Stones for Thought

CC ALIFORNIAALIFORNIA A A ISEKIISEKI K K AIAI Volume 32, Issue 5 May 2014

At the end of last month Kengo Tatehata, publisher of Aiseki Magazine, made a visit to California, along with Wil of Japan. Since I have been writing a column describing Aiseki Kai’s activities for Aiseki Magazine for the last 20 months, I asked Kengo what he might enjoy reading about in the next few issues. His answer, “I would like you to discuss some of your favorite stones and why you like them.” It occurred to me that that is a very interesting topic that would be an excellent exercise for all of us. We would need to look at each of our stones in greater depth, not just say, “I like this one.” The reason for Kengo and Wil’s visit was to meet Ralph Johnson and learn about his unique collection of stones. Ralph has a detailed narrative for each of his stones. He spends hours dissecting each piece, not just to find the best “face”, but to comprehend what story it expresses. This is always one of our favorite pastimes when we visit Ralph. His vision is so expansive and creative. It is an inspiration. Perhaps this experience is what inspired Kengo to ask the question, “Why”, as in “Why do you like this stone?” All four of us were fortunate to have the opportunity to go on a tanseki adventure with Ralph. We looked for stones along the I-10 freeway near Palm Springs. Looks like Kengo found a good one! Perhaps he took that one home to Japan.

~Larry Ragle

A Stone I Love

May Program This is so exciting! We are going to do something a little different this month and YOU, the Aiseki Kai faithful, are the program! Please read Larry’s column (at right) and understand that the stone you will talk about does not have to be your best but it should at least be a favorite. We want to hear about your stone and WHY you like it. This is a very personal exploration and will be different for each of us. There are no right or wrong explanations. Give it some serious thought and share as much as you can. We think this will be a very interesting program going well beyond our usual stone of the month. The success of the evening will depend on you so give us your best effort. Even though it would not be redundant, due to the nature of our program, let’s cancel our stone of the month and use all our time to examine this subject. See you on the 28th!

This stone has always been magical for me. It is not the shape, although that works for me; it is the texture, the skin, the patina, that grabs me. It is elegant, calming and permanent. I see depth and age that overshadows its landscape shape. It engages me, inviting me into its world. It is like a mini vacation on a daiza. I never tire of this stone. ~Nina

Close up of the surface

ANNOUNCEMENTS: We welcomed Wanda Matjas and Toy Sato. Toy brought more than a dozen beautiful Japanese display mats to be raffled off at the meeting. We had some very happy winners. Al Nelson wasted no time in using his. See his display below. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Toy!

STONE OF THE MONTH (Yuha stones). We understood that as most were recent finds, few had an opportunity to have a daiza made. Note that half the stones are using the same suiban! Sizes are in inches, width x height x depth

The 1 inch wide inner m

argins are designed for use with a 3 hole punch.

VOLUME 32, ISSUE 5 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

Last month Rick Klauber, an Aiseki Kai member from Seattle, WA, sent his “first” stone for April’s stone of

the month and I forgot…Rick could not recall which of these was actually his first so for the sake of his forgiveness, here are both. He collected them in the Teanaway R.

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April Meeting Notes by Linda Gill

