Category Archives: Styling

Blood, Sweat, and Tosho

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Here’s another recent Juniperus rigida I styled for Mr. Endo about three weeks ago.  A trip to his garden is also featured Here.  This bonsai was purchased from us about two years ago and it has pretty much grown freely since then.  It is a collected tree and has been a bonsai a long time judging by the live veins and seasoned deadwood.  Endo-san’s tosho ranked as a 9 out of 10 on the pain scale and drew more blood than the Red Cross.  Maeoka-san also learned a few new vulgarities not in the standard English dictionary. If you’re wondering, a 10 was a Juniperus rigida I made the mistake of touching in Nara with almost two inch needles.  Fresh lime sulphur was applied and the bark was not sandpapered.  Conifers with awl-type foliation are often allowed to keep rugged bark.  Over the past two years, the tree has become really vigorous and many shoots were not cut back soon enough.  The problem is, a tree with this form cannot have a heavy top as it will look like a lollypop.  My mission, which I had no option to decline, was to reign this tosho back in and set the framework for pads.

The lowest branch cascades straight down and after thinning the obvious unnecessary branches, started looking slightly sabishee (a word meaning “lonely”).  This was before shortening shoots too.  Low branches like this are often weak but after styling was complete, this area has a new lease on life as you will see below.

 

 Good news is, deconstruction of this tree to the bones allows for issues to be corrected and future problems avoided.  We don’t just put movement into branches to make them look pretty;  shortening the physical and visual length are achieved.

Taking out thick branches helps with balancing over-all branch vigor.   

The top looks full and and easy to style; perhaps even just scissor prune.  But no joy.  Two-thirds of the branches were not keepers due to angle of emergence, thickness, or location.

 

 

 

This is about the point you remember a rounded top is necessary for the design and the sweating portion of this project commences….

Photo above taken three weeks after styling.  The upper third of the trunk is now much more interesting with pads breaking up the straight part and a new planting angle improves the curves of the trunk line a bit as well as that of the lowest right branch.  Branches have been spread out more and spaced well to allow for some really full pads in the future in the weaker areas and pads already on the way to “finished” will be maintained as ususal.

Thanks for reading.  White pine and Juniper styling season is here and Bjorn Bjorholm has styled a few cool ones recently.  Check out his blog HERE.  I’m sure there will be a few Pinus parviflora in front of me soon.  My sempai, Naoki Maeoka, has also styled some great ones in the past few weeks.  Another blog from the Kouka-en Clan looks like it is in the works.  His background in Japanese art and knowledge of ceramics (both history and creation) promise to add yet another solid resource to the web.

 

Battling some Needle Junipers and Bonsai Friends

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We bonsai people are an interesting breed.  One reason I chose to follow this path is the people I would get to meet.  We have found something that inspires us, relaxes us, etc and come together for exhibitions and other functions to share our love of this art and place our creations out in the open for others to see.  I will never forget the first time I exhibited.  It was like taking my soul out, placing it on the table, and waiting for it to be praised or stomped on.  You have my word I’ll never do the latter.  That Nashville Bonsai Society exhibition was also the starting point for multiple friendships that I have sustained to this day. A group of men who I have named the Taimadera Crew visit Kouka-en a few times a year from a city on the outskirts of Nara.  A Buddhist temple in their town named Taimadera is the local landmark and renowned for a giant mandala said to made in one night.  The men come from different walks of life but have found common ground in bonsai.  A bonsai compound of sorts evolved on one of their properties that I had the chance to visit last year.  Meetings are frequent and the convenience level of sharing the workload on watering and other tasks is quite high.  They are some of my favorite clients as they come through the gate brimming with energy and can’t wait to see what is new. Bonsai teaching for the most part here in Japan is quite different from the standard protocol I’m used to in the United States.  I speak only about what I’ve been exposed to in this region of course.  The Crew always comes prepared with a list of very pointed questions about techniques and proper timing for their application when they visit.  Fujikawa-san shares cultural information freely with clients and often demonstrates then and there if the timing is right for the work. One member of the Crew recently purchased a Pinus densiflora I styled and documented HERE.  Three weeks ago, another member eyed a Juniperus rigida on the turn-table I was half-way finished with and told Fujikawa-san he’d buy it on the spot.  I quickly received the “don’t screw this up” glare from my sensei. I’ll spare you most of the details as this is one of a number of Juniperus rigida I have had the privilege of styling in the last few months.  The main issue with this tree was that it was in need of wiring badly.  We figure it had not been styled for about 5 years and maintained only by pruning.  Many of the lowest branches are really weak and the top far too strong.  The nice thing about older Juniperus rigida, Chamaecyparis obtusa, Cryptomeria japonica, and other “pad forming” conifers is that a few guy wires can often put the tree back in line.  This tree however, needed about 20 guy wires and quite a bit of detail wiring.  As tosho go, the foliage on this one was about a 5 out of 10 on the pain scale.  The slightly scared expressions on the faces of grocery store workers after a long day of tosho or black pine work never gets old.  Not only are they scared I can’t communicate with them, but my arms are shades of black and / or covered with raised red dots : ).

