Ask any bonsai aficionado to name the most famous bonsai in North America, and the answer will almost certainly be "Goshin." Indeed, it is one of the most widely recognized examples of the art form in the world. A masterpiece begun in 1958 by the legendary bonsai master John Naka (1914–2004), "Goshin," or Guardian of the Spirit, is a forest-style planting of 11 Foemina junipers (Juniperus chinensis'Foemina'). Each tree represents one of Naka's grandchildren. The upright trunks and outstretched branches evoke a sense of hope in the promise of the future.
But the roots of “Goshin” sprang from Southern California soil. Naka, a Nisei (second generation) Japanese American, spent most of his adult life in the Los Angeles area, raising his family and making a name in the world of bonsai while teaching and promoting the art. Juniper specimens acquired in the region, painstakingly nurtured and trained for decades, were transformed into a verdant forest under his patient touch. And the earliest acclaim for “Goshin” came during bonsai exhibitions at local venues such as The Huntington—events organized by the California Bonsai Society, a group that Naka helped found. So, when his masterpiece departed its home turf for a new life in Washington, D.C., the California bonsai community mourned the loss.
Enter “Goshin II” and “Goshin III.” Naka’s students and fellow bonsai artists clamored for him to recreate his famous work, recalls Ted Matson, curator of the bonsai collection at The Huntington, who studied under Naka himself.
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images:
“Goshin III,” one of two replicas Naka created, in a photo taken in The Huntington’s Bonsai Court in 2009.
Jack Sustic (left) assisted John Naka (right) in replicating his famous bonsai, “Goshin,” in 2000. An earlier replica of "Goshin" had been planted in 1999. Photo courtesy of Jack Sustic.
John Naka’s bonsai masterpiece “Goshin” (Guardian of the Spirit) is the centerpiece of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum’s John Y. Naka North American Pavilion in Washington, D.C. But the roots of “Goshin” are firmly planted in Southern California soil, and it has a special connection to The Huntington. Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Arboretum.
