1. Chinese Elm

Originally imported from China, it is an unusual example of a twin trunk because both trunks are very powerful.
With the popularity of bonsai rapidly rising world-wide, Elms of this quality have been becoming very difficult to find.

SOLD

2. Hatanaka Black Pine

What a fantastic use of material.
These two trees were planted next to each other in the 1960’s and have been together for 50 years.

I have owned this specimen for the past 20 years and have maintained it by just pruning and pinching—this year it will get a complete re-wiring.

$12,000.00

3. Hatanaka Black Pine

Mr and Mrs Hatanaka lived in Orange County CA, and were part of a small circle of Japanese American bonsai artists.
The Hatanakas created some of the finest bonsai specimens of their day, and even contemporary bonsai artists such as Kenji Miyata recognize the Hatanakas as among this country’s finest artists.

This black pine with its sinuous trunk is an excellent example of Mr. Hatanaka’s work.

$12,000.00

4. Hatanaka Black Pine

Another unusual Hatanaka piece.
The three main branches emerge from the base in a clump style.
The original composition included a long two- foot jin that extended past the long sweeping lower branch.
This shallow Chinese pot has served its purpose for the past 15 years but the tree will go into a slightly larger more traditional pot this spring.

$10,000.00

5. Hatanaka Black Pine.

Mr Hatanaka was this country's leading expert on black pines.

When I first met him in 1983, his nursery was filled with hundreds of pines - many in huge wooden boxes and sold as landscape trees.

All of these pines were started from seed in the early 1950’s.

$5,000.00

6. Hatanaka Chinese Elm.

While the bulk of the Hatanaka collection consisted of juniper and pine, they also had a few pyracantha, elm, silverberry, and olive.

This Chinese Elm grown from a cutting is probably the oldest Chinese Elm in the country that wasn’t originally imported from China.

SOLD

7. Hatanaka Hollywood Juniper.

These old Hatanaka Juniper are of great historic importance because they are the oldest things alive today tell the story of the beginnings of bonsai in this country.

This old Hollywood is a fine example of mr Hatanaka’s skill.

$14,000.00

8. Marata Hollywood Juniper

Mr. Marata was another great bonsai artist, one of a small group who became the founding fathers of the California Bonsai Society during the 1960’s.

This Twin Trunk Hollywood is a very powerful example of the work that was being done at that time.

$4500.00

9. Hatanaka Prostrata

The Prostrata is the tree that I most associate with Mr. Hatanaka.

This specimen was later refined by Kenji Miyata , and then most recently redesigned by Michael Levin.

I usually am an advocate for leaving the original tree shapes intact, but this one has a new wild look I am very pleased with.

SOLD

10. Hatanaka Prostrata

Classical Mrs. Hatanaka - notice how the tree is wider than tall.
This more than anything was her signature.

$8,500.00

11. Hatanaka Prostrata.

Extreme Hatanaka. Eventually the lower branch will be shortened but I am still enjoying its unconventional design - anyone can cut a branch, but it would take 50 years to grow it back.

$15,000.00

A Hatanaka Raft.

I think it's my favorite - I have a photo from the 1975 Bonsai in California Magazine when it was only 25 years old.

Great example of the Hatanaka’s genius .

$23,000.00

13. Hatanaka Prostrata Juniper

Classic Mr. Hatanaka, perfection!!

The closest tree to what is currently being done in Japan a true American masterpiece worthy of any botanical garden in the world.

$20,000.00

14. Hatanaka Prostrata

Recently pruned and looking sparse, but none the less worth enjoying!

$4,500.00

15. Hatanaka Prostrata

Great old tree by Mr. Hatanaka.
I purchased this off his own private bench - he told me this was one of his first trees, started from a cutting just after WWII.

$14,000.00

16. Hatanaka San Jose Juniper

Another one of my old ones and definitely one of my favorites.
I often wonder: if I had to take only one tree with me, might this be the one?

$5,500.00

17. Hatanaka Prostrata

One of the smallest and nicest in the collection. Very delicate branching - a show piece!

SOLD

18. Hatanaka Prostrata

Work in progress - just recently pruned hard and repotted.

$3,500.00

19. Hatanaka Prostrata

Guy Guidry thinks this is the best Hatanaka in the collection - but it's too hard for me to judge - You decide!

$20,000.00

20. Hatanaka Prostrata

Just recently restyled by Guy Guidry.

Guy is one of the few contemporary artists whom I trust to work on my trees (Not that there aren’t great artists out there but these trees need to be preserved for their historic value and not turned into some abstract sculpture!)
The Hatanaka lines are very simple and traditional, maybe too old fashioned for many.

$5,500.00

21. Hatanaka Prostrata

Another tree by Mrs Hatanaka.

Notice the width-to- height ratio: it's very unusual to have such short, fat and wide trees.

$8,500.00

22. Hatanaka prostrata

I recently removed the lower branch and saved all the dead wood. I wonder if Nick Lenz would approve of the carving!

$5,500.00

23. Hatanaka Prostrata

A difficult piece to work with, just recently re-wired and now waiting for new growth.

$3,500.00

24. Hatanaka Prostrata

A small raft juniper, very elegant and waiting for the perfect Tokoname pot.

$3,500.00

25. Hatanaka Prostrata

A younger tree, only about 30 years old, from a second generation of trees.

$2,500.00

26. Hatanaka Pyracantha

Creative use of nursery stock.

