RAKUYO-en is a home for deciduous bonsai in the United States. Founded amongst a coniferous-centered bonsai community, RAKUYO aims to promote the world of deciduous trees and the rarely-taught techniques associated with them. From growing the traditional Japanese deciduous classics to pioneering American native deciduous species, RAKUYO promotes the substantial variety of trees, shrubs and vines that the world of deciduous bonsai has to offer. As a school and garden, RAKUYO BONSAI strives for a natural elegance and organic beauty in the ramification of our works.
RAKUYO (落葉) is a Japanese word that translates to 'deciduous, fallen leaves'.
Andrew Robson
Andrew Robson is an award winning deciduous artist in the American bonsai community. He completed a 3 year apprenticeship with Michael Hagedorn, after graduating from Yale University. Andrew also studied shohin bonsai display with Daisaku Nomoto, an award-winning Japanese shohin master and judge at Gafu-ten. Andrew is the President of the Bonsai Society of Portland, the largest bonsai club in the United States. He regularly exhibits work at the Portland Japanese Garden and lectures at the garden's Japanese Arts Learning Center. Andrew is a host of the Bonsai Wire Podcast and regularly creates new episodes with the other hosts and prominent figures in the bonsai community. Andrew resides at his deciduous garden RAKUYO-en with his golden retriever Bailey, where he teaches and shares the art of deciduous bonsai.
Education
Jeffrey Robson
Jeffrey Robson is Andrew's father and the garden manager at Rakuyo-en. He has served as President of the Bonsai Society of Greater St. Louis and Secretary of the Bonsai Society of Portland. He has a passion for sharing the art of bonsai, and gives tours of the garden to weekly visitors from around the world. He has a passion for shohin bonsai and is a caretaker of the garden when Andrew is away on work travel.
Garden Dog - Bailey
Born in 2020, Bailey is a female golden retriever and is our first garden dog at RAKUYO. Bailey has been at RAKUYO since the beginning, helping to build the greenhouse, benches and shade cloth structures. She is overly friendly and loves to share the garden with students and visitors, and enjoys protecting the garden from the devious neighborhood squirrels.