I will ask him, although I can throw my opinion on the matter. I think Seki Kazari translated as a tabletop display is slightly different. Here is a sample of Kuzuhara Sensei's display, with a translation of the meaning of the display. He calls this a Seki Kazari style display. The setup was the same as that at the Clark Center. A raised platform with a Tatami. In this same competition, when it was actually placed in an area with side walls and additional raised platform, then it became a Toko no Ma kazari....If the display lacks the Hashira (pillars) and sidewalls, even if it is on a raised platform it is called Seki Kazari.
Whether we hit the mark or not, our intention is to present as close a facsimile to what a display would look like in a Tokonoma. Not being able to permanately alter the interior of the museum to fit our needs has forced us to adopt more portable ideas to achieving a Tokonoma look while being able to convert the museum back to a museum venue when we are finished. The method we have chosen is to use shoji screens to seperate each display while making the shoji's easily portable. Our display idea is to have presenters display a bonsai with accessories in a harmonious creation while adhearing to the current season. A long as a displayer moves ahead in the season and not backwards, then latitude has been given. These were guidelines offered to the TokoKazari management by judges we felt qualified to judge the event. Having trained at the Keido school in Japan by Mr. Sudo. Larry and Nina Ragle were very positive and spent a lot of time in offering a set or rules in which to judge the event. The first two Kazari's were judged by Larry and Nina Ragle and traditional and strict Keido rules were used in the judging. In year two Kathy Shaner was introduced as a judge. Andreas Marks, Curator of the museum and highly credentialed in Japanese antiquities as well as art and display has judged all three years. This year Kathy and Andreas judged as a two man team. The judging from my point of view was very different without the strict Keido rules. Kathy seemed to judge more from the heart, rather than from a written set of rules.
As far as the difference between Seki Kazari and Toko Kazari, as far as what I have studied as well as heard from those more in the know than I is that with Toko Kazari far more weight is thrown towards the display as a whole rather than the weight of any one piece. Bringing the best tree possible to this display contest is not a sure fire winner in the eyes of the jusdges if everything else in the display does not harmonize.
At Kokufu which displays on a raised platform with Tatami but no enclosure, we are allowed to display as many as five items if we wanted. The redunduncy could be overwhelming. I offer these two displays by two of the most accredited teachers in our state, yet the judges had many critiques of these diplays as offered. Mainly the use of two trees in a display. While this is common practise in Japan at most of the modern display venues it is not what we commonly do with what we are trying to achieve here. From my point of view this would be considered Seki Kazari. If the two are considered the same thing, then we in the west need to do a better job in defining what it is we are trying to do. There are many tree competitions around the country where the emphisis is on tree not "display". While the tree may be in a display, it is not the display being judged. Boon's yearly "Exhibit of fine Bonsai" comes to mind. Here bonsai are displayed Kokufu style with two trees and accents, and sometimes scrolls.
Many times the trees and accents and scrolls do not harmonize but the display is set up more as an asthetic to the technical aspects of the "trees" displayed.
I think there is a need for this sort of thing. I don't think it has to be so rooted in Japan to make it expressive here.
