Less Is Enough

I think this one qualifies as Mame (‘bean’ in Japanese). Bonsai-wise, mame is a common word for the very smallest bonsai. I found it on Pinterest. It says Repinned via Luciano Guimarães. I’m not sure exactly what that means but my best guess is that this tree does not belong to Luciano. The photo had the Bonsai Empire logo in the corner (now cropped out to magnify the tree), but I couldn’t find it on their site. In any case it’s a sweet little gem and so’s the pot.

“Shohin are small bonsai. When compared to large bonsai, shohin cost less, take less time to develop, take less space, are easier to move, and are less apt to be overwatered. Perhaps best of all, shohin-bonsai are a delight to behold.” From the back cover of Morten Albek’s Shohin Bonsai, Majesty in Miniature (copy written by yours truly back in the days when we used to publish books).

I love the uncontrived free flowing feel of this little Japanse maple. Like the photo above this one is repinned via Luciano Guimarães on Pinterest. If you know anything more about this tree or the one above, please let me know.

One of Morten Albek’s wee wonders. Of all of Morten’s trees that I’ve seen, this has to be one of the very best. Perhaps Morten has a shot somewhere without any background noise (not to argue with Morten’s photography, which happens to be great… just that it would be nice to see in a formal shot as well as in this more artistic type shot).

I found this fat-trunked little Japanese black pine, with it’s excellent burnished Tokoname pot, in Bonsai Smiths gallery. Turns out we featured them a couple months in a post about Redwoods (and, the more I look at this tree, the more familiar it looks and the more I think we may have featured it in one of our approximately 700 posts to date).

This brilliant little Persimmon (Daisuke variety, identified by Ryan Bell, Japanese Bonsai Pots Blog) is from a Bark post (Luminous Fruit) from one year ago. Not everything we show on Bark deserves an encore, but this one is hard to argue with (even with its spotted leaves).

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NEW Roshi Bonsai Tools

NEW 6″ Butterfly Shears by Roshi Bonsai Tools. These powerful, compact high carbon steel shears are excellent for top pruning or root pruning. They are also excellent all-purpose household and garden shears with any number of uses well beyond bonsai. The list price is 28.00. Now on special for only 18.00.

Eight brand NEW Roshi Bonsai Tools just arrived here at Stone Lantern. This brings our Roshi total to 33. All of our Roshi Tools are reduced way below list and some are now on special (aka double discounted). Take a look. You’ll like what you see.

And just in case you don’t already know this, or you’ve forgotten… Roshi Tools are the best bonsai tools for the price you’ll find anywhere. Sharp, strong and precise, you’d expect to pay twice what we charge for such high quality, durable tools.

NEW Roshi Root Cutters with introductory SPECIAL PRICES. These tools are designed for removing tough roots and are especially good for removing roots immediately below the base of the trunk. Though not usually a beginner’s tool, most bonsai mavens wouldn’t be without one. The high carbon steel one on the left lists for 46.00. Our sale price is only 29.00. The stainless steel root cutter on the right lists for 62.00 with a sale price of only 42.00.

Roshi Root Cutters also come in an extra large size (10.6″). The XL carbon steel root cutter lists at 59.00. Our sale price is only 42.00. The stainless steel extra large root cutter lists at 79.00 with a sale price of only 49.00.

NEW Roshi Narrow Blade Concave Cutters with an introductory SPECIAL PRICE. Narrow concave branch cutters are particularly good for tight spots, smaller branches, even new shoots or buds. This handy high carbon steel tool lists for 46.00 with a sale price of only 29.00.

NEW Roshi Scissor Style Wire Cutters with an introductory SPECIAL PRICES. For those of you who prefer finger loops, these scissor style cutters do the job. The one on the left is 6.25″ and is surprisingly strong, with the ability to easily cut aluminum wire up to 3.5mm and copper up to 2.5mm. It lists for 26.00 and is on special for only 15.00. The smaller 4.5″ wire cutter on the right is great for fine to medium-fine wire, especially in tight spots. It lists for 16.00 and is on special for only 9.00.

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So Fine & Just a Tad Controversial

Japanese maple from Seiko-en Bonsai Garden in Omiya Village, Japan. From Fine Bonsai. Art and Nature.

Value added
It’s time to resurrect another favorite from our illustrious past. This time with some value added in the form of a few new words and three new photos (including the one above).

First the new words: Fine Bonsai is a tad controversial. Some people give it a big shrug (or worse), while some others (like me) are very enthusiastic. I think the shrugs may miss the point. This is not a tradition bonsai art book. Rather, it’s a photographic art book, with bonsai as the subject. The result is bonsai shot in ways you don’t normally see. Shots that play with light and darkness in ways that highlights features like color, texture and contrast. Not that other quality shots of bonsai don’t do this, just that these features are heightened in Fine Bonsai’s photos in ways that are largely unique. And often strikingly beautiful. If you don’t believe me, check it out and see what your own eyes tell you.

