A Perfect Example of What Great Ramification Looks Like & a Series of Excellent How-to Illustrations

You have your own eyes so there’s no need for me to say much. Except that this photo appeared here on Bark last spring in a post titled The One Percent (.001 percent would be more accurate). It’s a Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) that received the coveted Kokufu prize at the 88th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition (the oldest and most prestigious bonsai exhibition in the world). Aside from its overall magnificence, this tree provides a perfect example of what great ramification looks like (made even more obvious by the bright rusty-red leaf buds). The photo is from the World Bonsai Friendship Federation. … Continue reading A Perfect Example of What Great Ramification Looks Like & a Series of Excellent How-to Illustrations

Two Masterpieces by Saburo Kato

Ezo spruce (Picea glehnii) was Saburo Kato’s favorite tree. This one is from an untranslated Japanese book on Mr. Kato’s bonsai that his son Hatsuji sent us in appreciation for the gift we (Stone Lantern) sent Mr. Kato’s family when he passed away last year. I picked this one for a couple reasons. First, there’s the dead tree. You see dead trees in bonsai forests occasionally, but not that often. In nature however, dead trees abound, so why not put them in you bonsai plantings? The other feature that strikes me is the lush forest floor. I don’t know if … Continue reading Two Masterpieces by Saburo Kato