Hi, Alain!
"Fudo" was a world famous juniper bonsai, collected from the wild in 1910 estimated to be 800-1000 years old at collection.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden started in 1929 to acquire famous bonsai trees imported from Japan. One of them was "Fudo"
The imported trees had to be bare rooted, changed the soil and fumigated in concordance with quarantine laws.
Unfortunately this prized bonsai finally died due to the combined and severe treatment.....
"Fudo" is still remaining on display.
This sad event
almost caused the Japanese government to oppose the Bicentennial Gift of Bonsai to the USA......
This is what "Fudo" was....
From pg. 88 of the article "Japanese Miniature Trees," Life, October 7, 1946
about Keibun Tanaka's 20-year-old 5,000-tree collection in suburban Tokyo, this picture of what we would know as "Fudo."
Has the erroneous caption of "300-YEAR-OLD PINE TREE IS VALUED AT $2000."
(The image in a copy of an article long in our files was brought to RJB's attention again by Roberto Pagnin, Italy, 27 May 2008 in personal e-mail.
This copy gotten from Google's Life Magazine photo archives at http://images.google.com/hosted/life/1d30469dca4234bd.html.
Photographer is listed as Alfred Eisenstaedt.)
Excerpt from : http://www.magiminiland.org/KMurata2.html
And this is the preserved remains of that special tree....
Excerpt from : http://www.magiminiland.org/KMurata2.html