Displaying a shimpaku juniper
Bay Island Bonsai held their 13th Annual Exhibit this past weekend at the Lakeside Garden Center in Oakland, CA. The exhibit featured a well developed shimpaku juinper.
Shimpaku juniper
Before reading any further, which way do you think the tree points – to the left or to the right?
When setting up exhibits, we often start by identifying trees that point left or right and put these at the ends of each row where they can point toward the center. Cascade and semi-cascade bonsai often end up at the ends of rows as they are strongly directional trees. With the exception of formal upright bonsai, most trees tend to point or lean a bit to the left or the right. When trees point to the left, we tend to place accent or companion plants to the right in the attempt to create balanced compositions.
The apex of the shimpaku pictured above points strongly to the left, as does the first branch on that side of the tree. My inclination was to display the tree on the right and place an accent plant on the left. Daisaku Nomoto, a bonsai professional visiting from Miyazaki, Japan, however, wanted the tree placed on the left. I winced at the suggestion, and appealed to Boon. Boon seconded Nomoto’s opinion. While we stood there discussing the matter, the tree’s owner set the tree on the right. This made sense to me and I liked the resulting display.
Displayed on the right with accent and scroll
At the end of the day, I found myself very curious about the direction of the tree. Maybe if the trunk or branches were arranged differently I could see what Boon and Nomoto saw. The next morning I asked Boon and Nomoto for an explanation. Simply put, they typically find the movement in the lower part of the trunk to be the most important element in the determination of direction. What about the apex or the key branch? Not important, Nomoto replied. It really is all about the lower part of the trunk. Tilting the tree a bit to the right would increase the movement of the lower part of the trunk and move the apex to the right. Growing out the lowest branch on the right could further this movement.
What does the tree look like displayed on the left?
As displayed on the left
Turns out the tree looks good on the left too.
Armed with new knowledge, I found a new way to look at bonsai. Like the Ponderosa pine below, for instance. Surely it points to the right?
Ponderosa pine
No such luck. Nomoto insisted the tree points to the left, just as the owner had displayed it.
Taikan-ten – awesome bonsai
I hope it’s been obvious from my recent posts, but in case it isn’t, I’d like to underscore the fact that the great bonsai exhibits in Japan feature some really great trees. The Taikan-ten in Kyoto is the second largest exhibit in Japan and it always includes some outstanding trees. Special displays feature Kokufu and Sakufu prize-winners. These are typically very large and very old bonsai. It can be difficult to keep such trees healthy, let alone move them from one bench to another. Their beauty reflects not only great bonsai skill, but also great caring as their maintenance over long periods of time requires considerable resources.
Although the show isn’t organized by size or variety, I’ve taken license in presenting like groups of trees for dramatic effect. Doing this helps remind me just how many fantastic pines, for instance, the show contained.
I hope you enjoy the photos below, and I’d like to wish you all a happy new year! I appreciate your readership and engaged comments – they mean a lot to me. To borrow a phrase from Peter Tea, thanks for reading!
Japanese black pine from Mr. Moriyama’s collection
Japanese black pine – work by a Daiju-en graduate
Japanese black pine – from Mr. Moriyama’s collection
Japanese black pine
Japanese black pine displayed at this year’s Gomangoku
Japanese black pine
Semi-cascade Japanese black pine
Japanese black pine on a rock
Cascade Japanese black pine
Japanese white pine from Mr. Moriyama’s collection – one of the trees I helped prepare for the exhibit
Japanese white pine - received 2011 Kokufu Prize and Prime Minister Award at the 2010 Taikan-ten
Japanese white pine – although the pot looks new, it’s likely over 100 years old
Japanese white pine – a great conversation piece
Japanese white pine
Hemlock – a favorite among many Taikan-ten visitors
Formal upright hinoki bonsai
Ezo spruce
Ezo spruce - received 2011 Kokufu Prize
Ezo spruce – deadwood detail
Needle juniper
Shimpaku – received 2010 Sakufu Prize
Shimpaku
Shiimpaku
Roughbark Japanese maple
Trident maple – from Mr. Moriyama’s collection
Japanese winterberry – work by a Daiju-en graduate
Japanese maple
Ginkgo
Korean hornbeam – received 2011 Kokufu Prize
Japanese maple – possibly shishigashira
Japanese flowering quince – ‘Chojubai’
Kadsura
Satsuki azalea
Enjoying a bonsai show
Walking through a bonsai show is a great way to pass an afternoon – or longer if the show is particularly large or excellent. But spending a whole day at a bonsai exhibit? Two days? Three? That’s a different story. I was surprised to find myself with a lot of free time at several great exhibits this fall. After wandering the aisles for several hours on consecutive days, I found there were many different ways to take in all that a show has to offer.
