Need help finding set of Japanese books

Ohmy222

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Got a tough one but I am looking for a set up Japanese books that are about 10 volumes or so with each book being focused on a species or a group of species. I don't know the name but saw them recommended once (likely here) and wanted to find them. I jotted them down but no idea where I saved it off. The books had both drawings and photos I believe. Any ideas?
 

meushi

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That describes several series, but most probably one of the following two:
  • Kyosuke Gun minibonsai series from the 1990s, which now has an official French translation (easier to type into a translation engine than Japanese) that covers 8 of the original 10 volumes. There are 3 add-on volumes: "mini bonsai tips", "a mini bonsai that can be done in 3 years" and "mini bonsai 365 days of work and management". I have the entire series in Japanese + "mini bonsai tips" and "mini bonsai that can be done in 3 years". They're decent books, but the content is now 30 years old... the techniques and horticulture knowledge have evolved a bit in those 30 years. You'll probably only find the Japanese version on second hand marketplaces (Amazon, yahoo auctions, eBay).
  • Kinbon "tree type" MOOK series, which ran until 2017 but is only available in Japanese so far. I have roughly half the series so far, the content is pretty decent. The entire series can be ordered from Kinbon (in English) for around $100 + shipping or from Amazon.
 

meushi

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Another possibility would be the "Bonsai special class" series (盆栽専科) from Bonsai Senka Publishing. Those are really complete books from the 1970s, so the techniques and horticulture knowledge have evolved a lot since their publishing. As you've probably guessed, the whole set is in my bonsai bookshelf. The pines volume includes the first version of Abe's "Pine bonsai".
 

Ohmy222

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Thanks so much for your help. I am pretty certain it is the Kinbon series. I can't find the English version on their site though. Interested in which of these is your favorite though.
 

meushi

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I didn't express that correctly :)

You can enquire in English about purchasing through the "For foreigners" function: https://www.bonsai.co.jp/contact_en/index.php

The product codes to reference in the enquiry are:
  1. Japanese white pine: S000B41
  2. Japanese black pine: S000B42
  3. Shimpaku: S000M01
  4. Japanese red pine: S000M07
  5. Ilex serrata and Malus halliana: S000M09
  6. Japanese maple and Japanes beech: S000M10
  7. Ume and chojubai: S000M15
  8. Kaki and kinzu: S000M17
  9. Trident and zelkova: S000M20
  10. Japanese camelia and cherry trees: S000M25
  11. The entire set: H191954
They will normally reply within 2 or 3 business days with a quote including shipping.

The three series are really different.
The Kinbon series is a compendium of modern horticulture info and bonsai techniques for a given species (the "sodate kata" in the title means "how to grow"). You will need a pretty good Japanese reading ability to get the most out of it. The automated translation engines tend to really suck at Japanese, so pretty much forget about using the camera automated translation of your smart phone.
The Kyosuke Gun series contains a few pages of horticulture and bonsai techniques, but each book is really a set of projects taking you from raw material to show-ready mini bonsai. Some projects take 3 to 5 years (zelkova broom), some projects take over 10 years just for the trunk like (thick tapering trunk moyogi chojubai). There isn't much text once you're in the projects, but the text contains the details and nuances that can't be expressed in drawings. You could almost go through it by knowing a few kanji (日 for day,月 for month,年 for year,葉 for leaf,枝 for branch) and some Japanese conventions (cross means no, triangle means possible but not best, circle means best).
The "Bonsai special class" series would require being at a true native level of reading Japanese and a lot of time to digest the information and chase updates from the 40+ years since publication. The page count per volume is scary, Abe's "pine bonsai" is less than a quarter of the pines volume.
 

