Tag Archives: Tosho

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.

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.