, July 20th, and October 12th.

Our Official Valentine's Day Gift Guide for Bonsai Lovers

Check out these bonsai-related gifts for your special someone.

Looking for more than a box of chocolate on Valentine's Day this year? Get your bonsai-loving love something you know they'll love! Read National Bonsai Foundation’s Official Valentine's Day Gift Guide for Bonsai Lovers and get gifting!

1.) Didn’t win a copy of Ann McClellan’s book last week in our quiz? Get your copy now! It’s the perfect coffee table book for the bonsai lover in your life!

2.) Show love for the little ones in your life and get them hooked on bonsai early with Sandra Moore and Kazumi Wilds’ The Peace Tree from Hiroshima: A Little Bonsai with a Big Story.

3.) Was your couple’s 2019 resolution to be more active? Sign yourself and your partner up for a yoga session amongst the bonsai! Learn more and register here.

4.) John Naka’s Sketchbook is the perfect Valentine’s Day gift: each of this Dean of American bonsai’s 100 sketches is as unique as your loved one!

5.) Give the gift of a unique and memorable experience. Register you and your Valentine for Forest Bathing Amongst the Bonsai, with Melanie Choukas Bradley. Awaken your senses! Learn more and register here.

INSIDE THE MUSEUM : History of Our Entrance Gates & Gardens

Thousands of visitors filter through the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum entrance gates and gardens every year, but few know the significance behind the design.

Jack Sustic, who served as the Museum curator for 13 years, says before the Museum first opened in 1976, the entrance was only an open area with no gates or gardens.  

Today, visitors are welcomed into the Museum through the Ellen Gordon Allen Garden. In 1956, Ellen Gordon Allen created Ikebana International, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and spreading the art of ikebana, or Japanese flower arrangement. Allen established the organization’s first U.S. chapter in D.C.

“She’s quite important in the history of ikebana, especially in the United States,” says Sustic.

The design of the garden, engendered by Thomas Wirth at the Susuki Association in Massachusetts, was named in honor of Allen’s contributions to ikebana. The garden was officially dedicated to Allen in 1982.

Constructed by Shimizu Landscape Corporation, based in Maryland, the garden melds the Western style of a national art garden with the traditional traits of an Eastern bonsai museum.

Its large straight walkway represents a Western approach, which complements the Eastern-inspired sculpted tines within the garden.

“The designer was trying to create a buffer or transition between the two kind of philosophies, the two styles of gardening,” says Sustic. “The styles are so different and the approach to gardening is very different between the two.”

Sustic added that the entrance gate’s shingle roof and bamboo emulate a unique Japanese style not seen other places in the Arboretum. Sustic says visitors often appreciate the dedication and work incorporated into both cultures in the design.

The Museum’s Cryptomeria Walk

Enhancements to the entry gardens and gates have been minimal since the original design, enduring only a transition in plantings or an added lantern to improve the look.

Visitors’ last steps to the Museum are taken on a walkway lined with cryptomerias, a Japanese cedar tree, believed to have a cleansing effect, which often surrounds Japanese temples and shrines.

Sustic says this design is intentional and meant to transition visitors into a more meditative state of mind.

“We would always tell people to leave all their earthly concerns at the door and welcome to the world of bonsai.”

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