Compendium of Bonsai Potters of North America

Steven D. Ittel, IttelBOK@Comcast.net

Brandywine Bonsai Society

The purpose of this site is to promote the art and craft of pottery for bonsai in North America by providing a guide to the practitioners of this art form that is so essential to the art of bonsai.

 Introduction

     The word "bonsai" comes from the Japanese words "bon" (pot) and "sai" (tree) and literally means "tree in a pot".  Most individuals who use the term bonsai are referring to the tree, but from the name, it is clear that the pot or container is essential to complete the bonsai whole. 

     In bonsai, the container or pot is almost always ceramic.  The pot must be carefully matched to the tree in size, style, color and "gender."  The pot should complement the tree and not draw attention to itself rather than the tree or the total composition.  Inexpensive pots are used for initial training but nicely trained trees deserve nice pots.  Trees grow and change in style, so as a tree matures, the "perfect pot" may change.  As a result, there is a saying in the bonsai community that one can never have too many pots.  The corollary is that one never has the right pot for a given tree after a restyling. 

     Bonsai is often viewed as a very traditional art bound by many rules instituted or codified by the Japanese.  These traditions are an important underpinning of bonsai and it is wise to understand the rules and why they exist.  There are many books that will guide the beginner through the intricacies of bonsai.  All art is based upon balance and composition, but bonsai includes the additional aspect of a living and growing organism.  To understand the rules is critical, but bonsai is also an evolving art, not only in the growth of its trees, but also in the evolution of its artistry.  Very traditional styles can stand side by side with modern or even abstract works.  See the wonderful article "Bonsai Containers as Ceramic Art" by Fred Aufschläger for a description of bonsai and pot styles and how they relate to one another.  A very recent book by Daan Giphart and Levon Arzooyan is a very welcome addition to bonsai pottery.  The authors run the related site on identifying bonsai pottery of the world hosted by the Dutch bonsai portal.  That site is currently focused on marks or of the entire world and is thus very complementary to this effort. 

 Organization

     There are several ways to view this site.  We have compiled a directory of artists and their signatures, seals, rakkan (Japanese seals) or other identifying marks.  Those identifiers link directly to individual pages for each artist.  One may also simply browse through the artist pages or return to the Potter home page at any point.

    We have devoted pages to each of the artists we have identified giving a very limited impression of their work.  We have also included very brief information about the artists.  Where possible, we have also included links to their own or other web sites where you can find additional information. 

Purpose

     The initial basis for this site was a project undertaken by the Brandywine Bonsai Society to document the pot collections of its members.  Several of these collections are deemed to be of significant historical value.  Most of the photographs are from the collections of Dorie Froning and Steve Ittel.  Other photographs have been taken from the internet.  (Where we are aware of copyrights, we have obtained permission to reproduce, though this does not imply that our readers have permission to reproduce.)  It is brought to you as a service to the bonsai community at large.  It is our intent that all of the information is correct, up to date and useful.  It is also hoped that this will be an evergreen site in that we are constantly updating and improving the information.  With that in mind we make the following points:

1.       We welcome additions to the list of artists. 

2.       As the site grows, we intend to give more space to well established artists.

3.       We welcome new artists and hope to use this space to encourage potters to consider bonsai pottery.

4.       We would be happy to consider changing the photographs on any of the pages should an artist or collector provide better material. 

5.       We particularly welcome any corrections. 

6.       We are willing to accept works by unknown artists in hopes of identifying their work or identifying marks. 

            Finally, in keeping with our objective to promote the art of bonsai pottery in North America, and for that matter, around the world, we encourage bonsai enthusiasts and clubs to do so also.  When we are showing trees it is common to label the genus and species of tree.  We would also encourage you, whenever possible, to identify the artist who constructed your pot.  There is no better way to acknowledge their important contribution to our hobby or passion.