John Naka
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John Yoshio Naka (August 16, 1914,
Fort Lupton, Colorado The City of Fort Lupton is a Statutory City located in southern Weld County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 7,955 at the 2020 United States Census. Fort Lupton is a part of the Greeley, Colorado Metropolitan Statistical Area ...
– May 19, 2004,
Whittier, California Whittier () is a city in Southern California in Los Angeles County, part of the Gateway Cities. The city had 87,306 residents as of the 2020 United States census, an increase of 1,975 from the 2010 census figure. Whittier was incorporated in ...
) was an American horticulturist, teacher, author, and master bonsai cultivator.


Life

He was born a
Nisei is a Japanese-language term used in countries in North America and South America to specify the ethnically Japanese children born in the new country to Japanese-born immigrants (who are called ). The are considered the second generation, ...
Japanese-American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...
, but at age 8 moved back to his parents' home country, where he extensively studied the art of bonsai due to his grandfather's influence. He returned to the United States near Boulder, Colorado in 1935, and then in late 1946 settled in
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
with his wife Alice and their three sons, Eugene, Robert, and Richard. Naka worked extensively with trees that were native to Southern California, rather than traditionally favored Japanese species, and helped popularize bonsai in the United States. In Orange County, Naka and four friends founded a bonsai club in November 1950, which is known today as the California Bonsai Society. He became a very important force in American bonsai art in the 1950s–60s. He was a driving force in the spread of bonsai appreciation and the practice of bonsai art in the West and elsewhere. Naka traveled and taught extensively around the world, at conventions and clubs, but refused to hold classes in Japan (where bonsai had been highly developed along certain lines over the centuries), saying "They want me to teach, and I tell them it's like trying to preach to
Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...
." A very few of his many accomplishments are the following: He published two books, entitled ''Bonsai Techniques I'' and ''Bonsai Techniques II'', texts that are revered as being the bibles of western bonsai to many artists. These books would be translated into French, German, Italian, and Spanish by 1990. He contributed articles, forewords, and photographs to a number of specialty magazines and books. Nina S. Ragle's compilation of 287 proverbs presented in both Japanese and English from Naka, ''Even Monkeys Fall Out of Trees'', was published in 1987. (The title refers to the little recognized fact that, yes, even bonsai masters can make a mistake.) He was a founding director of the World Bonsai Friendship Federation (WBFF) and a co-signer of the Constitution of the Latin-American Bonsai Federation (LABF). He was an honorary advisor to the
National Bonsai Foundation The National Bonsai Foundation (NBF) is a nonprofit organization that was created to sustain the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. NBF also helps the United States National Arboretum showcase the arts of bonsai and penjing to the general public ...
. Other quotes of his included "Bonsai is not the result: that comes after. Your enjoyment is what is important"; "It must have philosophy, botany, artistry, human quality behind it to be a bonsai"; "The bonsai is not you working on the tree; you have to have the tree work on you"; and "Leave room for the birds to fly through" the branches of your bonsai. Of Naka's many works, the most recognizable composition is '' Goshin'', which means "protector of the spirit." It is a group planting of eleven foemina junipers, each tree placed to represent one of Naka's grandchildren. The planting can be seen on display at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, located on the grounds of the United States National Arboretum. About a month before he died, Naka donated his very first bonsai, a Montezuma Cypress, to the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. In May 2005, a collection of over 80 of his drawings of how he envisioned the future development of various workshop participants' trees was published as ''John Naka's Sketchbook,'' edited by Jack Billet and Cheryl Manning.


Awards and honors

On May 23, 1960 Japan's
Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...
, Shunichiro Fujiyama presented Mr. Naka with an honorary citation from the Japanese government for his effort in promotion of goodwill and friendship between Japan and the United States. On November 24, 1967 Mr. Naka received an honorary medal and citation from the President of Japanese Agricultural Affairs Department, Prince Takamatsu and Eikichi Hiratsuka. On May 20, 1972 the County of Los Angeles' Supervisor Mr. Ernest E. Debs presented Mr. Naka an honorary citation on behalf of the County for "his outstanding contributions to the Japanese-American friendship by providing the people of Los Angeles and the nation with ability to understand and appreciate the beauty and significance of bonsai culture." In 1985,
Emperor Hirohito Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...
of Japan bestowed upon Naka the most prestigious award for a non-Japanese citizen, The Fifth Class of the Order of the Rising Sun. In 1990, the North American Pavilion at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, on the grounds of the
United States National Arboretum The United States National Arboretum is an arboretum in northeast Washington, D.C., operated by the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. It was established in 1927 by an act of Congress after a campaign by USDA ...
, was named in honor of Naka. Goshin is displayed at the entrance. In 2001, a portrait bust, by Bonnie Kobert-Harrison, was unveiled there Naka was chosen in 1992 as one of thirteen honorees to receive a
National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's ...
, the first bonsai artist to receive this prestigious award. At the time he received his Fellowship, he said, "It has a beginning but no end. A bud today becomes a branch tomorrow." He was awarded a 2009 Pacific Pioneer Award posthumously. The American Bonsai Society named the John Naka Award for him. An endowment fund was established in his name. In May 2014, Naka became the first inductee into the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum's Bonsai Hall of Fame.


References


External links


John Yoshio Naka, In Celebration of a Grand Master's Life
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The Art of Bonsai Project, A Tribute to John Yoshio Naka"John Y. Naka"
''Bonsaitalk'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Naka, John 1914 births 2004 deaths Bonsai artists American artists of Japanese descent People from Weld County, Colorado Artists from Colorado National Heritage Fellowship winners