Nina Ragle 5.5 x 5 x 3.5 Buzz Barry 7.5 x 2 x 4.5

Larry Ragle 5 x 2.75 x 4

Bonnie McGinnis 8 x 3.5 x 6

4 x 7.75 x 2 4.75 x 7.5 x 4

Lois Hutchinson 5 x 1.5 x 3

Phil Hogan 3.5 x 7 x 3.5 Janet Shimizu 7.5 x 3 x 6

Al Nelson 16 x 7 x 5.5

Phil Chang 4.5 x 7 x 4

Kyra Haussler 6 x 2 x 3

Bill Hutchinson 10 x 2.5 x 3.5 Linda Gill 7.5 x 3.5 x 4.5

Larry showed slides from the Japan Suiseki Exhibition held in the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in February, 2014. It was the first time that this show was held. The Ragles went to the show every day it was open. Wil, Hideko Metaxas (fig. 1), Larry and Nina and seven other foreigners had been invited to present stones at the show which is quite an honor. (ED NOTE: We purchased 50 show catalogs and all have been sold.) To take pictures at the show, one must have an arm band good for a limited time. Larry was allowed to photograph anything he wished. Mr. Morimae even took the cover for the famous stone, Kurokamiyama, (Black Hair Mountain) out of its display case to facilitate his photography and then allowed him to see and shoot the inside of the cover which has rarely been seen. The cover is fitted to the rim of the stone's daiza, which is very unusual, and is covered with engravings of pine trees and the Tokugawa family’s mon (family crest) and lacquered both inside and out. The stone normally resides in a temple with a scroll that tells the story of its discovery. It was found several hundred years ago. This suiseki and three others were displayed in tokonoma that were cordoned off, an indication of great respect. There were no live complimentary pieces in the exhibit and none of the displays used water either because water was not permitted in that room. Some stones were exhibited on tables with blue cloth beneath them and fairly close together. There were pedestals for some stones and numerous tokonoma. Labels displayed only the source of the stone and the owner's name. Scrolls were used in every tokonoma with each stone. In one display a base made of hinoki cypress was used because that is the material of the Noh stage. It represented a Noh dancer with chrysanthemum blooms on her kimono. Hagoromo, as it is known, is always shown with the same scroll of a pine. The pine is of significance in the play the stone is named after. There was a boat stone with no daiza exhibited under a plastic case. It was the only stone with a bronze tenkei (fig. 2). The image was particularly striking. One Kamogawa stone was 2.75” wide and 1.75” high on a very elaborate daiza (fig 3). Although tiny, it was just as impressive as all the larger suiseki. Two stones were shown on brocade mats and many of the scroll images were of the sun or the moon. Although many of the doban/suiban were smaller than we are used to, their size did not detract from their display. There was one display of multiple stones on a multi level stand.

VOLUME 32, ISSUE 5 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

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April Program Notes by Linda Gill

Mr. Negishi displayed a twin-peaked mountain with a scroll that read, “Hoping for the sea”

Fig.1: Hideko’s Kamuikotan ishi with the title, “Homeland”

Fig. 3: Tiny Kamogawa-ishi on a boxwood daiza

Fig. 2: Kamogawa-ishi with tenkei

Photos courtesy of the Nippon Suiseki Association:

We continue through the exhibit with examples from additional California sites and a few others from North America: Eel River, CA: Nephrite and jadeite have been found in many locations of the vast Eel River watershed. The best known material comes from the area around Covelo, Mendocino County, from which it was once shipped to world markets. The area around Williams Creek along the Middle Fork of the Eel River is unique in that both nephrite and jadeite are found together, often within the same rock. Covelo jade is primarily diopside jadeite, usually found with veins of green, gray and white that result in patterns and swirls that make for desirable lapidary material … but there is often too much color and ‘activity’ to produce a soothing suiseki.

On the North Fork of the Eel River there is a rare occurrence of botryoidal jade (figs. 1-5) that was discovered in the 1950’s and has been mined for jewelry quality ‘River Blossom Jade’ since the 1990’s (fig. 2). Although the ‘mother load’ has largely played-out, examples of ‘float’ botyroidal may still

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Ask GuyJim Third and final part of the overview of the Stone of Heaven, Visions of Earth – American Jade Viewing Stones exhibit:

be found many miles downstream (fig. 3). As the jade moves downstream the pronounced ‘bots’ are gradually worn until all but traces appear (fig. 4). A few jades with exceptionally rich vulcanized patinas have also been found (fig 5, page 5 and Buffalo Backs, page 11) as have examples of soft blue-toned jade (fig. 6, page 5).

Fig. 4: Eel River, CA. Cynthia McLeod (AVSRC) 11" x 4 1/4" x 6 3/4" (27.9cm x 10.8cm x 17.1cm) This view illustrates heavily worn ‘bots’ found several miles down stream from their source; when flipped the stone becomes an island with a beautiful vulcanized surface.

Fig. 3: Non-representational Stone, Eel River, CA. Ken McLeod (AVSRC) 4" x 6" x 3 1/2" (10.2cm x 15.2cm x 8.9cm) Here the ‘bots’ show moderate wear.

