It is my honor to post the pictures of the Komai Bench which set in the Bonsai Court at the Huntington Library. This past weekend a small dedication ceremony was held for the Komai for the support and progressive teaching of bonsai in the Southern California region. They are the a pillar of bonsai in Southern California amoung legends like Frank Nagata and John Naka.
I personally did not have the opportunity to meet either Khan or Kay Komai in person. But from I gathered from the our club and other senior members of other clubs the Komai's nursery was the hub of learned from the 70's-80's in the San Gabriel Valley area. People from Lindsay Shiba, Jim Barret and Ted Matson have gone through there and many others.
This bench will represent the foundation that they have set forth many years ago to encourage and support the art of bonsai in California.
The bench is made up of three large granite slabs and adds a place in the bonsai court to slow down and admire the work done years ago by past Southern California artist. The bench miniumist and subtle and matches the bonsai or japanese garden very well. It seems to me it has always been here since the beginning. The next time you visit the bonsai court at the Huntington Library you will always have a place to sit and enjoy the view.