Bonsai Zen – Circles & Curves

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Zen pine. In some types of art (calligraphy comes to mind) shapes are often suggested rather than completed. The mind of the viewer does the rest. In the case of this pine, it's a circle (the way the raw power of the deadwood demands your attention cinches it). The tree and the photo belong to Mauro Stemberger. You can see more of Mauro's bonsai here, here and here.

Circles, semi circles and curves are today’s theme.

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Bonsai with long slow curves like this one tend to be out of favor, at least with some people, who might refer to this type curve to as a pigeon breast. In the case of this pine I think the deadwood that mirrors the curve creates interest and perhaps even make the pigeon breast more acceptable. The artist is Wlodzimierz Pietraszko. I believe we've featured this tree before but a quick Bark search comes up zero.

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Full circle. I don't know what kind of tree this is, but I'll bet you'll remember it if you ever see it again. I found it here.

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A snake about to strike. I'm not so sure this one fits our unusual curves theme, but if you follow the line from the base of the trunk to the tip of the deadwood, it's close enough. Once again (like the pine above), the artist is Wlodzimierz Pietraszko and this is at least the second time we've shown this tree.

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Bonsai Shohin Passion

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Shohin Japanese maple in early spring. Among other things that make this an outstanding bonsai is the way the shallow pot accentuates the trunk's impressive girth. The photo is from Roland Schatzer's new book, Bonsai Shohin Passion, as are all the photos in this post.

A while back we got an email from Bill Valavanis recommending we take a look at Roland Schatzer’s new book, Bonsai Shohin Passion. Soon after that Bill sent an introductory email to Roland and to us. The rest, as they say, is history.

Just in case you are new to bonsai, Shohin is ‘small thing’ in Japanese. Though there are no precise rules about what constitutes a shohin bonsai, 10″ (25cm) tall, or less, is a general rule of thumb.

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Shohin crabapple in bloom. As always the pot plays its part; this time it's the way the pot's color and texture play off the color and texture of the base of trunk and even the soil.

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This time the pot is more elegant; perfect for a tree with such elegant flowing deadwood.

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Bonsai Shohin Passion. Nice trees on the cover too.

Here’s an excellent video on how Bonsai Shohin Passion came into existence.

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We’ve Got a Bonsai Detective Winner and…

This image from our 2016 Bonsai Calendar has nothing to do with our Bonsai Detective Contest. Though you might note that our Contest is now officially over and that this beautiful calendar is now half price (as is our Japanese Garden Calendar).

We have a Bonsai Detective Contest winner. His name is Dane Smith. He submitted his correct answers (see below) in considerably less than an hour from the time the post went up (Stephen Moore submitted his correct answers only moments later).

Now the ten thousand of you who are emailing your answers can go back to your whatever else it is you like to do (but thanks!).

BTW: I now know that Image Search has made our Detective Contests obsolete. Some of us are slow to catch the curve.

Two Japanese icons (Mt Fuji & Cherry blossoms) from our 2016 Japanese Garden Calendar. Now half price at Stone Lantern.

Another image from our 2016 Bonsai Calendar. Just in case you missed it above it's now half price (as is our Japanese Garden Calendar).

Dane’s correct answers:

Continue reading We’ve Got a Bonsai Detective Winner and…

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The King of Bonsai

Full cascade Japanese black pine (Pinus thumbergii). Japanese for Black pine is Kuromatsu (kuro is black and matsu is pine).

Even though we posted this just four months ago, the title stuck me as appropriate for this national holiday (for some of us at least).

Japanese black pines are sometimes referred to a the king of bonsai. This may be in part due to their natural strength; they tend to have powerful trunks and thick lush foliage. Rugged bark doesn’t hurt either. King or not, the best of the black pines are undeniably among the most powerful bonsai in the world.

All the photos shown here are from the 89th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition that took place February 2015 in Tokyo. We found them at Michael Bonsai.

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Is this Black pine or a semi-cascade or full-cascade? What distinguishes full from semi-cascade, is full cascades reach below the bottom of the pot. In the case the lowest point is just barely below the bottom of the pot.

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Short, squat and powerful. Is that a trunk or a massive hunk of living wood with bark and branches?

