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 into a very compelling overall shape.
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.
Bjorn Bjorholm is one of several talented Westerners (American in this case) that are currently apprenticing in Japan. We won’t say much more about him than we already have (here, here, here and here), except that the photos you see here present a sampling of some trees that he’s been putting up on facebook (most don’t belong to him, but you might assume he has worked on some of them, if not all of them). The ones I chose are similar in at least on regard; they are all somewhat unusual (a couple may even qualify as eccentric), at least to my eye.
I picked this one because it looks like a Tanuki (Phoenix graft), but it’s not (Bjorn is explicate about this). Other than that, it’s a great tree that is distinguished by flowing lines enhanced by the open cascading crown.
Speaking of unusual…
I like this tree. It’s unlike most bunjin style bonsai with its almost completely straight trunk. But then there’s all that movement in the branches and the curlicued jin at the top. It’s a Japanese red pine from Bjorn’s personal collection.
Would you call this tree a bunjin? Whatever you call it, at least two unusual features stand out. There’s that hard-to-miss loop in the middle and then there’s that strange, convention-defying jin that juts out to the right. While we’re on the subject of jins, the little hanging one on the left is just so sweet. Which begs the question…
All of the photos in this post have been borrowed from Bjorn Bjorholm’s facebook photos.
Begs what question?
Hi John,
Begs what question? Thanks for asking and I guess that was a little obscure (intentionally just to see if anyone would ask). The question is, should the jin that juts out to the right be removed which (I believe) would enhance the sweet little jin on the left.