“Contemplation” by Pino

Revamping the lower branches required lots of careful fine wire work to maximize the appearance of volume.  The weakening of these lower branches could have been avoided if the previous owner had A.  Been knowledgeable enough to thin the upper two thirds of the tree properly through previous instruction or B.  Enlisted the help of a bonsai professional earlier before this issue arose.  Now that I’ve caught your attention……. If you have or want to have nice bonsai, hiring someone like me can sustain, improve, or save the bonsai in your collection.  A second set of trained eyes can evaluate your collection objectively without emotional attachment or preconceived notions of a tree’s future.  Accepting your current level of experience / technical skill level can be really empowering.  When I acquired a really nice field-grown hinoki about 6 years ago, I took the tree to Warren Hill; someone who had re-potted old hinoki numerous times.  Seems logical right?

Back to the tree.  Here is what I had to work with and the result.  

 

After adding volume to this and a few other lower branches, the remainder of the tree took quite a while to thin and detail wire.  Pads were shaped not just for the present, but for the next few years of new shoot growth and filling in.  Some of the tosho here at Kouka-en have new growth shortened up to four times a year.  With this much yearly growth, leaving spaces for future flushes is necessary.   Adding little details like this to the layout of the pads really brought the feeling of age back into this tosho.  Removal of thick branches was a priority.

The final product came out well. Here is the tree after styling….

….. and a photo from yesterday after new growth has started and die-back from styling has been removed.

Here’s something to consider when styling or refining a bonsai.  Take a photo in black and white of a tree some time.  Areas with too much “visual weight” and flaws in the silhouette can become more glaring; both before and after styling.    What issues do you see in the tree before styling?  New strengths achieved in the final product?

Here is another tosho that only needed a bit of pruning and detail wiring.  Next year, a smaller pot will really make this tree pop.  A fair number of branches had to be removed, so a “full” image will take a while.  This one was a 2 out of 10 on the pain scale.  Bonsai refinement is a process of course, and achieving a design takes priority over instant gratification

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Taken yesterday after a few weeks of rebound time.

Thanks for reading.  Upcoming posts will be on another cool Juniperus rigida restyle and more day trips to cultural sites around Kansai Prefecture.

Magnolia kobus styling and Bonsai Special Delivery

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Truly excellent Yamakobushi (mountain magnolia) or Magnolia kobus, does not flower reliably as a bonsai in part due to maintenance pruning. Young trees from seed take a long time to reach flowering age. The wild species’ flower is simple and white; understated and perfect for bonsai.  Older trees develop smooth gray bark while the young shoots are a mottled brown color.  A tree with excellent form is great to appreciate in winter, so trees of this species are styled for appreciation of form with Fall color (yellow), Spring flowers, and the alien-looking fruit as side benefits.  As with a number of other flowering / fruiting bonsai, there is an understanding by those in the know that sometimes branches are a little long for a given style or structure a bit erratic for the sake of flower production.  Plants that flower only on old wood would be a good example.  Compromises must be made as not every species flowers directly off the trunk like Theobroma cacao (chocolate tree) or some species of Cercis (redbud).  This bonsai has flowered sporadically over the years, but a full-blown flower show is possible for the Kokufu-ten by letting shoots run a little long and forcing an early bloom time.  I’ve forced a bunch of different plants to bloom on a deadline before and it is not fun. This particular tree was featured in  Bonsai Art of Japan Episode 16 and has been at Kouka-en for over 3 years.  Each Spring, I’ve been responsible for removal of susoba (leaves without a dormant bud underneath) and other maintenance tasks like regular bark cleaning with a toothbrush to decrease incidence of scale (an insect) and to keep the bark looking sexy.  Watching for caterpillars is an important task as what we know as “tent caterpillars” can defoliate a bonsai of this species in a day.  The first two years of training focused on maximizing the vigor of the tree to gain trunk girth.  Last year, the tree was cut back hard (as shown in the video above).  This year, the tree was re-potted and new growth was checked by the cutting back of roots and removal of susoba early in the growing season as is normal for most deciduous trees.  Comparison of the video above and the photos below show the discrepancy in leaf size and shoot length.  Deciduous magnolia have extremely vigorous root growth and will push adventitious roots anywhere that stays wet.  Watch for heavy moss build-up where you do not want new roots.  This yamakobushi was literally lifting itself out of the pot before repotting.