Another powerful trunk, though this one has bit more of a trunk-like form. And then there are those prized deep furrows.

Another massive, strangely shaped trunk. Do you think the pot a bit too big for the tree?

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$100 Bonsai Detective Contest

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Tree #1 in our Bonsai Detective contest

Here’s a simple contest to amuse you while you wait for the spring growing season.

What you have to do to win
Find each tree on the internet and provide a link to it (linking this post isn’t acceptable, though other Bark posts are fair game). If you know the type tree and the owner or artist, please include them as well (this isn’t necessary to win the contest but is in keeping with our policy of attribution and identification).

The prize
The first person to provide links for all 12 trees will win a $100 gift certificate to Stone Lantern. If no one gets all twelve correct by the deadline, then the first person to get eleven correct will win (if you’ve come up with fewer than 11 links, please don’t submit them – see below).

The Deadline
The contest will run the end of the month (Sunday, January 31st at 11:59pm EST), unless someone gets them all correct before that time.

Email me
Your answers must be sent to me <wayne@stonelantern.com> (DON’T PUT YOUR ANSWERS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!). The subject line should say $100 Contest. If you can’t provide at least eleven links, please don’t email me (my inbox is already a local disaster).

Good luck!

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#12

Have you seen our amazing
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We are pleased to announce the arrival on the U.S. market of an essential tool that will help you work on your trees more efficiently and comfortably. In Japan hydraulic lift turntables have been the standard for years, but their prohibitive costs have limited their spread in the West. Now we are able to offer you a tool inspired by the Japanese turntable and improved in several details, not the least of which is price.
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Bonsai Is Both the Tree & the Pot (and we know that)

It's not often you see bark like this. Its uniquely patterned texture and color adds considerable character and age to this old live oak. And then there's the pot; the way it complements the tree (an how small it is relative to the tree). No mention of who made it, but whoever did deserves some love. The photo is from the ‘My Trees’ section of Mauro Stemberger’s website.

The following is in response to a comment on Facebook…
We would never chop off part of the pot in a bonsai photo unless that’s the way we found it, or we’re presenting a close up of a feature on a tree (in this case we’ll also show the full photo if we have it).

Still, our Bonsai Bark photos are often chopped when they show up on Facebook. This is not something we do. The photos are moved to Facebook automatically and squeezed into their smaller format.

True, we could resize them and move them to Facebook manually, but this presents another set of problems that we are not equipped to deal with. So for now, our photos will show up on Facebook compromised. Until an elegant solution comes along, we’ll just have to live with it. Meanwhile, you can always view the full photos here on Bark.

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We found this photo already chopped. You could call it an art shot (there's is that lone berry on the soil). It's originally from the National Bonsai Foundation and appeared in a 2012 Bark post (as did the photo above). No variety is given.

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Barked up & Brilliant

Ume (aka Flowering apricot, Prunus mume). This brilliant tree resides at Bonsai Aichien in Japan. Ume tend to grow fast and bark up while still fairly young, so this tree may not be as old as it looks. Also, you might notice the deadwood. Ume are one of the few deciduous trees that hold deadwood over the years (lime sulfur doesn't hurt either).

Next month we’ll celebrate Bonsai Bark’s eighth anniversary. Our best estimate is we’re closing in on 2,000 posts (maybe more). Some, like this one, are reposts (Feb 2014), but most are new.

Snow has been slow coming to Vermont this El Niño year and our friends in snow related businesses are suffering. Maybe the photo below will help.

Both photos shown here were originally posted by Juan Andrade who is an apprentice at Bonsai Aichien and a great source of excellent bonsai photos.

Bonsai Aichien Nursery. This photo could almost pass as black and white with the snow and the diminished light. BTW: have you ever noticed all the power lines in photos from Japanese nurseries?

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Living Landscapes in Miniature

This planting from Toshio Kawamoto's Saikei classic is quite similar to the planting on the cover (below): same trees (cryptomeria), same (or nearly the same) pot and somewhat similar rocky ravine separating two tree and moss covered areas. The main difference is that this one shows a deep ravine. The rocks that define it represent tall vertical cliffs.

It has been about a year since we feature Toshio Kawamoto’s plantings from his long out-of-print classic Saikei, Living Landscapes in Miniature. Given just how popular these posts have been, I think it’s time for another go.

