This rather nice looking Trident maple (Acer buergerianum) is sporting a monstrous nebari. Does it look a bit like a clown’s oversized shoes? Or does it suit your fancy just as it is? The original appears in Bonsai Today issue 70 in an article titled “Transplanting to increase the feeling of age,” by Kazunori Kamiya.
Continue reading In Search of the Perfect Nebari – part three
This Chinese quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis) presents a number of striking features, not the least of which is its powerful nebari (surface roots). The photo originally appeared in Bonsai Today issue 35.
This post is part of an article that originally appeared in Bonsai Today issue 23 (out of print). It was later revised and republished in Bonsai Today issue 102.
Improving a Nebari
by Oishi Kazo
Nebari are often under-appreciated, especially in the west. In Japan, bonsai artists will sometimes talk about nebari as though it is the most important feature when looking for bonsai material. If you think about it, this is not far-fetched, as excellent naturally occurring nebari are harder to come by than excellent naturally occurring trunks.
Ezo spruce (Picea glehnii) was Saburo Kato’s favorite tree. This one is from an untranslated Japanese book on Mr. Kato’s bonsai that his son Hatsuji sent us in appreciation for the gift we (Stone Lantern) sent Mr. Kato’s family when he passed away last year.
I picked this one for a couple reasons. First, there’s the dead tree. You see dead trees in bonsai forests occasionally, but not that often. In nature however, dead trees abound, so why not put them in you bonsai plantings?
The other feature that strikes me is the lush forest floor. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one quite that rich and varied. Though I can’t be sure, it looks like there might be a few Chinese elms (Ulmus parviflora) in front (and maybe in the back) and perhaps a Hokkaido elm (Ulmus parviflora ‘Hokkaido’) sticking out on the right.
This very useful tip comes courtesy of from Michael Hagedorn of Crataegus Bonsai, author of Post Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk.
For those of you who like growing maples and other deciduous trees that might develop a marvelous fused nebari, when that tree is young, fertilize right next to the trunk of the tree. Fine fusable roots will grow right under your fertilizer cakes, the kind that develop into the solid nebari pancakes that we see on really old bonsai and trees in the wild. If we fertilize only at the outside of the root system, the roots will simply try to run to the pot wall… We want them to stay closer to home in the early years.
This photo of Saburo Kato was taken by Morten Albek in June of 2005 during an interview he and two friends conducted with Mr. Kato, Japan’s most famous bonsai master of his generation. Kato sensei passed away in February 2008.
I only saw Saburo Kato once. It was in 2005 at the WBC (World Bonsai Convention) in Washington DC. I was busy selling books and magazines from our booth when he walked by. He was immistakenly unmistakenly himself, very old and thin, with an air that radiated dignity. I was so taken by surprise that I blurted out “Kato san!” He stopped for a moment, smiled and moved on. That was it, nothing more. Yet I can still see that moment in my mind. I can also remember my embarrassment at just blurting out his name, and incorrectly at that (san is the basic term of respect you might accord almost anyone). What would have been appropriate is Kato sama (an honorific used to address someone of much higher rank than oneself) or Kato sensei (teacher). Oh well, next time the greatest bonsai master of his generation (who happens to be almost twice my age) walks by, I’ll get it right.
Sinuous root style Rockspray Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis) in splendid fall color, by Bill Valavanis of International Bonsai.
When I first started playing with bonsai almost thirty years ago, nurseries were bonsai stock gold mines. Now, because bonsai enthusiasts have caught on, old forgotten potential bonsai are a little harder to to find. But don’t lose heart, they are still there. You just have to look a little harder.
Bill Valavanis’ sweet sinuous root Cotoneaster (above) is one of many bonsai from nursery stock currently feature on Artofbonsai.org. Some other well-known featured artists are: Walter Pall, Morten Albek (author of Shohin Bonsai), Budi Sulistyo (Tropical Bonsai Gallery) and Robert Steven (Vision of My Soul).
Two of Vaughn Banting’s beautiful maple bonsai in a memorial evening display.
The following is from the NBF Winter 2008 Bulletin:
Vaughn Banting, a long-time member of the National Bonsai Foundation Board of Directors and an ardent supporter of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, died in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 11, 2008 after a brief illness. A garden designer and horticulturist, a war veteran and adventurist, a bonsai artist and haiku writer, a teacher and friend, he possessed an undaunted spirit that gave hope to all who knew him.
For the complete article, including more photos (and the rest of the Bulletin), visit NBF Bulletin .
Artist’s rendition of what a nebari might look like using this technique.
If you are a very quick study or an old bonsai maven (or both) you probably figured out how to use this technique using just the three images in the previous post. However, if you need more detail (can’t hurt), here’s a big hunk of the rest of the original images, which appeared in Bonsai Today issue 8.
Can you figure out what’s going on here? If you are an experienced bonsai enthusiast, you may get it at a glance, especially if you’ve seen Bonsai Today issue 8 (long out of print). If what’s going on is not so evident, take a look at the drawing below and see if that helps.
This majestic old pomegranate (Punica granatum) was styled by John Naka. After John died, his wife Alice donated it to the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in Washington DC. You can view it and a host of other masterpieces first hand if you’re up for the journey; a trip well worth the trouble, especially if you’ve never experienced the power of a large world class bonsai first hand. No matter how good the photographer, or how expensive the camera, a photo will never capture the full dramatic force of a living bonsai.
I’ve been a fan of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum for a long time, and for good reason; many of the most dramatic bonsai in North America reside there and the collection just keeps getting better as more people like Alice Naka donate exceptional trees.