 Now that we had slowed the tree down, it was time to set the branch structure in place after allowing the bonsai to grow largely unrestricted for a while.  This branch is getting too thick, so my main goal for this project is breaking up this branch’s visual weight even when viewed leaf-less.  Other primary branches also have too much leg showing and a little mystery needs to be created. Styling this magnolia was downright fun and a welcome break from “fixing” issues and all the other maintenance tasks I’d been doing non-stop on pines, shimpaku, and needle junipers lately.  I do feel lucky to study at Kouka-en as there are multiple representations of a just about any given species but nothing like 100 wisteria or 300 trident maples to deal with.

 The process was cathartic as the tree had few structural issues and internodes on this tree are not close together.  Photo at right highlights the front right branch I wired a little more downward than normal to address the issue.  This species is similar to trees such as Prunus jamasakura (flowering cherry)  in that branches seem really supple aka “bendy”, but there is no warning crack when making bends like with conifers; just a broken branch and an angry sensei shortly thereafter.


 Orientation of shoots becomes more uniform with the aid of wire.  The goal being quite similar to pine shoot wiring but with far less branches. Overall, branch tiers have a more unified feel now as errant shoots and negative space areas can be controlled.  Not monumental change, but a hell of a lot better than the initial shape of the tree in the video footage above from last year.  I brightened the bark in the photo below to show some of the points on the tree I worked to break up or soften.  Any long, uninteresting sections of main branches (especially on the left side) were broken up with smaller shoots.  The leaves obviously help now, but when Fall comes, these fine branches will be even more important. The lower right side is harder to appreciate in 2D but looks better in person.  Overlapping branches were wired apart to maximize the photosynthetic potential of each branch’s leaves.  In the next few years, new shoots will pop all over the tree and the tiers will have a more rounded silhouettes full of fine branching (for a magnolia that is).

Endo-san (66), a client of Kouka-en for at least 30 years, had been interested in this magnolia since it arrived.  Endo-san’s collection is full of excellent bonsai of many species. Most notable to me are his deciduous and broadleaf evergreens; some of which are the best of that style for the species.  We maintain his full cascade Trachelospurmum asiaticum ‘Nana’, a semi-cascade Prunus mume ‘Hibai’, and a few of his trees cycle in and out of our care frequently.  This magnolia is now “finished” with the main work Fujikawa-san envisioned accomplishing.  Endo-san called “dibs” on the tree shortly after styling last month and we delivered it last week.  This yamakobushi will be of Kokufu quality in the coming years. The trip to deliver the magnolia along with a massive formal upright Pinus parviflora and shimpaku Bjorn styled was a special one.  Endo-san’s collection had lived on the 4th story roof of his building for about 20 years.  We were going to be some of the first bonsai afficionados to see the new ground level bonsai garden he built himself.  After purchasing the adjoining property and having the house demolishing earlier this year, Endo-san finally had his dream garden to spread out his trees and save his knees……

Photo courtesy of Dario Mader

 

Endo-san has exhibited in the last 11 Kokufu-ten and every Taikan-ten.  The view from his home on the shore of Lake Biwa (along with the bonsai of course) made me supremely envious.  While there, we picked up a shimpaku that Fujikawa-san styled 16 years ago for a Kinbon article that Bjorn Bjorholm will now style this year for another Kinbon piece.  I was asked to wire this Juniperus rigida.  Here are a few of his bonsai that I was most taken by:

Excellent dwarf rose root-over-rock.

Back of rose.

Arguably the number one Parthenocissus tricuspidata around.

Very nice and very heavy Pinus parviflora back at home after a 5 year stay at Kouka-en.

Kifu size O-mee Sanzashi (Big Fruit Hawthorne)

Massive Acer palmatum ‘Arakawa’

 

Nice Sedum sieboldii kusamono.

Killer Chamaecyparis obtusa (one of many Kicho Bonsai Endo-san owns.

Photo courtesy of Dario Mader

Dario Mader, a current student of the Fujikawa International Bonsai School from Switzerland.  His month of study is coming to an end.  But, as with anyone who stays a while in Japan, Dario’s eyes are now opened a lot wider to what bonsai is and can be. More photos of this garden will be should be popping up in the German bonsai forums.

