In bonsai exhibitions, we sometimes see a work displaying a stone in suiban (water basin). This is Suiseki. While bonsai creates the scenery of natural forest in a pot, Suiseki expresses the scenery of waterside and keeps dynamism surprisingly in the silence. They are closely connected with each other. The exhibition held in Takamatsu in 2011 was named “Asia-Pacific Bonsai and Suiseki Convention & Exhibition.”.

Act of Kyokusui Kai

Suiseki is an art to display stones of dry river beds and mountains like natural scenery and enjoy the state of subdued refinement. “Kyokusui kai” is a group of Suiseki fanciers. The president is Takao Endo in Takamatsu’s Nishi-Kasuga town. There are about 15 members in Kagawa and they enjoy the attraction of Suiseki.

In Kagawa, there is no large river and it is difficult to get the great stone. So they creat an original work using Sanukite which is a stone produced in Kagawa.

From Exhibition

Endo holds a Suiseki exhibition every year at Hanazawa Myoshunen bonsai garden in Takamatsu’s Kinashi town. Last year, it was held in summer and some dozen stones were shown. See some popular works.

In the work of President Endo, a sugata-Ishi (stone with shape) which is like a human face expresses the cool-looking scenery that it is looking at the frog using as an accent display. The small frog emphasizes the size of the stone. The hanging scroll in alcove is also a part of his work and the hazy moon produces the nice summer scenery.

Chizuko Hiide in Shodoshima town shows a tanakazari using five small stones of red, blue, and black. The mountain shape blue stone is from Sado, the island shape one is from Shimanto river, and the other one is Keiketsu stone from China. The combination is exquisite.

The work of Hisao Manabe in Takamatsu’s Shiogami town expresses sea of precipitous cliff using danseki and a lighthouse as an accent object. The blue suiban and white sands create the breeziness of summer.

(By Shigeo Hano)