To my eyes, this is a stupendous tree. So stupendous that nothing more needs to be said and you need not read any further… unless you need help seeing the obvious. If you do need help, then you might notice that when you combine this tree’s unusually generous size and spread with its highly refined ramification (all the way out to the tiniest twigs), the aged character written on the surface of the trunk and the clutch of its many fingered nebari (on a lesser tree this nebari would completely steal the show); its easy to see that it’s much more than just a bonsai with a thick trunk. And then there’s the simple elegance of the pot, a perfect choice for a perfect tree. The artist of this prize winning Ficus microcarpa is Zhou, Yu-Chuan. It’s from the Collection of all Taiwan Bonsai Exhibitions, by Taiwan Bonsai World (Albums) on facebook.
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The trunk development and twig ramification are indeed impressive; however when I look at this I think the pot choice stands room for improvement. It looks both too shallow and narrow and I think the colour is off…I keep looking at the pot, rather than the tree. Of course, it looks like the tree might have been defoliated recently – the image would no doubt change when in full leaf. These are just my thoughts on it though.
I agree with Jeff. Stunning tree, lovely pot but I don’t think they belong together.
Hi Jeff and Ann,
I think you hit the nail on the head when defoliation-full leaf comment. The profusion of lush bright emerald foliage that we can only imagine now, will play quite well with the blue of the pot. I agree about the size of the pot, but surprisingly small show-pots seem to be the trend these days,
Wayne,
This is a huge tree. There is nothing small about it. Mr. Zhou is a grand master in ficus creation. This tree has been featured in the Taiwan Bonsai Creators association show, as well as the Hwa Fong. Tropical bonsai is totally different. It cannot be viewed in the Japanese perspective. The choice of pot, including size and color, is correct for this tree. Lujing (Robin’s egg) glaze is quite popular in Taiwan. The picture really does not capture the glaze well. None of the darker colored spots are visible.
On another note, this pot is of chinese manufacture. MAny japanese bonsai masters have actually ordered pots similar to this one for satsuki azaleas, carpinus, trident maples and many other decidious trees.
Kind regards,
Jose Luis
Hi Jose,
Thanks as always for sharing your wealth of information about Taiwanese bonsai. And agreed about the pot color, though too bad it doesn’t show the finer points.