The rest of the text (below the next photo) is from August, 2012.

Shimpaku juniper (aka Sargent juniper) from Shunka-en Bonsai Museum, Tokyo Japan.

One of the most astounding books…
This morning Andy Rutledge sent me his well considered and well written review of one of the most astounding books I’ve ever seen. So rather than subjecting you to my same old prose once again, let’s try a fresh voice for a change (note, you can see Andy’s entire review on his Bonsai Journal … you might also enjoy visiting a more multifaceted Andy here).

Andy Rutledge’s review
When my copy of Fine Bonsai arrived I almost dropped it as the delivery man handed it to me. Though large, I didn’t expect the package to be so heavy. At 12″ x 15″ x 1.75″ and almost 10 pounds, this is a large and weighty book. The beautiful slipcase adds even more dimension and almost another pound of weight. When I finally unboxed and perused the book I was delighted to discover that the content, too, was weightier than expected.

Fine Bonsai – Art & Nature is primarily a photo-artistic study of bonsai from public and private collections in North America and Japan, with photos by renowned photographer Jonathan M. Singer and text by the respected American artist, teacher, and publisher William N. Valavanis.

Golden Full Moon maple. This one belongs to Bill Valavanis, Rochester, NY.

In addition to the bonsai sections which comprise most of the book, beautiful and important bonsai containers and suiseki are featured in discrete chapters. Each is filled with practical and historical information on the depicted works. There’s also an informative section on the various arboretums and nurseries whose trees are featured in this book.

The Good

The photography is stunning. Each of the 281 full-page photos allows the subject its individual due and dignity. The rich, dark background surrounding the bonsai in these photos, combined with elegant and creative lighting, presents each subject in a way that is at once serene and emphatic. Though the dark environment for the photos creates perhaps an uncommon or unfamiliar context for bonsai, the trees seem most comfortable there. They shine like stars on a stage…
For the rest of Andy’s review visit The Bonsai Journal.

Shimpaku juniper (aka Sargent juniper) from Shunka-en Bonsai Museum, Tokyo Japan.

Broom style Japanese Zelkova. Fuyo-en Bonsai Garden, Omiya Village, Japan.

Fine Bonsai, Art and Nature. Photos by Jonathan M. Singer. Text by Bill Valavanis. List price 150.00. On special at Stone Lantern for 95.00.

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Crazy Bonsai

I’ve seen this one somewhere but couldn’t find it on a search of Bark, so I think we’re safe. Safe or not, it’s hard to deny the mind stopping power and originality of this bonsai. It’s by Luis Vila and the photo is by Salvador De Los Reyes. We pinched it from Empire Bonsai (apologies to Salvador and Empire for our crop; we wanted to maximize the tree).

Once again we’ve been out stealing from honest, hard-working folks. And we’re not even that embarrassed. I suppose we’re redeemed by our fanatical devotion to attribution (if you want to be a successful pincher, you need to show some respect).

In this case our mark is Bonsai Empire, a site that’s just too good to pass up (we’ve lifted a little from them in the past, but not that much). They’ve got miles of great bonsai photos, reams of useful information and they too know the value of attribution.

All the photos in this post are from a post of theirs titled Top 10 Crazy and Unusual Bonsai Trees. We won’t show all ten here, but my guess is that you’d be more than welcome to pay them a visit.

Bonsai Empire borrowed this one from Crash Bonsai. Coincidentally, I started the day thinking that we might feature Crash Bonsai, but decided that too many photos of smashed up cars might be a little disturbing for some of us. But not so disturbing that we won’t show just this one and leave the rest to you. BTW, I greatly admire the detail and precision involved in making these unique little scenes.

Here’s Empire’s caption for this one: “Big apple on a tiny bonsai tree”. It looks photoshoped, but it is in fact a real Bonsai. Leaves can grow smaller, but often fruits remain relatively big. For more information, read the Fruits and Flowers with Bonsai article. Photo by: Flowerstory.

I’m pretty sure we’ve shown this remarkably long tree on Bark, but couldn’t find (after an exhausting 30 second search). Before I copy Empire’s caption, I want to point out their little logo in the corner. They put it on all of their photos. The reason you don’t see it on some photos shown here, is because of our propensity for cropping. Now Empire’s caption: “It took 30 years to grow the 6,5 foot (2 meter) branch of this bonsai, at Kyoto Garden Ryokan Yachiyo. Read more on Bonsai in Japan. Photo by: Michael Bonsai.”

