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ABS Article, Part I 1941-1988 |
ABS Article, Part II 1990-1995 |
Other Sightings 1958-1999 |
Sightings 2000-present |
In Video and Computer Games |
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"Bonsai have made surprisingly frequent appearances on the large and small
screens. The value of these lies in the audience's repeated exposure
to the fruits of our interest. To most non-enthusiasts, these trees,
whether living or artificial, look about the same. But multiple viewings,
however briefly, can help generate an interest in the bonsai art. "Magical miniature landscapes continue occasionally to grace our large and small screens. One might almost be inclined to think that some of the very brief portrayals were being planted like Easter eggs. Or is it that the art is finally achieving a certain level of widespread acceptance?" |
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The following is an on-going tally of the portrayals listed in the five Boldly Grow sections on this website. It is presented here to give a better picture of the prevalence of depictions of bonsai and related artforms in the moving media. We are aware that, in addition, there have been probably several hundreds of local news station segments on bonsai club displays and/or brief interviews with club members or teachers. We are not planning on even attempting to keep track of these usually one-time airings. We do acknowledge this "Shadow Boldly Grow." What would an analysis of the credited propmasters, greensmen, etc. for the different shows and films yield? How many persons were involved in multiple shows? Are there any names which are repeatedly involved? A new category could be made with YouTube-type videos from the Internet. For the present, however, these are included in "TV Episodes" as opposed to "Video and Computer Games." There are many educational clips under the search category of "bonsai" in YouTube. We will review an assortment and decide the best way to list them in the BoldlyGrow section. |
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In addition, there have been a few series entirely dedicated to bonsai. These include: 1978 -- John Naka conducted 51 shows for Television Bonsai School, KSCI Los Angeles, Channel 18, the year-old non-profit independent station which targeted Asian Americans, and had most of its programming in Asian languages. (Elias, Thomas S. "John Yoshio Naka: The Life and Times of the Bonsai Master," Bonsai Magazine, BCI, Vol. 44, No. 1, January-March 2005, pg. 19) 1984, May 20 -- The first episode of a 13-part series "The Art of Chinese Bonsai in Taiwan" was broadcast on public television there. The narration was provided by Prof. Amy Liang and the series was originally shown over a four month period. Part of a government sponsored national plant-beautification project, the series was re-telecast due to an overwhelming viewer response. (The Living Art of Bonsai by Amy Liang, Sterling, 1992, pg. 106) 2001, March 4 -- The first 30-minute episode of the 13-part "Lindsay Farr's The Way of Bonsai" aired in Australia on Foxtel Lifestyle TV. This was the first English language series entirely about bonsai. A companion web site was also established. [Viewers would tell the presenter and co-producer Farr that they "have found a greater strength of resolve towards their individual expression through Bonsai. An insight into the origins and philosophy seems to better enable this." (Linsay Farr in personal e-mails to RJB on October 15, 2000 through January 26, 2002, and March 20, 2005 to change URL.) 2006, June 1 -- Lindsay Farr of Australia launched the World Of Bonsai project's downloadable videos. Each biweekly episode is approximately 10 minutes long and includes material filmed in Japan recently and in China a few years previously. Persons interviewed include Hiroshi Takeyama (Chairman of the Nippon Bonsai Association), Masahiko Kimura, Toshifumi Obitsu, Yangzhou's Master Lin, the late Master Xu Xiaobai, and Masahiro Kurihara. Japanese production nurseries are seen, as well as the bonsai pot factories and kilns in Yixing, China. "The new series has me in an inspired communication mode. This is so much more than a tv program about bonsai could ever be. Because the users must download the program they acknowledge a real interest in the subject matter. No dumbing down required. The content is awesome. Much of it in Japanese with english subtitles... I believe it can be as entertaining and informative to the learned scholar as it is to the newby." The 20-part series is permanently archived. Another location for downloading is here. (personal e-mails from Lindsay to RJB on May 20, May 22, and Jul 31, 2006) c.2006 -- MXTV in Tokyo has a weekly TV show that features bonsai styling and care. See http://www.mxtv.co.jp/bonsai/index.html (per November 8th, 2006, 08:06 AM posting on http://bonsainut.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-59.html) 2009, October 1 -- Lindsay Farr launched the WorldOfBonsai, Series 2 downloadable videos. Again, each episode is approximately 10 minutes long. |
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Finally, there are a few clips of bonsai teachers and other events which we have in various locations on this web site. For the benefit of this page, we also present these links gathered here: Osamu Hidaka, 2008 demonstration and 2003 television report including ceramist Shugo Izumi. Harry Hirao (b.1917), GSBF Video. Marco Invernizzi (b.1975), 2004 Italian interview and 2003 Italian interview. Arthur Joura (b.1957), bonsai creation explanation. Haruo "Papa" Kaneshiro (1907-1991), video interview. Saburō Katō (1915-2008), 2005 video and "Japanese Bonsai Masters" is found about 2/3 of the way down the page and is hosted by Yoshihiro Nakamizu. Shot in October 2007, approximately the first 20% of this video features Mansei-en with Katō-san. The rest of the video includes footage of the gardens of Hiroshi Takeyama, Masahiko Kimura, and Kunio Kobayashi. Takeo Kawabe, 2006 demonstration and in his garden. Masahiko Kimura (b.1940), Lindsay Farr's World of Bonsai - episode 4, Lindsay Farr's World of Bonsai - episode 5 (the 0:53 to 2:30 mark), and a Spanish demonstration. Kunio Kobayashi (b.1948), a Spanish demonstration and another. Dorothy Koreshoff (b.1930), 30 Oct 2009 AUDIO ONLY interview. Lu Zhei Wei, Lingnan penjing techniques. Boon Manakitivipart, 2010 demonstration at Noelanders Trophy XI. Pedro Morales (b.1961), demonstration. Roy Nagatoshi (b.1943), 2008 demo with Roberto Gerpe. John Naka (1914-2004), A Celebration of Heroes (beginning at the 3:35 mark, with some commentary by Mel Ikeda). Shinichi Nakajima, 2007 demonstration. Ben Oki (b.1927), discussing John Naka while working on a demo tree. Walter Pall (b.1944), 2007 demo in Croatia and 2010 demonstration at Noelanders Trophy XI. Milagros Rauber, 2008 demonstration. Dan Robinson (b.1939), a brief bonsai primer. Gabriel Romero, 2005 Spanish demonstration. F. Chase Rosade (b.1935), 2009 demo. Michel Sacal (d.2009), teasers for Vol. I ("Welcome to the world of Bonsai") and Vol. II ("Your first steps"). Hotsumi Terakawa, brief 2007 demonstration. Tony Tickle (b.1956), talk about the Esacallonia tree. Taiga Urushibata, 2009 demonstration. William N. Valavanis (b.1951), brief 2010 interview. Xu Xiaobai (1909-2006), Lindsay Farr's World of Bonsai - episode 3 (the 7:40 to 9:16 mark). And, a clandestine 6-second view of Kokufu Ten bonsai exhibition. As we locate additional videos we will link them here, even if they are not elsewhere in this site. |
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ABS Article, Part I 1941-1988 |
ABS Article, Part II 1990-1995 |
Other Sightings 1958-1999 |
Sightings 2000-present |
In Video and Computer Games |