Fig. 2: Necklace of River Blossom Jade nuggets, Eel River, CA. Russel E. Satter. Approx. 27.5” (70cm) Hanne Povlsen Collection

Fig. 1: Eel River, CA. Heron Nelson (AVSRC) 6 3/8" x 2 1/4" x 4 3/4" (16.2cm x 5.7cm x 12.1cm) A fairly large example of a stone with fully formed ‘bots’ recovered from the river near the jade vein.

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Among California jade sites a few others were represented in the exhibit: Mariposa, CA: Coulterville or Mariposa Jade was seldom of high quality and is no

longer being commercially mined (fig. 8 last month). Porterville, CA: Because of its high translucency and richness of color, Porterville jade is considered to be some of California’s finest nephrite. The jade was discovered in 1949 and most was sold to the Chinese in the 1950-60’s; the source yielded only several tons and is not commercially mined today (fig. 7). ‘Vonson Blue’ is a very rare form of nephrite found only on the

Vonson Family Ranch, Marin County, CA. The jade occurs within an encrusting grayish matrix that must be removed. Most examples are small, convoluted or ribbon-like veins and have been polished to such a high luster that they are unsuitable for suiseki style stones. It has not been commercially available in 60 years (fig. 8). Washington / Oregon: Jade has been discovered in many areas of Washington and Oregon. Until the last decade, field collectors were only interested in mineral specimens and/or the stones’ value for jewelry making; however, now there is an awareness of their potential for use as viewing stones and our friends in the Pacific will reap the rewards. Fig. 7: ‘Blush of Dawn, Han Shan’, Porterville, CA. Jerry Braswell

(AVSRC). Donated by Will and Celeste Hughes in Memory of Alice Greaves. 9" x 5 5/8" x 3 1/2" (22.9cm x 14.3cm x 8.9cm) This stone has been lightly tumbled to remove the rind to reveal the green nephrite and pink of the mineral thulite.

Fig. 5: Eel River, CA. Robert McKenzie (AVSRC) 8 3/8" x 2 1/4" x 4 1/8" (21.3cm x 5.7cm x 10.5cm)

Fig. 6: Eel River, CA. Jim Greaves 8 1/2" x 10 1/2" x 3 5/8" (21.6cm x 26.7cm x 9.2cm Here exhibiting a pale blue tone, when wet a more translucent jade green appears.

Fig. 8: Non-representational Stone, Sam Gitchell (AVSRC). Vonson Ranch, Marin County, CA. 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" x 2 1/8" (8.9cm x 14cm x 5.4cm) Far removed from any suiseki aesthetic, this stone is better considered a mineral specimen more in a Chinese tradition.

Fig. 9: Monk, Oregon. Ken McLeod (AVSRC). 9" x 13" x 6 5/8" (22.9cm x 33cm x 16.8cm)

This stone presents a figural form from almost any viewpoint.

The surface appearance of jade from Washington and Oregon seldom has much resemblance to what is popularly recognized as jade, but will often display beautiful, complex patinas (figs. 9, 10, 12).

VOLUME 32, ISSUE 5 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

Wyoming: California had its Gold Rush; jade was discovered in Wyoming in the 1930’s and by the 1940’s Wyoming had a ‘Jade Rush’, complete with its own history of confrontations and claim jumping. According to Russell P. MacFall in his Wyoming Jade – A Pioneer Hunter’s Story, some of the first jade was sold to Chang Wen Ti, a Los Angeles jade merchant who shipped the stones to China. The best Wyoming nephrite is among the highest quality jade ever found and thus found a ready market in Asia. As with gold, the readily accessible material was swept up within a decade or two. Today there has been a resurgence of interest in Wyoming jade and examples still filter out from earlier mineral collections. For the viewing stone collector, most interest is in the jade ‘slicks’: mostly smaller, usually thin pieces found on the surface of the desert where they have been highly polished by wind

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Fig. 14: Wyoming. Jim & Alice Greaves 4 5/8" x 1 3/8" x 1 1/16" (11.7cm x 3.5cm x 2.7cm) Cut Thinner areas of this stone are a bright translucent green.

Fig. 10: Lingzhi Mushroom, Oregon. Steve Beck (AVSRC) 16 5/8" x 5 3/4" x 8 1/4" (42.2cm x 14.6cm x 21cm) When flipped the stone is titled ‘Big Foot” for its unavoidable anatomical shape; however, set in sand it may also be viewed as a desert mesa.

