One of a Series of April Fools' Day Articles Posted on bonsaiTALK
Al Keppler Enthusiast Profile
Al is an interesting young man and something of a study in contrasts. It is not every day that one can take a guy from central California and iconoclastic taste and mesh well with the storied and stoic realm of Japan's most famous bonsai artist, Hasamiko Komura, but that's just what Al Keppler has done. with DR editor, Dandy Rootage
Al Keppler: Bribes. Bribery has been the key to all. Just as the moment when I decided to dedicate my life to the art of bonsai, watching the slides of Mr. Komura's works I immediately understood that he could be bought, and that with money, I could control him. I started the study of bonsai at 36, and after five years, I pretty much knew it all. I learned fast, outgrew my teacher within a year, and got to the point where I thought I could teach Komura a thing or two. I was so determined that I went to Mr. Komura's house. He had a big fence and gate, and I couldn't really sit on the porch or anything, but I would just kind of hang out and wait. I didn't see him for the first week. Every morning the maid came out to tell me to go away, and once she threw a big pail of fish parts on me. After two weeks of this treatment, these guys stopped by in loud jackets, and threw me in the trunk of a rented car. They drove me for hours and dumped me out in a slum outside Tokyo. It took me a few weeks to find my way back, but I knew when I got there I would be accepted into his garden. Besides, I knew where his family lived. DR: That was a big chance! Was it difficult to get Mr. Komura to accept you into his nursery? AK: I couldn't suggest a recipe for being accepted into Komura's garden, but the ingredients I used were: daily dedication, and a fast buck, and having some dirt on somebody doesn't hurt. As with anyone, I had my trial period. It took about five weeks, but the most difficult thing is not to become one of his students, but to keep my sanity. I always called Mr. Komura "Oyakata" which, in Japanese, means "the big Oya" So perhaps it has not been so easy for him either. DR: Was your experience there what you expected? Describe an average day for you, working in the nursery. AK: From 8:30 am to 11:00 pm for 30 days a month. When I was the youngest student I used to work for more than 90 days uninterrupted. Later, I got two days off per month, and I was glad. Usually, until 10:30, I clean the workshop, garden, tokonoma hall, the toilet, I checked the level of the water for the koi pond, water the bonsai, etc... After a couple weeks, I told Komura to clean his own d*mn toilet. I could tell he appreciated my opinion, because the guys in the loud suits came back the very next day to discuss it. I'll never forget, however, for the rest of my life the evenings spent with the master, assisting him with difficult tasks, like clipping his toenails. Every day I was waiting for that moment to give a sense of meaning to my life in Japan. DR: Do you live at the nursery or do you have an apartment? AK: The system is different for all of the gardens. Some students live with their master in the same house and they share their life with him 24 hours a day. Other students are still living with their families. In my case, I had to find an apartment very close to the garden. Since there weren't any available, (or that's what they said whenever I came knocking) I had to live in an alleyway. DR: How long do you plan to stay in Japan? AK: After more than three years, I'm finished with my apprenticeship with Mr. Komura. That doesn't mean that I've decided to stop learning, but I'll be pretty broke by then. In the last three years I've tried to build the base of knowledge which, from now on, I'll use daily in the bonsai world, or maybe as a janitor. I haven't quite made up my mind.
I truly think that this is just the beginning of everything. When you work alone, your master is with you... is in your heart, hands and eyes so you could shape a tree in the dark, and sometimes I did, but you will always know that you belong to his school and it will carry through to your works. Basically, the master owns your ass. DR: When you begin styling a tree, what do first look for? AK: Before I set in to work, I try to understand the spirit of the raw material. I always try to learn as much as possible about the condition of the roots, the timing of the buds, if the tree has undergone any special treatments, etc. This goes on for hours before the work commences. It's usually very dark by then, so I put away my tools and go inside. DR: For yourself...? Is there yet an Al Keppler "signature" style? AK: Of course. My bonsai are unmistakable. What a damn stupid question! DR: Sorry Al, is there any particular area of technique that you're working especially hard to improve now? AK: The wisest man in the world is the one who knows how to use somebody else. The most important thing that I learned from Mr. Komura is that in order to do good bonsai, you really have to be able to clean a toilet. Being a good bonsai pro doesn't mean just making beautiful bonsai, but knowing a lot of things about cleansers, sponges, those little scrubby brushes and how to keep the water blue and fresh. You must do your best to improve all of these areas because there are no limits to what we can still do if we apply ourselves. Mr. Komura made me appreciate that. DR: Do you have a favorite kind of material to work with? AK: As a professional I should say that the nylon bristled toilet scrubbers work the best. I tried using natural bristle brushes, but they were hard to clean. DR: Any final thoughts? AK: er, No. DR: Thanks for your time, Al. * Copyright © 2002 Bonsai / DR Journal. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, transmitted, stored or reproduced in any way without written permission from the publisher.
Al Keppler - Bonsai Enthusiast Profile
Dandy Rootage: How did your apprenticeship with Mr. Komura come about?
Al Keppler -
Bonsai Enthusiast
Every day at Komura's there were different jobs such as repotting, preparation for exhibition, cleaning, bowing, loading things, unloading things, building things, bowing, putting things up, cleaning, taking things down, bowing... half of the work in a bonsai garden is not bonsai work, but just stuff they try to get stupid foreigners to do. That didn't sit well with me.
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