Tag Archives: Japanese bonsai

Dragon Ascending

What appear to be roots growing out of a long hollow on the side of trunk, creates a very unusual and fascinating effect. The rest of the tree isn’t half bad either and the flute player adds a playful human quality and contributes to a sense of vastness. The photo, which is courtesy of Robert [...]

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Still the Best

When I first saw this tree I thought it might be a Yew. But, the bark isn’t right, and even the foliage, though close, isn’t quite right either. Fortunately, Peter Tea solved the problem in his 2011 Taikan-ten Exhibition post. Peter’s caption reads: “This Yew Hemlock caught many peoples attention. It made sense that it [...]

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Cold Mountain Bonsai

At first glance I was drawn to this tree. Later, I wasn’t so sure. But then, after a long slow look, I came back to my first thought; the spectacular pot, the deeply striated bark and the tree’s overall simplicity and naturalness won me over. Have we been overly influenced by Japanese bonsai? When I [...]

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What About Deciduous Bonsai?

You can find this magnificent elm and other seriously stupendous deciduous bonsai at Andy Rutledge’s The Bonsai Journal in an article by Andy with photos by Boon Manakitivipart. In a bonsai world dominated by conifers and tropicals… …it’s a good idea to remember the wonder of deciduous bonsai. Okay, this may be an overstatement, but [...]

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That Old Argument Resurfaces

Hinoki cypress by Dan Robinson. From Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees. An excellent example of a naturalistic bonsai. Judging from your comments… There are two ways we can gauge reader interest. One is by the number of visits to a particular post (our host keeps track for us), and the other is your comments. Judging from [...]

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Nature, Picasso & the Hand of Man

Here’s an exquisite, powerful old tree that features some wild twists and turns. I found it here. My guess is it’s a Shimpaku juniper that was originally collected in the mountains of Japan. A further guess is that it fell into the hands of one of the Japanese masters. One more guess; it was professionally [...]

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Classic Flowering Bonsai of Japan

Japanese apricot (Latin-Prunus mume: Japanese-Ume). From Classic Bonsai of Japan (Nippon Bonsai Association). My apologies for cutting off the bottom of the pot; my scanner couldn’t quite fit the whole photo. Japan and flowering bonsai The Japanese have long revered flowering trees and flowering bonsai. So much so, that they often overlook what you might [...]

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Bonsai Evolution: Display

The two photos in this post were taken at the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum in Japan. You can view the uncropped originals and other photos from the Museum at Bonsai Network Japan. Evolution.? Has bonsai evolved as it has moved from Japan (and China) to the rest of the world? If you look at experimentation [...]

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A Touch of Bonsai Sweetness

A flowering cherry from one of our mystery Japanese books. Check out the pot; there are two things you might notice. First, it’s unglazed, which is unusual with flowering trees (especially in Japan), and second, it’s hand-made rough. Maybe it was chosen because its earthy naturalness goes well with the color and natural aged feel [...]

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Bonsai by the Thousands

Talk about maximizing space. This photo is from somewhere in Japan via BonsaiNet on facebook. If it weren’t the guy on the right, you might think we’re somewhere in the 19th century. This one, also from BonsaiNet, has a caption: Kanuma & Abe bonsai nurseries. Share

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