Fig. 12: Washington. Ken Agren (AVSRC). 9" x 3" x 2 1/2" (22.9cm x 7.6cm x 6.4cm) A very simple form displaying the richness of patina found in the Northwest.

Fig. 11: Washington, Brad Kornish (AVSRC) 4 1/4" x 5 5/8" x 2 3/8" (10.8cm x 14.3cm x 6cm) A rarer green jade suggesting a 5 peak mountain reminiscent of a Chinese jade carving.

Fig.13a/b: Sandbar Stone, Wyoming. Jim Greaves 6 1/8” x .5” x 1.3/4” (15.6cm x 1.3cm x 4.4cm) This sliver of a ‘slick’ has a surface pattern of ripples.

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The views expressed in this column are personal, perhaps irreverent, irrelevant or just plain wrong and do not reflect the consensual view of California Aiseki Kai. Send your viewing stone questions (or comments) for GuyJim to jimreaves@roadrunner.com or 1018 Pacific Street, Unit D, Santa Monica, CA 90405 or call (310) 452-3680

GuyJim

blown sand (figs. 13a/13b/14) or have developed skins or rinds (fig. 15); also refer to Mustang and mountain stone on the poster in the March issue. Larger slicks with usable form are uncommon (fig.16). British Columbia: Nephrite jade is the official provincial stone of British Columbia: there are over 50 known occurrences of nephrite. It is known that Chinese miners and laborers on the Canadian Pacific Railroad shipped significant quantities of what was identified as jade back to China in the 1860’s. In the mid-20th Century, deposits of very high quality nephrite were found in the far north of British Columbia. Today, B.C. mines are among the biggest suppliers of jade in the world. Much of the jade has been shipped to Asia to supply the demand for jade carvings and jewelry. In the exhibit we included three examples of Canadian jade carved into mountains in China (fig. 17). These were

exhibited along with a rare natural nephrite mountain from the Cassiar Range of B.C. (fig. 18). Let me finish this series by re-stating that jade has no role in Japanese suiseki. However, native jade may find a unique place within American stone appreciation. Special thanks to Keith Olivas, Robert McKenzie, Don Dupras, Sam Gitchel and Ken McLeod for their assistance with the identification of the jade; unfortunately, to me it remains as baffling as ever … A truly jaded

Fig. 15: Pair of Mountains, Wyoming. Jim & Alice Greaves Both 3 1/8” x 1 1/4” x 1 1/4” (7.9cm x 3.2cm x 3.2cm) Although this jade lacks the high polish of a ‘slick’, the rough surface hides a pure nephrite interior as seen in the center.

Fig. 16: Midnight Mesa, Wyoming. Jim Greaves. 9 1/2" x 3 5/8" x 4 7/8" (24.1cm x 9.2cm x 12.4cm)

Fig. 17: Chinese Landscape Stone, British Columbia, (AVSRC). 8" x 11" x 3" (20.3cm x 27.9cm x 7.6cm) shaped and polished

Fig. 18: Majestic Mountain, Cassiar Range, British Columbia. Sam Gitchell (AVSRC). 10" x 6 3/8" x 8 5/8" (25.4cm x 16.2cm x 21.9cm) We cannot be certain whether this shape has been created by natural breakage or is a mining remnant, but the back exhibits natural weathering and there is no sign of intentional working. The stone readily transmits light, revealing a bright jade green.

Fig. 19: Eel River, CA. Jim Greaves 7 1/8" W x 1 3/4" H x 3 3/8" D (18.1cm x 4.4cm x 8.6cm) After the far-ranging examples above, here we end with a simple lens-shaped piece of garden variety nephrite that presents a more traditional distant view of an old, worn mountain and broad valley.