Makoto Azuma is the artist behind these implausible, phantasmagorical bonsai. I just consulted our astrologer and he or she said you could look for more of these wonderfully outrageous creations in the future. Meahwhile, thanks to Empire for cluing us in.

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Circling Back to Needle Junipers

This luscious Needle juniper turned up on Juan Andrade’s latest facebook post. Juan is (or was?) an apprentice at Bonsai Aichien in Japan, where this tree resides. BTW, we featured a Before, During and After post by Juan exactly one month ago.

Don’t be misled by the title; this is not another trip back into our archives, though the second tree in this post is from an earlier bark post. The rest of the photos are all originals for us.

It has been over three years since we devoted a whole post to just Needle junipers (Juniperus rigida). This juniper species may not be as common as Shimpaku, especially here in the West, but the Needle juniper is represented by some of the most magnificent bonsai on earth. Especially in Japan, which is where the trees in this post are from.

I scanned this one off of our 2010 Bonsai Calendar. A little fuzzy, but still a great bonsai. Speaking of calendars, our 2014 Bonsai and Japanese garden calendars are now in stock.

This one is borrowed from Bonsai Tonight, which happens to be among the very creme of crop when it comes to bonsai blogs. The tree is “one of many great trees in a garden near the Shinpukuji Temple in Okazaki. The owner of this collection has shown at least one tree in each in Kokufu bonsai exhibit for the past 20 years.”

Peter Tea (another Bonsai Aichien apprentice) shot this literati Needle juniper at the 82nd Meifu-ten Bonsai Show. Fantastic pot, but a strange choice considering its depth, which very unusual for a literati style tree. But then it’s hard to argue with a tree chosen for one of the oldest and most distinguished bonsai shows in Japan.

Is that Michael’s hand? This photo, which should give you a pretty good idea of what Needle juniper foliage looks like, is from Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai. Michael is, among other things, one of the first Americans to apprentice in Japan, as well as one of our most accomplish bonsai artists and an excellent writer. Don’t believe me? Check out his Post-Dated – The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk. It’s a great read.

Want to learn more about Needle and other junipers?

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FREE Once Again, but ONLY if…

Three of the seven FREE items that we are offering. All you have to do is place an order with Stone Lantern for at least 25.00 AND put FREE in the comments box when you check out.

Here’s the deal: You must put FREE in the comments box at check out when you order with Stone Lantern or you will NOT receive the free items. Also, shipping cost are not included in order size. This offer ends Sunday, November 10th at midnight U.S. Eastern Standard Time.

Here’s what you get (if you remember to put FREE in the comments box)…

When you place an order of at least 25.00: you get a FREE pair of All-purpose Scissors
For an order of 40.00: the Scissors plus a FREE Tool Cleaning Block*
For 60.00: Scissors, Cleaning Block & a FREE 2oz Bottle of Lime Sulfur
For 80.00: all of the above plus 2 FREE rolls of 100g bonsai wire**
For 100: all of the above plus a FREE 8oz Green Dream Bonsai Fertilizer
For 150.00: all of the above & a FREE copy of Shohin Bonsai: Majesty in Miniature
For 250.00: all of the above & a FREE copy of The Magician: The Bonsai Art of Kimura 2

Remember to put FREE in the comments box at check out when you order

* Medium cleaning block unless you specify otherwise in the comments box
** we will pick 2.5 and 3.5 wire unless you specify otherwise in the comments

Don’t wait to order. This offer ends Sunday, November 10th at midnight U.S. Eastern Time

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Imagination and Striking Detail

A close-up of a part of a penjing style planting from the World Bonsai Friendship Federation Convention that took place in China last month. This photo was sent to us by Randy Clark (we featured Randy’s plantings in a post about figurines last week and last month we featured a photo of the whole planting that we borrowed from Bill Valavanis).

Part of another planting from the World Bonsai Friendship Federation Convention, also courtesy of Randy Clark. We don’t have a photo of the whole planting, so you’ll have to use your imagination.

Speaking of figurines (often called mudmen). The best of these are striking in their detail and this one is no exception. Photo courtesy of Randy Clark.

Here’s the tree with the mudman from the photo immediately above.

We’ve shown this one before, but it’s worth another go. It’s the planting that the close-up above is from (top of the page).

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2014 Bonsai & Japanese Garden Calendars

A close-up of part of the January page of our brand new 2014 Bonsai Calendar.

They’re here, just off the boat from Japan. As usual, a little later than we would have liked (remind me next year to order them in April rather than July), but still, plenty of time before this year slinks (or bounds, depending upon your disposition) away into that place we call history.

2014 Bonsai Calendars
Enjoy 26 world-class specimen bonsai trees while you keep track of the date. As each month passes. you can cut off the dates and enjoy attractive wall hangings in your office, workshop, man-cave, kitchen, wherever you want.