Citrus japonica ‘Hindsii’ – Kinzu, or wild kumquat
At first I spent a lot of time looking at my favorite trees, or trees that triggered enough dissonance to keep me engaged. I looked at the branches, the wiring, the style and the health of the tree. Sometimes I’d ponder the display or try to figure out what I’d do with such a tree were it my own.
Japanese flowering quince – ‘Chojubai’
Needle juniper
This approach only kept me occupied for so long. During my second full day at Gomangoku, I searched out all of the black pines and really focused on how they were styled. During my third full day at the exhibit, I studied the relationship between trees and pots, asking myself if I liked the color, shape, size and style of the containers in which the bonsai were growing. At one point I caught myself focusing on the accent plants and even on the mini-slabs on which the accents were displayed. In short, I found there was a lot to learn from quality exhibits.
White pine
The photos in this post come from this year’s Taikan-ten in Kyoto. I don’t know that I saw the program for the event, but I spent a lot of time studying the trees. I think the only reading I did about the exhibit focused on a remarkable pine from Daiju-en that “survived the atomic bomb blast at Hiroshima.”
Japanese black pine
Card displayed with remarkable pine
Everything else I gleaned from the exhibit resulted from studying the trees on display and talking about the trees with Peter Tea and other visitors. I don’t recall what exactly struck me about these trees as I stood before them, but it likely resembled the questions and comments below.
Shimpaku – what fun movement and dense foliage.
Trident maple – wow, the trunk fills the pot. Good fall color, and interesting glaze on the pot.
Princess persimmon with great fruit – I really want to develop more fruiting bonsai because they provide great color for exhibits.
Black pine – very unusual movement. What is the ideal pot for such a trunk?
Great fall color – interesting pot.
Old satsuki azalea
Elegant princess persimmon – nice open display
Giant trunk for a satsuki – is the pot a good fit?
White pine on a rock – these were always heavier than I expected
Unusual white pine planting – it might be fun to create more interesting “containers” for my trees.
Shimpaku with small scroll
Formal upright black pine – wish I had a few.
White pine with striking first branch – how would I style such a tree?
Japanese maple – great color, great trunk, great roots. Nice composition.
White pine with really long key branch
White pine clump on a slab. This is clearly the year for non-traditional white pine bonsai.
Great white pine – massive base, and the tree was only about a foot tall.
Black pine
Shimpaku
Japanese flowering apricot – ume
Shimpaku with awesome movement. Wow. Really pretty tree. How fun to pick a pot to complement the trunk.
What’s the name of this tree again? I looked it up when I got home. It’s a Japanese pepper tree – Zanthoxylum piperitum, known as isozanshou in Japan. I’d like to find one to work on.
Korean hornbeam
Japanese black pine – a comforting tree to admire. The base is large but not overpowering. The round apex and branch pads give the tree a soft feeling that complements the round bends in the trunk.
The pine above was one of many nice pines on display, and one of the many great bonsai in the hall. Enough so that I didn’t even try to take it all in at once. The sales area made for the best distraction – that and the snack bar. I’ll take a short break now and share more photos from the show later this week.
Taikan-ten – all the little things
Taikan-ten – all the little things
Looking over my photos from Taikan-ten last night made me really happy. Sure, I miss being around such great trees every day, but I’m happy to have seen them and I appreciate the opportunity I have to share the photos.
To get a better sense of the overall event, please read Peter Tea’s report, “Taikan-ten 2011” and see Bjorvala Bonsai Studio’s fantastic video report, “The Bonsai Art of Japan: Episode 22.”
Below are some some of the small-sized bonsai and suiseki exhibited at the 2011 Grandview Bonsai Exhibit. I’ll post pics of the larger trees next week.
Shohin display
Shohin display
Shohin display
Shohin display
Japanese quince – Chojubai
Shohin black pine
Jasmine
Japanese spindle tree – Euonymus hamiltonianus var. sieboldianus, aka yeddo euonymus or mayumi
Crabapple
Japanese quince – Chojubai
Trident maple
Mayumi
Princess persimmon
Jasmine
Special display
Suiseki
Suiseki
Suiseki
Suiseki
Suiseki
Suiseki
Suiseki
Suiseki
|
Antique pot |
Antique pot |
For those who read Japanese: Cards accompanying antique pots
Accent
Accent
Accent
Accent
5 comments