Caretakers of Sacramento’s tiny trees: Meet the oldest bonsai club in the US
The Sacramento Bonsai Club, which claims to be the oldest organization of its kind in the United States, celebrated its 79th annual Bonsai Show on Saturday at the Sacramento Buddhist Church in Land Park, featuring around 70 trees from across the region.
Since 1946, bonsai caretakers from Sacramento have shared their beloved trees and caretaking techniques with the club, which formed after the end of the Japanese Internment camps, said Lucy Sakaishi-Judd, the club’s president. The club was a place where Japanese people could socialize and meet one another, with meetings only being held in Japanese.
And like their trees, the members have cared for the club for generations . Even today, members continue to care for trees from deceased members, like Wayne and Brenda Schermerhorn. During the event, an in memoriam to Wayne and Brenda sat next to the two’s bonsai trees.
“We are the caretakers of the trees, not the owners,” Sakaishi-Judd said. “Because the trees are being passed on...(Wayne’s) daughter had brought pots, trees and stuff to me at my house and here to show to donate back to the club. So the members will take care of his trees.”
Sakaishi-Judd joined in 1991 and has served as president for the past five years. For her, the club has been a significant part of her family, with her mother and late husband also being members. With custom shirts and routine team photos, Sakaishi-Judd — who used to be a teacher and coach — runs the club “like a track team.”
“It’s fun. The enthusiasm of the people and the love of bonsai,” Sakaishi-Judd said. “Working together shows in any bonsai club.”
Paul Holtzen is the club’s vice president and first non-Japanese member. Holtzen started caring for bonsai as a student at UC Davis in the 1970s. Taking care of bonsai helped him relieve stress and became a beloved hobby. While attending his first meeting in 1985, he brought a friend to translate the meeting from Japanese to English. Eventually, the club began conducting their meetings in English.
Holtzen said there’s a misconception with bonsai trees. While most are impressed with its age, the true beauty of the trees is its craftsmanship. While it’s considered a gardening hobby, Holtzen said he considers it an art form.
“No two trees are alike,” Holtzen said. “Some people call it art in four dimensions, because you’ve got the regular three dimensions, and then you got the fourth dimension of time. Your tree is constantly changing over time.”
Today, Sakaishi-Judd said the majority of members aren’t Japanese, with the love of bonsai transcending race and culture. The club currently has 50 members, Sakaishi-Judd said.
The club is trying to recruit its next generations of members, Sakaishi-Judd added. The current membership is aging, and she said she’s trying to pass on her love for bonsai to her grandson or other younger members.
Stephany Ho, 37, was attending her first ever bonsai show at Saturday’s event. She recently took up caring for bonsai a “couple months ago,” she said.
“I like art and I think this is art. So I kind of wanted to challenge it,” Ho said.