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The appreciation of art often progresses from objective to subjective. Once you have had enough of stones with objective forms you will eventually begin to appreciate the abstract ones. There is an essay in Ju Seki, 樹石, 1943 (Trees and Rocks ) by Yorozu Nose (1863-1946) about the progression of appreciation from one stage to another, excerpts: There is no doubt that we value the forms that depict nature but we ultimately awe the revelation of divinity. The first glance may give you an impression of a scene in nature but it’s lost all of a sudden. You are struck with awe of nature and internalize it. And this is the beauty of the art. You may find a subjective and suggestive expression in impressionist paintings, which occurs between the two stages. The revelation of divinity in the art of suiseki is an acute observation of nature. The famous novelist Rohan Koda* who wrote Goju-No-Toh, 五重塔, (Five Tiered Pagoda) in 1891 is known as a connoisseur of suiseki. In 1925, he wrote in the magazine, Bonsai: The ones who found beauty in stones must have started with the joy of collecting things that are hard to find. But I might say the appreciation of suiseki is the crystallization of hobbies. Love of goldfish, turtles or bonsai is more sophisticated than loving of pretty women. Yet love of suiseki is far more refined compared to that of animals or trees. And the simple admirers of suiseki are not on the same level as the one who displays a piece of mysterious stone in his tokonoma (an alcove constructed in some of typical Japanese houses). The one who is absorbed in a piece of abstract stone may be called ‘stone fool’. He thinks that those who are attracted to living things or plants expect some reward from them. But ones who love stones don’t expect anything from them. They are content with yearning for nature. They are in the cloud of obsession and lose themselves in it. The concept of Rohan Koda is one of the most authentic ones as are the theory of Chubachi’s ‘Non-substance’ or Murata’s ‘Abstract’. It seems difficult to follow and I don’t know how many more years for me to reach the stage or if I can reach there in my life time at all. Before I discuss my own analysis of suiseki I should explain yoseki, 養石, the practice of nourishing stones as defined by Norio Kobayashi. By yoseki he means that the right care and devotion to stones after you acquired would continuously enhance the power of

stones. Murata also had an article on the subject in the book mentioned above. You may laugh at the stone having power or energy but it indicates the spirit that exists in stones. It is beyond the appearance. You will become aware of the energy, 気 (qi) coming out of the stone or wearing around it. To feel the energy of the nature is the essence of suiseki appreciation. Bonsai rewards us with joy and happiness from precise and continuous care; fertilization, transplanta-tion, thinning, and pruning. But suiseki takes nothing from us and gives nothing back to us either. In other words ‘I expect nothing. It gives nothing’. A stone and you become one and left in the infinite power of nature, stone. Free yourself from the human connotation of the art for suiseki, wabi, sabi or shibui and forget about the appreciation of art. Stop trying to make the stone look like something or trying to derive anything from it. Surrender yourself in front of the pure and natural stone and enjoy becoming one with nature, which is the utmost stage for the one who has been obsessed by stones. In So En Seki Hu, 素園石譜, above, the Chinese author said, “The stone is closest to Zen”. At the end of his long penance, discipline and meditation, the twilight days of an enlightened seeker after truth as Zen monks are believed to be carefree. Through his writing, the traveling Haiku poet, Basho Matsuo (1644-1694) sought for the world of yugen, 幽玄, (the humble allure of the simplicity and emptiness of life’s nature, that will bring us serene harmony and beauty beyond life into this world). The stage of mind in his latest years was expressed thusly; the life felt placid and pristine as if I were watching the clean sand at the bottom of a shallow stream. I have tried to give a general idea about suiseki in limited space with some digressions. It is not easy to describe every aspect of suiseki. I hope that I served the purpose of conveying the essence of suiseki. Please refer to Bonsai Pot and Suiseki, 盆栽鉢と水石, by Murata for more information and inspiration. I will leave the additional anecdotes and stories for some other time. Reading alone does not train your eyes for suiseki. You have to search for stones wandering around the mountains and walking along the mountain streams. I was excited by the article in Bonsai by Yoshimura of ‘Ko Fu En’ nursery in Japan. It said that marvelous stones were found in Los Angeles. I saw the exact stone mentioned in the article and owned by

Suiseki Appreciation Series 1 ~ January 1, 1961 by Yuseki Sanjin

[ED Note: This is Part 2 of Richard Ota’s article published in Rafu-Shimpo and translated by Michiko Watanabe]

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Morihei Furuya. The dark brown stone was as hard as iron with the feel as if it had been polished with oil. There were rough grooves and numerous small dimples over the stone. It certainly had the exceptional quality of suiseki. It was believed to be a meteorite. The news hit the California Bonsai Society and led members to the exploration trip near the border of Nevada on the sixth of last November (1960). Looking at a stone collected by your own hand gives you a special feeling for it. Each and every stone brings back memories. The stones you have found have a special place in your heart and look like the best stones in the world. You will start loving them. The devotion for the stone would nourish your stones. I hope many more readers would find the spirit of suiseki and appreciate it.