This was one of many business trips I’ve had the good fortune to go on.  The “busy” season for bonsai professionals in Japan looms.  I’ve yet to slow down any time of the year here.  But, at least it will not be 110% humidity and 95 degrees here soon.  Having grown up in Macon, Georgia and other parts of the South, Osaka seemed like no sweat (excuse the pun).  Man was I wrong.

Thanks for reading.  Upcoming posts will cover some Juniperus rigida stylings and a day trip to Koya-san.

Satsuki Azaleas

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The creation and refinement of satsuki azalea bonsai basically put Kouka-en on the bonsai map.  Kouka-en means “Light Feeling of Flower Garden”.  While we don’t currently have many azaleas now, many of the best satsuki bonsai in the world came through Kouka-en during the “Satsuki Boom”.  The only satsuki here now are ones I’ve purchased in order to learn the ins and outs of creation and refinement.  Bonsai gardens often evolve with the times (or perish) and this garden now tends to have about half conifers and half deciduous and broadleaf evergreens.  I am by no means a satsuki expert.  However, I’ve learned a few solid tips and tricks so far that are good to know.  On a side note, there are two Kouka-en bonsai gardens in Osaka, Japan.  One currently specializes in satsuki azaleas and was highlighted in a World of Bonsai Episode.  The Kouka-en I study at is often referred to as Fujikawa Kouka-en.  People always ask me about how my satsuki studies are going and finally figured out why.

All techniques presented below are what I learned under the instruction of Minoru Fujikawa, my sensei’s father.  He discusses the Satsuki Boom in an interview for the Bonsai Art of Japan Series HERE  There are numerous ways to train, create, and style satsuki azaleas.  Some of the best satsuki I’ve ever seen were under the care of Joe Harris while I was interning at Iseli Nursery in Boring, Oregon back in 2005.  I’m not the only game in town; figured sharing a few super secret ninja tricks would be nice  : ).

Last June, all of the satsuki I have were re-potted, defoliated, and wired.  Ideally, all flower buds should be removed before defoliation and all the other stressors these plants endured.  But, for the sake of instruction and enjoyment of the flowers, I carried out defoliation, branch removal, wiring, and repotting over a few days of work after the blooms faded.  When defoliating satsuki, we remove  80-90% of the foliage.  This will force the plants to flush again as well as produce adventitious branches everywhere.  Leaving a lot of foliage (say half) may not shock the plant into the desired response and you could lose some limbs.  Another good way to lose limbs is to leave satsuki fruit to mature.  Removal of the forming fruit will prolong the life of your bonsai for sure.

All my satsuki were repotted into pure sieved kanuma with a larger particle size kanuma for the drainage layer.    

There is nothing more nerve-wracking than having a former Kokufu judge and satsuki expert watching you wire…..

This year, the flower show was even better than last due to increased ramification and healthier plants.

           

    

As mentioned, the purpose of this post is to share a few super secret ninja techniques for satsuki azaleas.  The first is a technique for slowly bending heavier branches and trunks.  There are specialty tools such as jacks and benders commercially available, but this is an old-school way.  Basically, you install a piece of rebar as an anchor point and secure it by jamming it into the soil if possible, binding it to the trunk with padding, or both.  Make a single wire loop and  attach to the rebar.  Then take a long piece of wire and fold it in half.  Put the U-shaped bend (middle of the wire) around the trunk at the bending point with some cushioning to protect the bark and twist the wire until it’s tight around the trunk.  with the remaining wire, bridge the gap between the trunk and the wire loop connected to the rebar.  Make another loop forming a “figure 8″ shape, then overlap the two loops.  Make a “key” out of copper wire like in the center of the photo and twist the two loops together until they start winding onto the “key”.  Twist until you get close to the desired bend, then wait a day or two and twist a little more.  Using aluminium wire for the loops isn’t as harsh on the tree as copper for small trees.  For a bigger satsuki, use heavy copper wire and a better bracing system.  I know, it’s vague, but difficult to type instructions for this.  Who doesn’t like a challenge?    Here is a video showing the technique in action.  Satsuki Trunk Bending!

 

The previous owner was definitely selling this tree for the flowers and not for a practicing bonsai hobbyist who knew what was up.

For this post,  I also bought a new satsuki to play with that had a basic branch structure laid out, but had almost no fine branching work done.

