Here is the official media release on the theft. PLEASE feel free to repost on other forums and all club web sites:
Media Release
DATE: February 9, 2020
CONTACT: Kathy McCabe, Executive Director, 253-353-7356 or 206.409.0429,
kathy@pacificbonsaimuseum.org
FEDERAL WAY, WA—On Sunday, February 9, 2020, at approximately 7:00 am, two bonsai, estimated to
be worth thousands of dollars, were stolen from the public display at Pacific Bonsai Museum in Federal
Way, Washington. One of the missing trees, a Japanese Black Pine was grown from seed in a tin can by Japanese
American Jizaburo Furuzawa while he was incarcerated during World War II. The other bonsai, a Silverberry,
was an exquisite example of the species. It has been in training as a bonsai since 1946 and was created by a woman
bonsai artist, Kiyoko Hatanaka: a pioneer in her time.
“This is a tremendous loss, not only to our collection but there is a strong likelihood that the trees
will perish. These trees have been cared for every day for more than 70 years, and if that daily care doesn’t
continue the trees will die. These historic, living works of art are the result of the care provided by multiple
generations.” Aarin Packard, Curator, Pacific Bonsai Museum.
The Pacific Bonsai Museum, located in Woodbridge Corporate Park (formerly the Weyerhaeuser Company Campus)
in Federal Way, WA, is one of the top bonsai collections in the world. Established by the Weyerhaeuser Company in
1989, the Museum is now a nonprofit organization connecting people to nature through the living art of bonsai.
The stolen bonsai were part of the collection on display to the public. The theft took place inside the secure exhibit
area. The loss will be greatest for the tens of thousands of fans and supporters in our community, as well as visitors
from around the world, who come to the museum to learn about the stories of these venerable trees.
The Japanese Black Pine was to be the centerpiece of the Museum’s special exhibition opening May 9, 2020,
World War Bonsai: Remembrance & Resilience, tracing the cultural practice of bonsai in location and time—in Japan and in the United States, from the pre-war WWII period, through wartime, amid incarceration, and at peace.
It’s not too late for these bonsai to be returned, no questions asked, so we can make sure these trees will be around
for another 70 years.
Information leading to the recovery of these valuable bonsai should be forwarded to
kathy@pacificbonsaimuseum.org