the annual Suiseki Show in downtown Los Angeles. The number of suiseki entries also increased every year in our annual CBS Bonsai Show at the California State Museum of Science and Industry. Bonsai hobbyists began to think that we should have a couple of good-looking stones to show off at our bonsai table. Although they say the old rivers never stop running but the river was interrupted in 1966. The late spring flood seems to have washed the mountain rocks to the bottom of the Kern River to bury the good stones. There is one of the two possible ways to recover them. Either wait for another flood big enough to wash off the mountain rocks from the surface of the riverbed or just keep looking and hope for a spot with the desirable stones along the river. (As of 2013, the gravel has never been cleared from the original collecting site on the Kern River.) The reason I am writing this article today is to clarify suiseki. As a reference, I would like to quote from the lecture presented by the director of the International Exclusive Stone Club (Tokyo), Shunji Ito, in Los Angeles last July (1967) and also from the description of suiseki given by Nisei (the second generation Japanese) hobbyists of West Los Angeles Citizen’s Association at an exhibit of ‘The Science of the Earth’ in Santa Monica last November (1967). When one of the members of the West Los Angeles Citizen’s Association requested me that I invite Mr. Ito from Japan, I was reluctant. But I decided to ask him under the condition that he would limit his talk to suiseki alone. He brought up nothing unpredicted. All he talked about was how to make or cut the stones and prices of the stones. The kikka seki, 菊花石, (stone with Chrysanthemum patterns) he brought from Japan was one which had lost, by over polishing, naturally raised textures of chrysanthemum patterns on it. Most of the stones were with some forms or with some colors. He called them biseki, 美石, (beautiful stones) but he didn’t seem to have contacts with ‘Japan Biseki Club’, 日本美石クラブ, director Keishichi Ishiguro. Probably even the biseki followers in Japan shied away from him. He must have been carried away with artificial brilliance in his stones. The member of the association presented the stones given by the delegation of Mr. Ito and called them suiseki at the exhibit of ‘The Science of the Earth’. In general, the Nisei admirers of suiseki seemed more interested in the brilliance of biseki, sugata ishi, 姿石, (the stones which imply people or animals) and

tate shi, (a standing form of stones) but less interested in the suiseki which expressed nature itself as scenery.

[Note : P 8 * Rohan Koda 露伴幸田 (1867-1947): The writer whose main theme was noble humanity, mystery in art and its power. He was an idealist and introduced Chinese and French literature to Japan.]

Suiseki Appreciation Series 2 January 1, 1968

by Yuseki Sanjin [ED Note: This is Series 2, Part 1 of Mr. Ota’s article

In 1961 when I introduced suiseki under the same title in this newspaper there were less than ten people who were seriously interested in suiseki and looked for stones somehow suitable for suiseki. Just around that time almost out of the blue suiseki was caught up in a boom in Japan. Some estimated the population of enthusiasts at one million and others two million. Crazy things followed. The river shores were swarmed with people by the busloads. A piece of black stone was pulled off from a farmer’s fence. Particular stones were taken away by pickup trucks from the premises of a temple. The craze passed its peak and the fever cooled off drastically. Today, the suiseki shops that sprouted as fast as a bamboo forest after rain have lost business one after another. The rock vendors in front of so many train stations disappeared before being noticed. Affected by the boom in Japan, the collectors in Southern California headed for the Kern River which had been discovered by Mr. Arashige, the vice president of CBS. There were accumulated 200 hunters who looked for the black stones. Later some of these hunters gave birth to the Los Angeles Suiseki Club and started

