Bonsai the Natural Way and the Hand of Man

My best guess is that this powerful old tree is a needle juniper (Juniperus rigida), though I can’t be sure. Whatever it is, it seems to posses an extraordinary number of separate live veins and a massive amount of deadwood to boot. It’s from Gyozan Nakano, Sakai: A 35 Year Anthology (not available in English). Nature and the hand of man Though the tree above is quite powerful and leagues above most bonsai, still, you might fine the busyness around its base (and other places) a little distracting. I’m not sure I’d do anything about it, as attempts to improve … Continue reading Bonsai the Natural Way and the Hand of Man

Master Potter Nakano Plus One Monterey Cypress

On the road again This is our second post from the road. This time it’s The Central California Coast with it’s gnarly wind-shaped Monterey cypresses. We’ll have more on those later after Amy and I have time to sort through hundred of photos. Meanwhile, here’s a few of Gyozan Nakano’s pots that I prepared before we left, plus one old natural bunjin cypress to whet your appetite. This little taste is pretty representative of what you might expect on California’s Central Coast. It’s from neartica.com by Charles Webber, California Academy of Sciences.

Master Potter: Gyozan Nakano

I don’t know who styled this wonderfully crazy azalea (I don’t read Japanese) but I do know that Master Potter Gyozan Nakano made the pot. A remarkable book about a remarkable potter Four years ago I was given a most remarkable book by the World Bonsai Friendship Federation, who received it courtesy of Masahiro Tokuo (President of Kindai Publishing). Since then, it has spent most of its time just sitting on my shelf, though occasionally I thumb through and marvel at the photos (and wish I could read Japanese). The book is about Master Potter Gyozan Nakano and consists mostly … Continue reading Master Potter: Gyozan Nakano