The San Francisco Suiseki Kai will present its 27th annual exhibition on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 3-4, from 10 a.m. at the Union Bank of California Hospitality Room, located in the Japan Center's Miyako Mall, Post and Buchanan streets in San Francisco (enter from Peace Plaza).

Suiseki are stones that suggest natural scenes, such as mountains, lakes, plateaus or waterfalls. The stones should not be modified and are displayed as found in nature, although in practice sometimes a single cut is made to enhance the proportions and balance of the stone.

Suiseki are usually displayed on carved wooden bases (daiza) or in shallow ceramic or metal trays (suiban). Stones for suiseki are generally of medium hardness, with no jagged edges, and dark colors are preferred. In California, suitable stones are found in several rivers and lakes, and some desert areas.

The display and appreciation of natural stones was introduced to Japan from China some 1,400 years ago and was gradually adapted to Japanese taste and culture. By the Muromachi period (1338-1573), suiseki was associated with Zen Buddhism and the tea ceremony, but starting in the Meiji period (1868-1912), appreciation of suiseki spread to the broader populace.

Suiseki was introduced to California in the 1960s by Japanese Americans who were active in Japanese cultural activities, especially bonsai. Among those pioneers was Yukikichi Hirotsu from the Bay Area.

San Francisco Suiseki Kai was founded in 1981 with Hirotsu as instructor. He was followed by Eiko Iwasaki, Koujirou Iwasaki, Ben Yoshikawa and Ben Nanjo, who is currently the president of the club. Members meet regularly for study class and stone collecting (tanseki), and hold regular exhibitions at the Japan Center.