• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Bonsai Tonight

An educational website about bonsai development

  • Blog
    • How-to Guides
  • Podcast
  • Shop
    • Bonsai
    • Books
    • Soil
    • Soil (wholesale)
    • Supplies
    • Tools
    • Video Consulting
    • Northern California Bonsai Resources
  • About
    • Workshops

Deadwood story

October 2, 2009 by Jonas Dupuich

In nature, animals, insects, rocks, wind, snow and self-sacrifice expose heartwood to the elements creating the oftentimes beautiful shapes and patterns we recognize as “deadwood” in bonsai.  Deadwood always suggests a story – the cause of the trauma to a tree that killed part of it off. Some of these stories are more compelling than others. It’s the compelling stories that we look for in bonsai.

Looking closely at the grain of this exposed wood reveals minute subtleties of shape and texture – the result, in part, of characteristics inherent to the wood itself.

When we create deadwood on our trees through carving and other techniques we inscribe a story directly onto the tree. The more compelling the carving, the more compelling the story. This is where quality comes in.

I’m impressed when bonsai artists quickly carve up deadwood with power tools. I’m more impressed when they do it well. Creating shapes not found in nature, working unevenly from branch to branch or haphazardly crossing the grain can belie a tree’s nature and create an incongruous story that yields more dissonance than harmony. Carefully thought out and well-executed carving can trigger our imagination by suggesting a more plausible story for a tree.

Michael Hagedorn relates an anecdote about natural deadwood in his account of life as an apprentice, Post Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk. Barely able to contain his excitement about a tree that was new to his garden, Shinji Suzuki encouraged his students to name the “best point” of the tree:

Tachi hesitated, and said, “Ubu?” “YES!” said Mr. Suzuki. “This tree has never seen a carving tool – it could never have been improved by one.” Ubu (as if just born, innocent) is a very special, rare quality in an old bonsai that Mr. Suzuki is particularly fond of impressing on us. Still his excitement grew. “Michael! Michael!” he repeated, grinning at the tree and prancing around it, “Tachi! TACHI! There ARE no such trees, this is the very apex of bonsai, a true Major Leaguer! (36)

Natural deadwood is a vehicle for nature’s story. Carved deadwood, and to some degree the whole practice of bonsai, is our vehicle.

Here are a few photos of pine deadwood found along the Mt. Whitney trail.

Rock and deadwood

Limber pine deadwood

Lodge Pole Pine deadwood

Lodgepole pine deadwood

Lodge Pole Pine deadwood

Lodgepole pine deadwood

Foxtail Pine deadwood

Lodgepole pine deadwood

✕

Subscribe to Bonsai Tonight

New Posts Delivered Every Tuesday and Friday

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

Filed Under: Excursions Tagged With: Deadwood

Previous Post: « Foxtail pine
Next Post: Limber pine »

Footer

Follow Bonsai Tonight

Subscribe

Instagram ● Facebook ● Twitter
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Shop
  • About

P.O. Box 6560, Alameda, CA 94501 · 510-915-2025 · jonas (at) bonsaitonight (dot) com

© Copyright 2009-2023 Bonsai Tonight · All rights reserved · Privacy · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. You can opt-out if you wish. Accept Decline Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT