Michael Hagedorn went to Japan in 2003 to apprentice under bonsai master Shinji Suzuki. The lunacy and revelations of apprentice life were detailed in his anecdotal book, Post-Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk.
On returning from Japan three years later, in 2006, he settled near Portland, Oregon to create, teach, and write about bonsai. Michael runs the Seasonal program in his studio for bonsai enthusiasts of every level, and is a founding member of the Portland Bonsai Village. His efforts with the Village are focused on promoting excellence and inspiring bonsai enthusiasts nationally and internationally.
Photo: Greg Brenden
Portland’s Version of Omiya Bonsai Village…
Something I’m very excited about these days is the beginning of a fledgling professional bonsai community here in Portland, Oregon, which is just stretching its wings. In addition to myself we have Ryan Neil who came back from Japan in 2010 and has already made a spectacular start with headlining at the Noelanders event in Belgium, has taught in Italy, and has settled in the Portland area. When we were apprentices in Japan we joked one night on the phone about creating an Omiya village in Portland, after our terms of indentured servitude were finished. I think after talking we both pondered that a bit, and found it to be not such a dumb idea.
And it appears to be happening: Matt Reel will also be joining us in a year or so, following his almost 5 years now with S. Suzuki. We will have several bonsai artists in one city who’ve done significant time in Japan under a couple of its finest masters, Masahiko Kimura and Shinji Suzuki, working together to create a viable professional community and outreach. We hope you’ll stay tuned for the events we will have in the near future! It’s going to be an exciting future here in Portland… and we hope you’ll come visit.
Interview in Stone Lantern’s blog, Bonsaibark:
http://bonsaibark.com/2009/02/24/michael-hagedorn-interview-part-1/
Paragraphs from interviews:
‘I like the diversity of people who seem drawn to bonsai. And it is gratifying to see students get excited about taking things to another level. I’d say the only hard part is teaching in a workshop type of situation where the concept of a ‘good tree’ is difficult to teach. It is almost like trying to understand Michelangelo’s ‘David’ from photos. I was thirteen when I saw the ‘David’ in Italy and discovered that it was huge. His David was a giant. I would have never gotten that by looking at a photo, but it hits you in the gut when you’re there. Not book knowledge. Likewise, we can’t really learn the essential points of bonsai from reading, and we can’t learn what a good tree is by seeing a photo or talking about it—we have to see it in person. So I’ve been changing my style of teaching a bit. I prefer to be teaching the way I learned at my master’s place, by standing in front of a good tree. I think this is the best way to learn. We learn ten times as fast. So I am working on gathering a ‘teaching’ collection so that I can teach from my backyard.’
‘…also I would say to students: Bonsai is best when the artist is invisible. This is like a puppet show; we should not be seen. So that whenever we get the impulse to be in front of the curtain rather than behind it, remember to keep technique minimal, and be content with playing a supporting role to a tree. And then, one of the wonderful things about bonsai is that our medium eventually takes over possession of itself once more, and it is no longer a fingerprint of an artist, but is simply a tree again. The evidence of its creation has long since disappeared. That’s magical!’