All Rhododendron species are basal dominant; meaning they have more vigor naturally near the soil level and prefer to produce new shoots over sustaining older apical shoots.  This is the case of pretty much everything we call a “shrub” or “bush” with a few exceptions.  Apical dominance would be the other type when discussing woody plants.  Apically dominant plant examples are trees that prefer to have a central leader like oaks and maples when young.  I make mention of this characteristic of satsuki and other Rhododendrons because allowing the lower branches to get too strong or leaving new shoots near the base of a bonsai will weaken the apical branches.

This bonsai was not too pricey mainly because the lower section of trunk did not have good bends and a large old cut mark is still present.  The original front became the back for my design.  Styling consisted consisted of a mix of shearing, branch removal, and wiring.  

The second super secret ninja technique I’m sharing is the use of padding for your wire to protect the fragile bark.  Neither of these techniques are new and in fact both are older than me.  The lower section of this azalea had everything set pretty well.  Th apex however, needed some work.  As with any bonsai-related product, labels smothered in kanji characters always make the product work so much better.

Preparing a wire is a matter of tying off one end of your protective paper and then spiral-wrapping it evenly along.  Tie off the other end or hold in place as you wire.  Receipt paper for a cash register works as do paper towels.  This particular product just looked cooler and made me feel special….  

 

Nothing else is different about application or the like; this just gives you a little leeway while the wire does it’s work with a decreased risk of cutting in.

 

It’s not pretty, but it works.  This azalea was wired about three months ago and I let the wire cut in on a few branches.  Every branch wired using the padded wire had only minor dents or marks.  Many of the others which had the same size wire applied without padding looked bad.

 

The finished product after a new front was chosen, unnecessary branches removed, and wiring.  I have dubbed this tree “Quasimoto”.  Removal of more branches is necessary (especially the second one on the left side).

After wire removal, the branch above with padded wire had minimal denting.  The branch below had no protection.  

Thanks for reading.

Pinus densiflora Styling

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Some of the clients at Kouka-en have species and styles they gravitate towards.  We have one customer who tends to buy the largest pine bonsai we have in stock a few times a year to account for something……  Another client loves bizarre exposed root bonsai.  In early June, a client whose collection is filled with bunjin style red pine and shimpaku was clearing some space on his benches and sold this tree to Kouka-en.   Now that almost every notable blog on the planet has covered shoot removal, I thought it would be nice to highlight what is also possible during this time of the year.  Peter Tea’s post on the matter was especially well laid out HERE.  The matter was also partially covered in the Bonsai Art of Japan Series Episode # 7.

Just after pulling needles and cutting candles, black and red pines are very sparse looking; a wonderful time to wire.  Because I needed to style this tree between shoot removal and the next flush of new growth, shoot cutting was carried out in the all-at-once method of cutting weaker shoots all the way to the base and leaving a small stub (a few millimeters) when removing the more vigorous shoots.  This allowed for wiring to start immediately.  Again, Peter’s post as well as a few dozen others cover the processes that work reliably.  Amazing how far we have come from starving pines of water and fertilizer to get shorter needles and inter-nodes; thanks to Daiju-en and others for little tweaks in the currently accepted techniques.  Last year’s needles were also thinned at this time.  I must say, this is the most full and healthy red pine I’ve seen so far.

Shoot removal was nice and simple with no major surprises (dead interior branches, heinously bad wiring, etc).  A few branches had been removed recently that I would have liked to use, but oh well.

Talk about a happy tree!

Old Front

After shoot removal and a few thin branches unnecessary to any design were removed, the tree’s potential was much easier to evaluate properly.  Due to the time of year, angle changes or other actions requiring repotting were not possible.  If I had my druthers, I would lean the tree more to the left.  The new front Fujikawa-san and I both liked was about 30-45 degrees to the right of this one.  The ideal viewing angle we liked had one issue though; the lowest branch……..

                                                                    The Problem
This branch was likely kept to increase the feeling of depth when the the was younger, but now it is too thick and takes all the power out of the bend in the trunk it emerges from.  So, how to proceed?  Leaving this area and styling would require heavy-gauge wire and no matter what bends I added, something would still stick out as “heavy”; not desirable in a bunjinji tree.

Cutting this off would remove about 30% of the branching. But, no guts no glory!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a photo progression of the how the branch was removed and tissue reduced to turn an issue into an asset:

        

The final photo is the “before”.  Although the zoom is a bit different, you get the idea.  Leaving parts of the secondary branching would have made the jin too busy.  Wood was removed to accentuate the bends while also making the jin look more thin.  Complete removal of the whole branch was also an option, but in time I felt it would add character to the tree when the wood aged.

