Bjorn Bjorholm | |
---|---|
Born | 1986 |
Known for | Bonsai |
Spouse | Nanxi Chen |
Website | http://bjornbjorholm.com/ |
Bjorn Bjorholm ( /ˈbjɔːrn ˈbjɔːrhoʊm/; born 1986) is an American professional bonsai artist and educator. He is the founder and owner of Eisei-en Bonsai Garden, which as of early 2024, is in the process of relocating from Mount Juliet, Tennessee, to Kyoto, Japan. [1]
Bjorholm was born in 1986 and grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee. At the early age of 13, he received his first bonsai tree inspired by the movie " The Karate Kid." Although the tree was dead within a few months, Bjorholm was hooked on the Japanese artform, which would prove to be his life's calling. [2] In 2001, he and his father, Tom Bjorholm, founded the Knoxville Bonsai Society. [2] [3] [4]
At age 16, Bjorholm visited Japan as part of a student group. There, he met bonsai master Keiichi Fujikawa who will later become his teacher and mentor. [2] Before beginning a formal apprenticeship, Bjorholm studied the artform with several bonsai professionals in the United States. [5]
After graduating from college in 2008 at age 22, Bjorholm applied and became an apprentice under Keiichi Fujikawa at Kouka-en Bonsai Nursery in Osaka, Japan. [2] [5] He apprenticed for six years before becoming certified as a bonsai professional by the Nippon Bonsai Association. Thereafter, he worked as an artist-in-residence at Kouka-en, making him Japan's first foreign-born working bonsai artist. [6] As part of his job at Kouka-en, Bjorholm styled and maintained many trees registered as "masterpiece" by Japan's Nippon Bonsai Association, and other important trees that would subsequently enter the prestigious Kokufu-ten bonsai exhibition, Japan's premier showcase of the artform. [7]
Upon his return to the United States, in 2018, Bjorholm established Eisei-en ( Japanese: 永青園) Bonsai Garden in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, where he teaches bonsai, styles and cares for privately-owned trees and for his own collection, and sells and brokers bonsai for a discerning clientele. [8] [9] [10]
As part of his work spreading bonsai art, Bjorholm has an active YouTube channel with a base of over 200,000 subscribers around the world, [11] as well as a subscription-based online learning platform, Bonsai-U. [12]
In 2019, Bjorholm dealt several bonsai trees for the Government of the United Arab Emirates, which the nation gave as gifts to various recipients, including the Central Intelligence Agency. [13] [14]
In early September 2023, Bjorholm announced that he will be permanently relocating with his family to Kyoto, Japan, in mid-2024. As a result, his Tennessee-based bonsai garden, Eisei-en, will close and he will establish Eisei-en Kyoto, his new bonsai garden. Bjorholm will continue to operate his online learning platform, Bonsai-U. [15]
Bjorn Bjorholm | |
---|---|
Born | 1986 |
Known for | Bonsai |
Spouse | Nanxi Chen |
Website | http://bjornbjorholm.com/ |
Bjorn Bjorholm ( /ˈbjɔːrn ˈbjɔːrhoʊm/; born 1986) is an American professional bonsai artist and educator. He is the founder and owner of Eisei-en Bonsai Garden, which as of early 2024, is in the process of relocating from Mount Juliet, Tennessee, to Kyoto, Japan. [1]
Bjorholm was born in 1986 and grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee. At the early age of 13, he received his first bonsai tree inspired by the movie " The Karate Kid." Although the tree was dead within a few months, Bjorholm was hooked on the Japanese artform, which would prove to be his life's calling. [2] In 2001, he and his father, Tom Bjorholm, founded the Knoxville Bonsai Society. [2] [3] [4]
At age 16, Bjorholm visited Japan as part of a student group. There, he met bonsai master Keiichi Fujikawa who will later become his teacher and mentor. [2] Before beginning a formal apprenticeship, Bjorholm studied the artform with several bonsai professionals in the United States. [5]
After graduating from college in 2008 at age 22, Bjorholm applied and became an apprentice under Keiichi Fujikawa at Kouka-en Bonsai Nursery in Osaka, Japan. [2] [5] He apprenticed for six years before becoming certified as a bonsai professional by the Nippon Bonsai Association. Thereafter, he worked as an artist-in-residence at Kouka-en, making him Japan's first foreign-born working bonsai artist. [6] As part of his job at Kouka-en, Bjorholm styled and maintained many trees registered as "masterpiece" by Japan's Nippon Bonsai Association, and other important trees that would subsequently enter the prestigious Kokufu-ten bonsai exhibition, Japan's premier showcase of the artform. [7]
Upon his return to the United States, in 2018, Bjorholm established Eisei-en ( Japanese: 永青園) Bonsai Garden in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, where he teaches bonsai, styles and cares for privately-owned trees and for his own collection, and sells and brokers bonsai for a discerning clientele. [8] [9] [10]
As part of his work spreading bonsai art, Bjorholm has an active YouTube channel with a base of over 200,000 subscribers around the world, [11] as well as a subscription-based online learning platform, Bonsai-U. [12]
In 2019, Bjorholm dealt several bonsai trees for the Government of the United Arab Emirates, which the nation gave as gifts to various recipients, including the Central Intelligence Agency. [13] [14]
In early September 2023, Bjorholm announced that he will be permanently relocating with his family to Kyoto, Japan, in mid-2024. As a result, his Tennessee-based bonsai garden, Eisei-en, will close and he will establish Eisei-en Kyoto, his new bonsai garden. Bjorholm will continue to operate his online learning platform, Bonsai-U. [15]