勝讓謙 (Masaru Ken)

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Marcial Yuste Blasco (artistic name Masaru Ken 勝讓謙) is a bonsai and suiseki master, researcher, and Director of the Sagunt-En Traditional School (Spain). With more than twenty-three years of professional dedication to bonsai and over fifteen years devoted to suiseki, he focuses on the study, preservation, and transmission of traditional Japanese arts. His background in Physical Geography, ecology, and field naturalism informs his approach to both disciplines. Since 2022 he has followed the path of Keidō Katayama-ryū under the direct guidance of the III Iemoto Kunio Kobayashi (小林國雄, Ippū 一風), through his studies at the Shunkaen Bonsai Museum in Tokyo. In October 2026, during his second in-person stay at Shunkaen, he received from Ippū the character 謙 (Ken, "humility") as part of his artistic name, 勝讓謙 (Masaru Ken), together with the formal transmission document (伝授之書, Denju no sho) and the lineage record of the school, in recognition of his place as a direct disciple within the lineage. His work brings together artistic practice, historical research, and the Keidō approach to displaying nature. As Director of the Sagunt-En Traditional School, he has taught students across Europe and Latin America and regularly lectures at national and international conventions. He is also a regular contributor to leading bonsai and suiseki publications, including BCI Bonsai & Stone Appreciation, Bonsai Focus, Bonsai Today International, Suiseki Journal, Esprit Bonsai International, and European Suiseki Magazine.