2014 Japanese Garden Calendars
Enjoy some of the best Japanese gardens in Japan while you check the date.

Order more than one and save
You can order one of each and save, or you can order multiples of each and save. Confused? Don’t worry, just click here.

The cover page of our 2014 Bonsai Calendar.

The cover page of our 2014 Japanese Garden Calendar.

Each month has its own page in our Bonsai Calendar. Including the cover page, there’s a total of 13 pages with 2 bonsai per page.

Our Japanese Garden Calendar has 7 pages including the cover page.

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Kokufu 2014 – Time to Get Busy

I don’t think you need me to point out that this is a great tree. Or, for that matter that it’s a great photograph (web photos this sharp aren’t all that common). It’s a Japanese black pine from Announcing the 2014 88th Kokufu ten Bonsa Exhibition on Bill Valavanis’ excellent new blog.

If you haven’t already made plans to visit Kokufu ten 2014, it’s time to get busy. It will be held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Gallery, February 4th – 12th. Just in case you are new to the wonderful world of bonsai, Kokufu is the most renowned bonsai exhibition in the world and in the opinion of most people I know, it’s reputation is well deserved (I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I’ve never been, but I’m saving for 2015).

Though you’ll find numerous references if you search Kokufu, two of the best places to visit are Phoenix Bonsai, a place we haven’t mentioned lately, but is really one of the most informative bonsai sites you’ll find, (here’s their home page and here’s their Kokufu page) and Bill Valavanis’ excellent new blog (here’s Bill’s home page and here’s his Kokufu page).

And now, a quick word from our sponsor. Our Fall Book Sale (20% to 25% off all books at Stone Lantern) ends tomorrow night at midnight (Sunday U.S. EDT). Check it out.

You can find this 2013 Kokufu prize winning Broom style Chinese Quince and some other great trees, along with numerous excellent bonsai articles at Phoenix Bonsai.

This 2013 prize winning Japanese white pine is also from Phoenix Bonsai.

This Japanese maple with its most astounding nebari is from Bill’s blog.

This photo from 1999 isn’t great, but a little history makes up for it (see below). Both photos are from Nippon Bonsai (the Nippon Bonsai Association is Kokufu’s sponsor). ~~I’m guessing that it’s a Japanese maple.~~ See comments below.

The same tree from 1959.

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Go Figure

Using figurines in tray plantings doesn’t necessarily qualify as eccentric; it’s common in Chinese (and other) penjing plantings. Perhaps it’s the type (you don’t see many moose in China) and especially the relative size of the figurine that makes this trident maple planting unusual. This photo is from an article by Randy Clark entitled ‘Bonsai & Figurines’ that originally appeared in Bonsai Today issue 95. Randy Clark is the owner of the Bonsai Learning Center (note: that was 2009, Randy has moved on since then).

We’re digging way back into the recesses of time for this one. It was originally called In Whose Eye? Eccentric Bonsai #2: Figurines, but that was long ago (2009) when attention spans were much longer. Now, in keeping with the times, we’ll go with something shorter and with a little more punch. And once again, don’t fret, soon we’ll return to fresh never-seen-before posts. Meanwhile…

The Japanese seldom use them…
…. but the Chinese (and some others) often do. When it comes to figurines, basically its: penjing ‘yes’, Japanese bonsai ‘no,’ (the exception is very small figures used in some Japanese saikei) and Randy Clark’s ‘why not explore the issue?’ Most people I know are somewhere past ‘why not’ and leaning towards ‘just say no.’

Indiscriminate use
If you are like most serious Western bonsai enthusiasts, you usually avoid figurines. This is probably due to the fact that Japanese bonsai has enjoyed an earlier and stronger influence in the West than Chinese penjing. And the rampant and indiscriminate use of poorly made figurines in cheap (but overpriced) commercial bonsai hasn’t helped. Besides, when it comes to quality bonsai, ‘why gild the lily?’ might be a question worth asking (note from now: this isn’t to say you shouldn’t do what you want, conventions and opinion be damned… but still…).

This penjing by Quinquan Zhao. It’s from his benchmark book, Penjing: Worlds of Wonderment. The little hut that almost disappears into the landscape is the only figurine (?) I can see. This unobtrusive blending is a way to create a sense of scale. When you notice the hut, suddenly the whole arrangement becomes much larger (another note from the present; Worlds of Wonderment is out of print, but fortunately, Mr Zhao has a newer penjing book, Penjing, The Chinese Art of Bonsai).

Another of Randy Clark’s plantings (from Bonsai Today issue 95). The bear is proportionally much larger than the humans, animals and other man made elements in most penjing plantings. So much larger, that it becomes the focal point of the composition.

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