The new front (about 30 degrees to the right of the original).

Wiring was quick and painless with so few needles and shoots to watch out for.  The goal here was to compact the tree, space secondary branching to fill out the desired form, and accentuate the good points of the tree by balancing the overall visual weight.

Another issue with this tree was the lowest right side branch is too long.  If dropped, a full and rounded canopy would again cause this tree to look like it did before styling commenced in the future.  We are going for a new direction and feel here.

This long, uninteresting branch with branching only at the end (viewed from below). Leaving it would require dropping it low and crossing the first major bend in the trunk.

With this branch removed, styling was straight-forward.

Wiring the apex of many trees can be a challenge. I was fortunate not to have a leggy apex with this one requiring the "deceitful coiled snake technique".....

Having so many branches to choose from is a good problem to have.  It is often overlooked that styling a crappy tree and producing something of worth is much harder than taking a well maintained tree and getting a good resulting finished product.

 

 A few more small branches were cut.  Any needles I broke were quickly and quietly cut with some really sharp scissors before the final “thumbs up” from Fujikawa-san.

The Final Product before new buds initiated.

 

The tree looks pretty good as it has a nice trunk line, reasonably old bark, and is definitely healthy.  There are some faults that warrant note and as usual, these are shown so you the reader can avoid similar issues while working with your trees.

 

 

Issue 1:  When viewed from the left, the whole tree is leaning forward too much; an issue to resolve during the next re-potting.

 

 

 

 

 

Issue 2:  The lowest left branch had no fork but is solo.  Developing branching in sets of two allows for options during future cutting back.  Not sure why this was cut but it happened last year by my guesstimation.

Issue 3:  It’s not mine : )

After taking 100-some-odd photos of this tree, seems like a waste not to share a few more.  The final tree after a few months of growth is coming up soon I promise….

  

Before work started.

After shoot removal on the back half.

 

After major branch removal and wiring.

Amazing just how much can be cut off in order to set a tree on the right path.  It is important to note that this is the initial styling and this tree will not be “ready” for a while.  Another round of shoot thinning later this year and potentially 2-3 more years of fine tuning are required.

A few months have passed and the tree has responded very well to the work.

 

Thanks for reading.  I apologize for all the spam in the comments section.  This has been resolved.  Any comments or constructive criticism are welcome.

Stewartia monadelpha

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While this species is not exactly easy to find outside of Japan, let alone as bonsai, the techniques presented here with some minor tweaks work for many deciduous tree species.  Stewartia monadelpha, aka Himeshara,  is also just plain cool so here goes….. One day I hope this species is as commonly available as a trident maples one day.  In the meantime, it can’t hurt to be exposed to the rationale behind styling of himeshara and the growth habits of the species.  As with many species of tree used for bonsai, the techniques I present here are not “the only game in town”.  This is what we do at Kouka-en, and have done so for multiple decades.

A few quick things to consider about Stewartia monadelpha are that the species prefers evenly moist and cool soil conditions. We cover all our trees with chopped sphagnum moss whether just repotted or not.  This species does not like to dry out and prefers some shade during the most intense parts of the summer.  Himeshara also has an extremely strong vertical growth habit.  Even branches guy wired or wired down regularly will inevitably lift back up.  Older branches form a sort of shoulder at the trunk union which is something to consider when working for a good tapering trunk.

This work was carried after the chaos of red and black pine and a welcome break from being cross-eyed all day pulling needles.  Here is the tree before work commenced.

This particular tree is one of a batch of Stewartia monadelpha bonsai grown from pencil-sized seedlings at Kouka-en.

A term I’m going to use often is “susoba“.  Susoba are the leaves at the base of a stem or new flush of growth that do not have a latent bud beneath the petiole.  Susoba comes from the words suso (meaning “cuff” like on your pants) and the word ha (meaining leaf).  The first step in the maintenance and styling of this tree was susoba removal and new shoot shortening (known as metsumi in Japanese).  These tasks were carried out together, but any areas that were not as full had only the susoba pulled.

This sequence below shows the susoba removal and shortening process:
          You could alternatively shorten the shoots as you wire, but after doing this a few times, it’s easier to know what will not be necessary.  With himeshara, it is best to leave 2-3 new buds on any given shoot as not all buds will pop reliably next spring; best to play it safe.  Any flower buds were also removed to conserve energy.  The flowers are beautiful and I leave a few then cut them off before seed capsules form.
This act of removing unnecessary foliage and shortening new growth really opens up the canopy for better light penetration to interior buds and shoots.  Also a hell of a lot easier to wire too.  Full defoliation of himeshara is possible, but doing so at the beginning of summer can be risky as the new foliage can easily fry or be attacked by fungal infection.  This process can cause some terminal buds to initiate shortly afterwards and these shoots will be extra sensitive to fungal attack or sun-scald much like trident or Japanese maples (which is a bit confusing……).  Acer palmatum is much easier to understand.  Latin names baby!
  

