The Origins and Early Milestones of BSF

In November 1970, John Naka made his first bonsai trip east to conduct a workshop for the Lighthouse Bonsai Society.

BSF was formed out of necessity because these early clubs wanted to host an International Bonsai Congress and the only way to do it was to get practice. On Saturday, September 15, 1973, in Tampa, Florida, delegates from the ten established Florida bonsai societies came to the organizational meeting of the Bonsai Societies of Florida (BSF), and the first Florida State bonsai convention was organized and held by BSF later that same year. Then on July 2 – 6, 1975, in Miami, Florida, BSF hosted the International Bonsai Congress ’75. Since then, BCI has returned twice for their annual convention, and in 1993, it was held in conjunction with the World Bonsai Friendship Federation’s World Bonsai Convention.

As the first statewide bonsai organization in the United States, BSF was asked to provide help and guidance to California bonsai enthusiasts who wanted to form a similar organization. The same was true when the delegates of various bonsai clubs in the southeastern United States wanted to form a regional organization, the Southeastern Bonsai Federation, which covers some ten states.