Kunio Kobayashi | |
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小林國雄 | |
Pronunciation | [kobajaɕi̥ kɯɲio] |
Born | |
Known for | Bonsai |
Website | http://kunio-kobayashi.com/en/index.html |
Kunio Kobayashi ( Japanese: 小林國雄, [kobajaɕi̥ kɯɲio]; born 1948) is a Japanese bonsai artist, and the owner of the Shunkaen Bonsai Museum in Tokyo.
Kobayashi was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1948. His family was involved in floriculture, [1] and he grew up working in a nursery. [2] In 1976, at age 28, he saw a Japanese white pine bonsai in an exhibition and was inspired to study the art form. [2] Now, over 200 apprentices and international students study under Kobayashi. [2] He has also given lectures on bonsai in nearly twenty countries. [3]
In 2002, Kobayashi opened the Shunkaen Bonsai Museum ( Japanese: 春花園 BONSAI 美術館) in the Edogawa ward of Tokyo. [1] [4] The garden houses over 1,000 trees [2] and attracts abouts 10,000 foreign visitors each year. [3] One of the garden's most famous trees is estimated to be 1,000 years old. [4] This tree, which Kobayashi acquired in an auction, [5] is considered by many to be the finest in his collection. [4]
Kobayashi has won 10 awards at the Kokufu-ten exhibition, including four Prime Minister Awards (the highest honor). [1] In addition, he has won the Koju-ten Taisho (first place), four Saikan-ten Prime Minister Awards, the Ministry of Agriculture Award, two Ministry of Education Awards, and numerous other awards and honors. [6]