When Can You Call It Bunjin?

Bunjin (aka Literati), a style you don’t see too much in the West. I think it’s difficult to do bunjin properly. It defies our tendency to fill up space. Adding rather than subtracting, where subtracting all the way down to bare bones seems to be one of the keys. There’s much more, but I’m not that versed in the topic, so we’ll leave it at that This is the third consecutive day of our virtual visit to Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai. Today it’s some pines in Michael’s portfolio that caught my eye. Though it started unintentionally, there’s a progression based … Continue reading When Can You Call It Bunjin?

The Cutting Edge of Bonsai Innovation

The play of light and shadow… This photo is from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. Here’s part of the machine translation… “Japanese yew, Autumn Special Exhibition: Contemporary Bonsai Masters: Masahiko Kimura; Playing with Bonsai, the Origin of His Works” You can read more and see other masterpiece bonsai photos here Even though I think he’s fallen a little out of favor in some circles, I’m still a fan of Masahiko Kimura’s bonsai. For years his wildly innovative techniques and his visionary’s eye, combined with a healthy does of daring, produced results at the cutting edge (so to speak) of bonsai innovation. Now, forty some … Continue reading The Cutting Edge of Bonsai Innovation

Calligraphy & the Origins of Bonsai

Calligraphy anyone? I don’t know if calligraphy was on Mario Komsta’s mind when he styled this remarkable tree. I do know that there was a time when bonsai that looked like calligraphy was popular and that many scholars agree that bonsai was, in part at least, inspired by the calligraphy of the old Chinese masters. This is especially true of literati style bonsai (bunjin in Japanese). Headed out of town this morning, so we’ll make this quick and easy. This post originally appeared here on Bark in 2013. I started out to continue our Hornbeam series, but got distracted by … Continue reading Calligraphy & the Origins of Bonsai

Wild & Wonderful Bonsai, but No Tanuki Please

A couple things qualify this bonsai as unusual. First, as you can see, it’s got all kind of lines looping and jutting in an almost chaotic fashion. But there’s a method to the madness. All the loops and juts not only add interest and excitement, but they come together in a way that creates both balance and tension. Second is the fact that it’s a Procumbens juniper. A species that you don’t see that often as specimen level bonsai. You do see a lot of dwarf Procumbens as little beginners’ trees here in north America, but that’s another story. Yesterday’s … Continue reading Wild & Wonderful Bonsai, but No Tanuki Please

Bunjin Wizard

Triple trunk bunjin. I’ve long had a soft spot for trees with long straight trunks, topped with dynamic flowing curves. Exactly like this one. Which, along with the other two trees shown here, was styled by Naoki Maeoka. After close up. A good view of how the flowing lines at the top of each trunk are carried over onto the branches. Before. Triple trunk bunjin. You don’t see that many triple trunk bunjin (literati) bonsai. Especially ones as elegant as the one above. It, and the others shown here, belong to Naoki Maeoka. Bunjin wizard. Naoki Maeoka is a resident … Continue reading Bunjin Wizard

20 Thoughts on Bunjin Bonsai – Without a Doubt the Best Discussion We’ve Ever Had

Would you call this a Bunjin style bonsai? Whatever you call it, you don’t see too many bonsai that look like this. Even most bunjin are not quite like this; most are conifers and most don’t have such a meandering array of multiple trunks, especially multiple crossing trunks. And then there’s the leaf size (is this a Sumac?). Without a doubt… Back to our the archives. But not to just any old post; this one from 2012 provoked what was and still is, without a doubt, the best discussion we’ve ever had (in six and a half years and over … Continue reading 20 Thoughts on Bunjin Bonsai – Without a Doubt the Best Discussion We’ve Ever Had

More Bonsai Color & a Snake About to Strike

This is one of those azaleas that would look good even without the flowers. Speaking of the flowers, I suspect the photo has been shopped a bit as the color is a little too bright. You can find this and the other four photos shown here (along with a couple dozen others) at the Akademia Bonsai web gallery. We’ve been featuring a lot of color lately, especially Satsuki azaleas in bloom and the response has been very positive, so here are a couple more azaleas for your enjoyment and some fall color as well (apologies for those of you who … Continue reading More Bonsai Color & a Snake About to Strike

Today Is a Good Day to Hug a Bonsai… or even a Local Bonsai Friend

You may have already seen this magnificent landscape Penjing. Here on Bark, on Bill Valavanis’ blog or any number of other places. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist (or a bonsai master) to figure out why it’s so popular. All the photos in this post were borrowed from Bill Valavanis Bonsai Blog. Today is the big day. World Bonsai Day, a celebration of the art of bonsai that originated with the World Bonsai Friendship Federation. World Bonsai Day is held annually on the second Saturday of each May (you can check out yesterday’s Bark post for some background). … Continue reading Today Is a Good Day to Hug a Bonsai… or even a Local Bonsai Friend

NEW Bonsai Book: Literati Style Penjing

Penjing Master Zhao Qingquan’s long awaited Literati Style Penjing, Chinese Bonsai Masterworks has arrived and is available at Stone Lantern. At a glance, we’ll give it five stars. Upon further examination, we’ll still give it five stars. I haven’t been this excited about a new bonsai book for a long time. The problem is, we have been writing copy for so long that we’ve exhausted all the superlatives; sometimes on books that don’t begin to measure up to this one. So, instead of saying much more, we’ll just borrow from the publisher: “Overview … the Japanese art of creating miniature … Continue reading NEW Bonsai Book: Literati Style Penjing

Two Bonsai Critiques by Robert Steven

Robert Steven’s simulation of a Ficus that was submitted by Yessi Ariesta (see before photo below). It has been a while since we’ve featured a Robert Steven critique and now, out of the blue, we’re blessed with two. The first tree is somewhat dramatic as are Robert’s changes. The second tree is much simpler and that simplicity is carried over with more subtle changes. For years now Robert Steven has been remarkably generous with his free critiques (the word free should be emphasized; what other world renowned bonsai artist and teacher offers something like this?). So why not take advantage … Continue reading Two Bonsai Critiques by Robert Steven