Here I am, outside a church, holding my newest acquisition, won at the latest Shofu Bonsai Society’s auction. I love auctions, you can find so many deals.

It’s a Pinus thunbergii var. “mikawa”. A Japanese black pine that’s a variety called “mikawa”. What’s special about them? Well, Mikawa, capitalized, is the name of a province in Japan, and that’s also probably why the variety is named that.

It’s known for getting mature bark sooner, and, therefore, on smaller, specimens.

It was said at the auction that the tree was originally styled by Suthin Sukosolvisit, one of, if not the, best stylists and artists in the USA. Suthin’s original website was my go-to when I first started bonsai. He is the best developer of tropical stock bonsai, in my opinion, anywhere. And considering he lives in Massachusetts (literally a few miles from where I spent my formative years in Brockton) that’s…