Before susoba removal and metsumi

As you can see, the difference is huge.  This process obviously decreases the photosynthetic potential of the tree, but this tree is being maintained; not being “built”.

After

If I wanted to increase the size of this tree, completely different training processes would be used.   Last year, only minor tweaks were done and a few wires are still on the tree.

Here is a before and after view of a lower branch to show from a different angle.

Then it was time to fully style the tree using aluminum wire (the bark is super soft) and copper for the guy wires; aluminum tends to stretch when tension is applied and a much thinner gauge of copper will do the same work and be less eye-catching.  Using a black Sharpie marker or lime sulphur will also hide guy wires even better.  The Sharpie trick is 100% American innovation : ).

As mentioned before, the natural habit of Stewartia monadelpha is strongly vertical. Wounds heal quickly and when a branch is removed properly, leave almost no trace of a scar.

A branch cut last year to prevent further inverse taper. A branch used to be on the other side as well, but removal of both at once is a bad idea.

Keeping this fact in mind while styling means branches should emerge upwards then drop back downwards as if the weight over years of growth has made them set more parallel to the ground.  Himeshara has an alternate leaf habit, so rhythmic movement not just front to back, but also up and down is important.  The good news is, an older tree (this one has been here for about 40 years) have their branch structure basically set, but need to be moved back to a desirable position.  My focus was the secondary branches, tertiary branches, and filling out the areas where branches had been removed.

Wiring is done to space branches out, prevent shading of underlying branches, increase chances of adventitious bud formation inside the canopy, and create aesthetically pleasing lines for appreciation during the time when the tree is leaf-less.  The final reason is the most important for display purposes but bonsai are not one-shot deals.  The best bonsai in the world have been re-styled, undergone drastic changes, suffered losses to disease and insects (humans too), etc. etc.  Truly inspirational bonsai have been cared for by attentive owners for a very long time with yearly maintenance practices.

Area before wiring.

This is about half-way up the tree. After wiring but before bending.

 

After bending the main branch into position.

 

Final placement including fine branching on secondary and tertiary shoots. The change is impressive. Notice there is a gradual taper to the outer silhouette as your eye progresses up the tree. This will be more give the bonsai a soft, natural feeling when the leaves drop.

With a single main branch, I have filled a great deal of negative space and the main branch has not moved at all.  The real trick is making sure the tree looks good naked.  I guess that’s what we are all after right? : ).  A branch removed the year before just above this point has left a gap.  See if you can spot how I fix this issue in the final product photos……

To bring out the color of the bark, we use a fabric glove.  A toothbrush and water works too.

Left side after styling was complete.

 

 

 

 

 

Apex close-up. I used the top-secret "take vertical branch and flop forward" maneuver. Future new shoots will pop and round out the apex. Nothing I can do at this point but wait.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Styling complete.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, the positives on this tree are excellent nebari, almost perfect taper, good health, and strong presence.  The flaws would be it lacks a little bit of ramification in some areas and the obvious new scar visible from the front.  We grow our himeshara for optimum branch placement, taper, and nebari.  This requires even more time to create.  Careful attention to detail throughout the years of training has produced this result.  Here are a few Stewartia monadelpha from the Kokufu  show and vendor area this year:

 

This one actually came from Kouka-en, but was sold to another pro then the next day had a new owner..... I really wanted this Prunus mume bad.

 

 

A baby off to a pretty good start, but the healed over wounds should have been gauged deeper to account for the heavy callus formation.

Nice tree, but half-way up the first major chop is still evident and the branches lack taper. Excellent ramification.

Informal upright with a "rushed" apex.

 

 

This is a Stewartia monadelpha at the Kokufu-ten exhibited by Shinji Suzuki. It’s a big-un. I think it may have eaten an apprentice or two.   At a minimum, it strained some backs.

 

 

 

Thanks for reading.  Apologies for all the spam and fake comments.  Issues will be resolved shortly.

Juniperus rigida “Test”

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Since arriving in Japan, I’ve done full styling projects on a a ton of trees.  The majority are what we refer to as “lesson trees” that aren’t spectacular bonsai by Japanese standards, but have issues needing resolution to be set on the right path.  This particular Juniperus rigida, aka “Tosho”, was a slightly different project.