$8,500.00

27. Hatanaka Shimpaku

Grown from a cutting, these old shimpaku’s are definitely some of the oldest in the country.

Mr Hatanaka was one of the few artists growing Shimpaku on their own wood: mostly you will find grafted kishu shimpaku on San Jose root stock.

SOLD

28. Hatanaka Shimpaku

Another original old Hatanaka Shimpaku grown from a cutting.

Restyled in 1997 by Guy Guidry: a great collaboration!

$6,500.00

29. Hatanaka Shimpaku

Very old and well grown, waiting for a complete rewiring.

$11,500.00

30. Hatanaka Shimpaku

Very old Shimpaku grown on its own wood. Started from cuttings after WWII from a group of Mr. Hatanaka's original works.

$10,500.00

31. Hatanaka Shimpaku

Collected California Juniper with grafted Kishu Shimpaku.

One of the first American yamadori bonsai, estimated at well over 400 years old and expertly grafted by Mr. Hatanaka.

$25,000.00

32. Hatanaka Shimpaku

Original Shimpaku Juniper from the Hatanaka collection. Repotted in Richard Robertson pot and part of the Bonsai West Collection since 1992.

SOLD

33. Hatanaka Shimpaku,
grafted

Collected California Juniper yamadori. Estimated age: over 300 years old and grafted with Shimpaku during the 1970’s by Mr Hatanaka. Excellent example of native American bonsai material.

$14,000.00

34. Hinoki Cypress

One of my first bonsai, acquired from Carl Young in 1983. I was just a kid then!

$2,000.00

35. Hollywood Juniper

This tree has great memories. While purchasing it from the Hatanaka’s, they were each pruning it so it would fit in my van and as they worked quickly cutting and pruning, they started arguing with each other - and as they quarreled they pruned harder and created this masterpiece right in front of my eyes.

$12,000.00

36. Hollywood Juniper

A work of art by California artist Shig Mia. Shig: if you are still doing bonsai I want to tell you this is my favorite tree! Notice how the trunk has been perfectly hollowed out from age.

$8,500.00

37. Ishii Shimpaku

Mr Ishii is still practicing his art in southern California. This is one of a few of his pieces I purchased in 1984, before he became an international star.

$5,000.00

38. Ishii Shimpaku

This original Mr Ishii master piece has perfect pads of foliage. This grafted juniper is Shimpaku on San Jose: the San Jose for craggy bark and the Shimpaku for soft green foliage.

Mr Ishii is known throughout the bonsai world as one of the best grafters of Shimpaku.

$4,500.00

39. Ishii Shimpaku

My first specimen bonsai, originally purchased from Mr. Ishii in 1983.

The tree was 25 years old then and I wasn’t much older. Who would ever have imagined another 25 years would go by that quickly?

$10,000.00

40. Japanese Black Pine

Exposed root style. This tree, originally imported from Korea, was recently restyled by Colin Lewis during our 25th Anniversary Fall Open House in September 2007.

This is a great example of a seldom-seen style in contemporary design. The exposed root style bonsai was very popular during the early 1900’s.

$8,500.00

41. Japanese Black Pine

A Semi-cascade Japanese Black Pine, originally imported as an informal upright and restyled over 10 years ago by Guy Guidry.

$2,500.00

42. Japanese Five Needle Pine

This hundred-year-old specimen was originally imported from Japan and is one of the oldest of its kind in the country.

$12.000.00

43. Japanese Maple

Imported originally from Japan, an excellent Maple specimen.

$4,500.00

44. Larch Grove

This Japanese Larch Grove is planted on a hand-built epoxy slab.

Created by a good customer of ours and started from young seedlings.

$2,000.00

45. Nick Lenz Cedar

Collected Eastern white cedar.

Originally part of the Nick Lenz collection this magnificent specimen was collected off the shore of Lake Champlain in the 1960’s.

Excellently trained by Nick Lenz for the past 40 years, it is now one of the prizes in the Bonsai West Collection

Not for sale

46. Nagatoshi Shimpaku

This beautiful Shimpaku Juniper has been in Roy Nagatoshi’s family for the past 40 years.

An elegant tree.

$3,750.00

47. Nick Lenz Larch

A great example of the way trees grow on the coast in the North East.

Everyone comments on how eccentric Nick Lenz'S styles of bonsai that create are - however, one trip up the coast of Maine shows you how he got his inspiration.

An American masterpiece.

$8,500.00

48. Nick Lenz Larch

Another Nick Lenz classic. This two-tree Larch was originally collected over 40 years ago, and is a great example of North American yamadori . Take a close look at the trunk and you can see a little porcelain doll that has become embedded inside.

Who says bonsai can't have signatures!

Not for sale

49. Satsuki Azalea

Imported from Japan . Satsuki Azelalea have been hybridized for generations to create beautiful displays of color in the spring.

$2,500.00

50. Yamasaki Cork Pine

A great pine grown from seed in the early 1950’s by bonsai artist and friend Mr Yamasaki.

I’ve had this tree for almost 25 years and I think of it as a mascot - we are about the same age!

SOLD

hb90. Korean Hornbeam

At 16 inches of height, this monstrous Yamadori epitomizes the contemporary aesthetic of bonsai, both artists' and collectors'.

hb91. Nick Lenz Korean Hornbeam

Nick Lenz is one of America's finest Bonsai artists (if not the most eccentric!)

He morphed this ancient, collected hornbeam into a bear.