A long time ago (January, 2010 to be exact) we featured this post as part of a series on a remarkable book by Toshio Kawamoto, Saikei, Living Landscapes in Miniature. It’s long out of print, but you just might be able to find it online. Or you could get lucky like I did and find it at your son-in-law’s bookstore (Green Apple, San Francisco).

How to create a deep ravine saikei
The purpose of this section in Saikei, Living Landscapes in Miniature is to show how to create a deep ravine saikei, just like the one in the photo. In fact, if you look at the drawings, it’s as if that the author is inviting you to duplicate his work (or least use them as a starting point).

Front schemata. The pot is 27" x 19" (69cm x 48cm) unglazed oval by Tokoname. There are 29 cryptomeria that range from 4" to 14" (10cm to 36cm) tall and 9 river rocks. The soil is regular bonsai soil (he doesn't say which regular bonsai soil, but the Japanese almost always use akadama or an akadama mix for conifers). The other materials are moss, river sand and white sand.

Bird's eye view. Notice how the opening in front is off center and slants and curves as it goes back. If it were directly centered and straight it would appear contrived. Notice also how the ravine narrows and curves around and disappears from sight and then opens up into a pool. Viewed from the front, this creates a sense of mystery and the appearance that it just goes on and on, off into a vast landscape, rather than being restricted to the small, finite area of the pot.

The cover. At a glance, it's almost the same as the planting feature in this post, though on closer inspection you can see marked differences.

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That Natural Look with a Daring Touch

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Though the wood may have been painstakingly carved, this distinctive Pomegranate is a good example of a natural look. The living tree is not particularly stylized and the deadwood looks naturally aged. The unusual red pot (bright red bonsai pots are rare) adds a daring touch and sets off the new red pomegranate leaves, though you might chose a rugged earth-toned pot if you're trying for a more natural look.

I’m not trying to restart the old discussion of natural versus stylized bonsai. Just noticing how natural the two trees shown here look. This is particularly true of the pine forest below. The pomegranate has the natural feel also, but the carving, though impressive, may be a little obvious (especially higher up; the base of the deadwood is perfect). Anyway, we all have our opinions, so you can be the judge.

Both photos in this post are from Napoli Bonsai Club. I couldn’t find artist’s names. The same goes for the pine variety below.

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This rugged pine forest on a slab epitomizes a natural look.

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The uncropped version of the photo above.

No matter what look you are trying to achieve
you’ll need good bonsai tools to pull it off

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A More Efficient & Comfortable Way to Work on Your Bonsai

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Prize winning Italian cypress on our Green T professional bonsai turntable.

Every now and then we do a purely commercial post. This Green T add one of those occasions. But don’t go away just yet. If nothing else, you can dream.

In Japan hydraulic lift turntables have been the standard for years, but their prohibitive costs have limited their spread in the West. Thanks to professional researchers and the collaboration of well-known bonsai professionals, we are able to offer you a tool inspired by the Japanese turntable and improved in several details (including price).

Green T is bigger. The surface is 58cm (23 inches) diameter instead of the usual 50 cm (almost 20 inches). This allows you to work on your largest trees and your smallest trees. You can comfortably use the excess space to have your tools easily accessible.

Green T is strong. The work surface is made out of phenolic marine pine plywood which is painted and coated in solid non slip rubber (4 mm thickness, hardness Shore A 70 ). Lifting capacity is up to 200 kg (440 lbs). Tightening screws and threaded bushes are completely made of stainless steel. All the materials used in the construction of Green T guarantee an excellent outdoor weather resistant turntable.

Green T is more useful. Green T features a metal base with five-star support (five horizontal ‘legs’) for maximum stability and a hydraulic foot control lift that adjusts to a maximum height of 60cm (23.6 inches) and a minimum of 43 cm (17 inches). The swing brake of the table can be disconnected with a simple movement of the pedal. Five removable eye screws, located under the bottom edge of the work surface, allow you to anchor your bonsai to the table (see below). Fotocomposizione-2-Funzionale-copia

Green T is light and easy to handle. Even with the superior features listed above, at 15 kg (33 lbs), Green T weighs the same as its Japanese competitors.

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