* * *

PAGE 10 VOLUME 32, ISSUE 5 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

Let us review the development of suiseki in Japan. Suiseki has been linked to bonsai for a long time, but in 1961, the Nippon Suiseki Association was formed. They started the annual exhibit, ‘Japan Distinctive Stone Show’,日本水石名品展, in the same year. It was held in the main store of the prestigious Tokyo Mitsukoshi Department Store at Nihon-Bashi in July*. Initially there was no judging system and almost 70% of the exhibit was composed of biseki and carved stones. Then a screening system by the judges straightened out the entries last summer (1967). Eighty percent of the exhibit were in a basin and the rest were on wooden bases. Stones with the bottom cut horizontally and even the ones with cut corners were not accepted. The stones became smaller since most of them were presented in a tray or basin. The stones were either entirely natural or old enough to be able to ignore the smallest alteration. Rules were set for the exhibit in 1965. It was made clear that a true suiseki is one that relates to bonsai and reminds us of a scene of mountains, gorges, shores or islands. It had to be displayed in a basin whenever possible. Suiseki was identified as stones depicting landscapes or aspects of nature, also by calling it sansui seki (Mountain and Water Stone) or sansui keijo seki (stones that reflect mountain and water). This reinstated the principle by Bungo Miyazawa and his followers through the two eras from mid-Meiji (1868-1911) to Taisho (1912-1926). Though the main emphasis of suiseki is on natural scenes, other forms should not be ignored. Stones with a distinctive natural formation, for example, mon-yo ishi, 模様石, (stones with patterns such as chrysanthemums or plum blossoms are typical examples), or sugata ishi ,姿石, (stones which resemble living things or may suggest the figures related to Buddhism) should be included. Tate ishi,立石, (literally a standing stone which is often abstract) that has emerged lately is also important. It may be fair to say that suiseki is essentially stones affiliated with natural scenes and the others are the subordinates. There are authorities who consider suiseki in a broader sense. They are Kenji Murata, Keiji Murata and Teisuke Takahashi who include stones with colors, designs and animal forms as well as major stones with natural scenes. They are inclined to accept the stones without obvious alterations. Takahashi is the vice president of the Nippon Suiseki Association. Kenji Murata is one of three permanent consultants for the Society, with the other two being Eiji Yoshimura and Kyuzo Murata. Yoshimura has a slightly different opinion. He divides suiseki into two major categories, yoseki and

biseki. Yoseki,養石, are stones with scenery or the ones with potential to add weathered appearance, old looks or sabi,寂び. Biseki, 美石, are stones that evoke a sense of art and aesthetics, which include stones with the form of religious objects as Kwan-On deity, Bodhidharma, etc. or animals and humans. He particularly admires aged and weathered appearances of the stones. He identifies the stones with absolute naturalness or seasoned beauty as ‘living stones’ and the ones without it ‘dead stones’ (The carved stones, shiny stones and the furuya ishi which lost the lower half are generally called dead stones). He also indicates that finger marks will turn the traced area on the stones dead because the marks take away the naturalness of the stones. It is recommended that the stones be drenched with water regularly to reveal the nature of the stones and not be polished with oil or rice bran to add the instant glossy appearances. Now I will discuss biseki further. It is different from suiseki, but should co-exist with it. And it should establish its own genre. What we seriously look for in suiseki is the quintessence of beauty in untouched nature, and beyond it, the awe of nature. This yearning for nature underlies the aesthetic sense of Japan, shibui, the ultimate beauty of refined subtlety and austere simplicity. The stone boom in Japan obsessed hobbyists who fell in love with mostly polished attractive stones. The polished stones had had no particular name to it. They had been called precious stones, decorative stones or shiny stones in general. In 1965 Kwanseki Sato** named them biseki (the beautiful stones) in his Gaseki Ron, 雅石論, (On Refined Stones) and established the Japan Biseki Club. Stones other than suiseki have been called biseki since then. Kwanseki argues that biseki are natural stones and their color and forms embody or reflect natural creation. He includes both un-carved and carved stones with brilliance in nature. He further explains that the alteration either by carving or polishing is acceptable as long as it doesn’t destroy the beauty of the stones since the essence of biseki is the beauty of color and forms in nature rather than the beauty of nature itself. While suiseki sometimes is compared to biseki, bonsai is compared to a potted flowering plant, or the black-ink painting of the East to the oil painting of the West. One would argue that biseki is not a part of suiseki. It sounds natural for some to think that suiseki shouldn’t be mistaken for biseki. There is a fundamental difference between natural beauty and artificial beauty. The untouched stones hold more profound merit in allure of nature than the beautifully