Every now and then, I’m given an opportunity to take a rough tree and do what I like.  There is an understanding that I must make it marketable of course, and as with most things related to apprenticeship, it’s a test.

If the project turns out well, all is well in the the world.  If I fail, well, you don’t fail : ).  That would mean constant reminders of what mistake you made for the next week or so ad nasuem.  ”Please water that maple.  It’s dry.  Oh, and don’t forget that your spacing between branches on oak bonsai needs to account for the size density of the leaves”.    You get the idea.  On to the tree…..The inital shape of this tree had some serious issues to resolve.  The lowest branches were straight, lacked interest, and did not match the rest of the tree.  The top half had not been pruned in a while.  Choosing a great “front” for this tree was important.  This particular tree was field grown and a bunch of twists and turns were put into it in a predictable manner.  The “barber pole” twist in the middle of the trunk line really bugged me, so this took precedent when picking a front.  The front I chose best links the base of the tree to the apex by softening the curves.

This is the "rough cut" version. I made it look pretty after repotting.

Bunjin to me are all about the trunk line,feeling of age, and embodyment of a life of hardship.  A trunk line that is too curvy looks contrived while one too straight (in this particular instance) would be boring.  I must admit a bit of an addiction to bunjin trees.  However, my first inclination is not to slice and dice to force a style on any tree.  Doing so is not only risky, but in my opinion you’re relying on your ego and not working within a reasonable framework.  This tree was asking for it though : ).  The main reason being the top and bottom halves did not match.  A pet peeve I have is jins that look like a branch that used to be part of the design just died.  Not all dead branches need to be jin.  On this particular project, the lowest right branch was completely deleted as a jin there would conflict with the line of the trunk.  Wiring bunjin bonsai is always a joy and an ordeal at once.  You may only have a few branches to wire, but every bend and tweak must be precisely calculated.  Drastic re-stylings like this are also risky for the health of the tree.  I left a few extra branches in the apex and more branches along the base of the trunk to give the future owner some liberties in choosing the future direction of the tree.

I apologize for the lack of progression photos;  I was filming this project for the Bonsai Art of Japan Series before it  became a blog post…..Two weeks later, a new flush of growth has popped and that signals a window to repot safely.  Tosho are one of the last species of plant we repot at Kouka-en.  If you ever wonder how to care for a species new to you, one solid lead will be to look into where it’s native to.  What altitude can it live at?  Does it live near water?  How hot / cold does it get there?  Another solid lead is observation of the plants behavior.  In the case of Tosho, the Spring flush is later than most.  So, repot later than most.  The first flush of growth tells you sap is flowing and the tree is physiologically active.  Many species are repotted as new growth emerges at Kouka-en.  One exception is Fagus japonica, as beech do not respond well to the procedure and should be repotted just before the buds swell.

There is a convenient window to repot Tosho after you pinch the first flush of growth back. Wait until the second flush of the year is emerging and get to it.  Tosho in general do not like to have aggressive repotting work done to them.  I pushed this tree as far as I felt comfortable after removing over half the branches.  Review the following pics and think about what stick out as being “off”.

Issue #1 What is wrong with this section of the tree?

Issue #2 How about here? (apex view from left side)

Issue #3 One more. How about here?

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the future, the live veins that feed each branch will swell and shari can be made up and down the tree. The barber pole twist in the middle will then become an asset instead of a fault as the deletion of the likely half the bark on the trunk will give the tree an even lighter feeling.  I may not get a chance to do this work as Mr. Sakamoto came to Kouka-en today and purchased the bonsai.  He’s a bit of a bunjin fan too.

It was definitely not alright for me to interrupt, so a covert shot of the deal will have to suffice.  I passed the test by the way  : ).

So how about the three issues above?  Issue #`1 refers to the gap between the dropping branch and the trunk line.  ”Holes” like this draw the eye and are distracting.   The bends I put into the tree were a compromise of what I hoped for and what was possible with the material during the first styling.  Issue #2 is the funky bend I used to make the branch look shorter than it actually was from the front.  Bunjin trees often have what some people call “character branches”.  Something unexpected or unconventional that makes the composition interesting.  Issue #3 is that the apex is too full and there are not enough spaces between branches.  In the future, I’d remove about half the apical branches to lighten the feeling and bring a better harmony to the whole tree.

Bonsai is not a cut and dry event, but about forward progress.  This tree is a good example of that.  It is by no means ready to rock, but has been set on a new path.

Thanks for reading.