R3x

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That describes several series, but most probably one of the following two:
  • Kyosuke Gun minibonsai series from the 1990s, which now has an official French translation (easier to type into a translation engine than Japanese) that covers 8 of the original 10 volumes. There are 3 add-on volumes: "mini bonsai tips", "a mini bonsai that can be done in 3 years" and "mini bonsai 365 days of work and management". I have the entire series in Japanese + "mini bonsai tips" and "mini bonsai that can be done in 3 years". They're decent books, but the content is now 30 years old... the techniques and horticulture knowledge have evolved a bit in those 30 years. You'll probably only find the Japanese version on second hand marketplaces (Amazon, yahoo auctions, eBay).
  • Kinbon "tree type" MOOK series, which ran until 2017 but is only available in Japanese so far. I have roughly half the series so far, the content is pretty decent. The entire series can be ordered from Kinbon (in English) for around $100 + shipping or from Amazon.
Great info, thanx a lot! Could you please provide Japanese title for Kyosuke Gun series so that searching for it is easier? Thank you.
 

meushi

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Sure thing!

The main Kyosuke Gun series is aptly named "図解 群境介のミニ盆栽" (Zukai Gun Kyousuke no mini bonsai - Illustrated Gun Kyosuke's mini bonsai). It is made of 10 volumes:
  1. クロマツ -> Japanese black pine
  2. ヤマモミジ -> Japanese maple
  3. サツキ。ツツジ -> Satsuki & Tsutsuji
  4. シンパク -> Shimpaku
  5. ウメモドギ。ヒメリンゴ -> Ilex serrata & crab apples
  6. ウメ。サクラ -> Prunus mume & cherry trees
  7. トショウ -> Juniperus rigida
  8. カエデ -> Trident maple
  9. ケヤキ -> Zelkova
  10. ボケ。チョウジュバイ -> Boke & Chojubai
There are additional books:
  1. 図解群境介のミニ盆栽コシのコシ -> Zukai Gun Kyousuke no mini bonsai koshi no koshi -> Illustrated Gun Kyosuke's mini bonsai tips (ISBN 4540920995)
  2. 図解3年でできるミニ盆栽 -> Zukai san nen de dekiru mini bonsai -> illustrated mini bonsai that can be done in 3 years (ISBN 454089143X)
  3. マンガミニ盆栽365日 作業・管理編 -> manga mini bonsai 365 nichi sagyou / kanri-hen -> 365 days of mini bonsai work / management (ISBN 454005158X)
  4. ミニ盆栽のすべて -> mini bonsai no subete -> All about mini bonsai (ISBN 4564408569)
  5. やさしくつくれるミニ盆栽 -> yasashiku tsukureru mini bonsai -> mini bonsai that can be made easily (ISBN 4391125803)
  6. 失敗しないミニ盆栽 -> Shippai shinai mini bonsai -> mini bonsai that doesn't fail (ISBN 4416403143)
 
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Are you looking for the 近代盆栽樹種別シリーズ, by chance?
I have the shinpaku and white pine issues and they are both excellent.

They are quite difficult to find used, but Kinbon has a listing for all of them here.

I personally still want the Japanese maple/beach and the trident maple/zelkova books, but I have yet to find them for sale anywhere.

Edit: I see someone above mentioned these as well. It really doesn't get much better than these IMO.
 

meushi

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The momiji/buna and kaede/keyaki books are quite good. I started the collection backwards from the tsubaki and rouyagaki volumes. I still need to buy the goyoumatsu, kuromatsu, shinpaku and akamatsu volumes to complete the series.

I also have the goyoumatsu and kuromatsu volumes from the 作業実例から学ぶ/"learn from work examples", which are decent as well. I'm currently tempted by the "all about shinpaku"/真柏のすべて book.
 
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The momiji/buna and kaede/keyaki books are quite good. I started the collection backwards from the tsubaki and rouyagaki volumes. I still need to buy the goyoumatsu, kuromatsu, shinpaku and akamatsu volumes to complete the series.

I also have the goyoumatsu and kuromatsu volumes from the 作業実例から学ぶ/"learn from work examples", which are decent as well. I'm currently tempted by the "all about shinpaku"/真柏のすべて book.
真柏のすべて looks quite good. Fairly similar to the 樹種別シリーズ. What I really like about them is not only the detailed season-by-season care, but the major work progressions in the back of the book. It's good to see long term development in bonsai books. But yes, I really want to get my hands on the momiji/buna and kaede/keyaki books, although I don't have/don't plan on getting any buna or keyaki. I'd even be happy with one of them. I didn't realize they were only 1,200 yen / each new. I might just see if I can find them new. I hate paying new price for books though, I normally search book offs, yafuoku, and merukari for everything.
 
