FEATURED BOOK REVIEW

Associazione Italiana Amatori Suiseki. 180 pages, No ISBN.

In late October 2024, the AIAS held its 27th annual congress and exhibition in Martina Franca in Puglia Italy. The annual meetings are held in different regions of Italy and are typically hosted by a local bonsai club. Once again, the AIAS staged an exceptional display of 83 stone displays. A remarkable diversity of fine stones was exhibited. The rocks were assigned to one of five broad categories: landscape, object, biseki, contemplative, and multiple stones.   

This year, viewing stone connoisseur Martin Pauli, an artist and maker of fine watches, from Switzerland was the honored guest and judge. Once the judging was completed and awards presented, Pauli led a walking tour of the exhibit and comments on each stone for the participants. This volume has a detailed account of the evaluation system Pauli used to judge the exhibition. This system is based on Japanese standards for displaying suiseki in a tokonoma. He used a point-based system using twelve criteria.

This volume is a valuable reference for serious students of viewing stone appreciation. Attending one of the AIAS annual exhibitions is a treat and a good learning experience. Investing in a trip to Italy to attend their next exhibition in the future is highly recommended.