Programs: Larry Ragle 949.497.5626 crimescene@cox.net Treasury/Membership: Nina Ragle 949.497.5626 ragle@cox.net Annual Exhibit: Jim Greaves 310.452.3680 jimgreaves@roadrunner.com Exhibit Set Up: Marge Blasingame 626.579.0420 margeblasingame@att.net Refreshments: Janet Shimizu 310-822-6012 janet.shimizu46@gmail.com Historian: Ray Yeager 760.365.7897 ryeager890@aol.com Webmail: Bill Hutchinson 714.964.6973 hutch@aisekikai.com Newsletter: Larry and Nina Ragle 949.497.5626 ragle@cox.net

May Contributors: Linda Gill, Richard Ota, Jim Greaves and Larry Ragle. Mailing: Flash Partch Editor: Nina Ragle

Contact People

PAGE 11 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI VOLUME 32, ISSUE 5

Newsletter Committee

We hope you will participate. Please send any submissions to ragle@cox.net no more than 10 days following our monthly meeting. Thank you!

California Aiseki Kai meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm at the Nakaoka Community Center located at 1670 W. 162nd St, Gardena, CA. Second floor. We do not meet in Nov-Dec.

carved stones. The natural stone, if polished too hard, loses its quintessence of beauty. We shouldn’t forget that it is the long flow of time which suiseki have endured, that created their essence, not the shine of the surface of the stones. The decision is yours as to which you appreciate more. Everyone has different tastes.

Footnotes: P10 * Some department stores in large cities in Japan often provide museum space for temporary exhibits. P 10 ** Kwanseki Sato was a stone dealer also.

* * * Ed Note: We will conclude this series next month

The Buffalo Backs - Last year the AVSRC was very fortunate to obtain this exceptional viewing stone. Under its original sobriquet of Dragon Back Mountain this jade has received international recognition. However, as an outstanding example of California jade that presents a view more reminiscent of the Black Hills of the Dakotas than popular images of China, our ‘Americanization’ of the poetic name seems appropriate. The stone consists of the green nephrite prairie and The Buffalo Backs, a range of hills formed by vulcanized botryoidal nephrite that suggest a herd of moving bison. Note that here the stone is presented in an experimental display that parallels a traditional Japanese suiseki display in a tokonoma. However, the traditional okimono has been replaced by the figures of American Buffalo (Bison) and an historic map substitutes for the traditional kakejiku (hanging scroll).

AVSRC Acquisition

‘The Buffalo Backs’ North Fork Eel River, CA Collected by Heron Nelson Cut for a viewing stone by Michael J. Reilly 23 1/4" x 4 3/4" x 12" (59.1cm x 12.1cm x 30.5cm

Ragle P.O. Box 4975 Laguna Beach CA 92652

SANTA ANITA BONSAI SOCIETY 50th Annual Show, May 24-26, at the L.A. Arboretum, 301 N, Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. 9:30-4:30. Demos at 1:00 each day. Sales. For more information: sabonsai.org

Coming Events

Leaves no stone unturned

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

aisekikai.com

Refreshments Thank you Buzz Barry, Bruce McGinnis, Harry Hirao and Ruby Oh for the awesome April appetite appeasers. If you have not volunteered yet, please do. By now you must know that our snack break is an integral part of our meeting!

May munchies will be provided by Jesse Krong, Phil Chang, Uyen Truong and the Hutchinson’s.

Stone Sales Ken McLeod 209-605-9386 or 209 586-2881

suisekiken@sbcglobal.net ~ californiasuiseki.com

Always check Golden Statements Magazine

Calendar section for additional coming events

Freeman Wang 626-524-5021 Suiseki-Viewing Stone Sale

stores.ebay.com/thestoneking

DESCANSO BONSAI SOCIETY 45th Annual Show, June 14-15, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada/Flintridge. Sales. Admission to the exhibition is free with admission to Descanso Gardens. The club will host a reception on Saturday night, 6-7, raffle at 8.

CALIFORNIA SUISEKI SOCIETY 19th Annual Show, June 7-8, Lakeside Garden Center, on Lake Merritt, 666 Bellevue Avenue, Oakland. 10-4. Free. Featuring suiseki from California. Raffle. Sales. For more information: contact Henry van der Voort at oldboar3@gmail.com or Bob Gould at rgould1003@aol.com