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Anyone have a source that ships to the US for the Kyosuke Gun books?
Most of them are out of print so only available on the used market, but they have started reprinting them in a new cover design. So far only the general "kotsu no kotsu" and black pine books, and I've only seen them on Amazon.
You should be able to purchase them, although you may need a third party broker. Or to ask someone really nicely.
Honestly though, some are hard to find. I only just got my hands on the zelkova book as I refused to pay 2000 yen for a used one. Certain books are harder to find on the used market, and people take advantage of that in how they price them.

The Kyosuke Gun series is one I would love to translate into English. His books are very easy to follow (if you read Japanese), and fun.
Unfortunately, I don't have the work permission or the bank role to reach out to his publisher myself. - If anyone ever wants to undertake this, I'm your guy!
 

meushi

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The Kyosuke Gun series is one I would love to translate into English. His books are very easy to follow (if you read Japanese), and fun.
Unfortunately, I don't have the work permission or the bank role to reach out to his publisher myself. - If anyone ever wants to undertake this, I'm your guy!
Actually someone (Guy Maillot) already acquired the rights to the French and English translations... but I think the project was shelved. The French translation covers books 1 to 8... there's been more than 2 years without updates. I'll check to see if they're still planning to release the rest.
 

Canada Bonsai

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Actually someone (Guy Maillot) already acquired the rights to the French and English translations... but I think the project was shelved. The French translation covers books 1 to 8... there's been more than 2 years without updates. I'll check to see if they're still planning to release the rest.

Back in 2020 he said he has no intention to translate the prunus or chojubai ‘because the topics don’t interest many people’ he said, and he also said he has no plans to produce any english versions of the collection, either.

I guess he’s another person who bought the rights to things just to have them…

I’ve got piles of kinbon articles that i paid to have translated into english for myself, but the ower of the rights, farrand bloch (bonsai focus), refuses to publish the articles in bonsai focus (which i offered to him for free, and which were perfectly translated by billingual bonsai professionals!) and wants me to pay him hundreds and hundreds of euros per page for simply sharing the articles with my friends 🤷🏻‍♂️
 

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meushi

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I was sort of expecting that the last two wouldn't be published after the lack of updates post 2019, but "low interest" in prunus and chojubai? wtf? From past discussions with him, I know that the project was costlier than he had expected and it is entirely possible that the sales of the French versions didn't meet the expectations... especially the last published one on Juniperus rigida.

The choice of not doing the English version sucks and it's a surprising choice, because he had previously said that the English translation of the maple book was planned... roughly when the French maple book was published. The English translation would reach more potential buyers and he could probably recoup his whole investment just from those sales. It's a shame.
 

treefu

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  • Kinbon "tree type" MOOK series, which ran until 2017 but is only available in Japanese so far. I have roughly half the series so far, the content is pretty decent. The entire series can be ordered from Kinbon (in English) for around $100 + shipping or from Amazon.

I have just bought books 7 (Trident/Zelkova) and 9 (Plum/Chojubai) brought over from Japan. I thought someone had already translated them into English here, but looking closer, I think no-one has done so. I'm not sure English versions are available from Kinbon.

These books are invaluable by the look of them, because they highlight species-specific care items and techniques. I could do it (it'd be a good exercise) if people are interested, but I'm not sure how to share the work without tripping someone's copyright claims.
 

meushi

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I have just bought books 7 (Trident/Zelkova) and 9 (Plum/Chojubai) brought over from Japan. I thought someone had already translated them into English here, but looking closer, I think no-one has done so. I'm not sure English versions are available from Kinbon.

These books are invaluable by the look of them, because they highlight species-specific care items and techniques. I could do it (it'd be a good exercise) if people are interested, but I'm not sure how to share the work without tripping someone's copyright claims.
I meant "you can send your order to Kinbon (in English) to purchase the set of books (in Japanese)" ;) They can also be purchased through Amazon Japan, which usually gets books/magazines to my door in 3 business days.
 
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