The bonsai museum at Shinpukuji Temple features some great tosho, or needle juniper. Here are some of my favorites.
Boon and tosho
Many needle juniper bonsai are collected. Among the most prized features are knobby deadwood – ibo-jin, or wart-jin, in Japanese – and thin life lines with good movement.
Ibo-jin
Needle juniper
Formal upright specimens feature narrow life lines but often have less bumpy jin.
Formal upright needle juniper
Developing needle juniper branch pads requires time. New shoots grow and are cut back once or twice a year – the exact shapes are a matter of style.
Twin trunk needle juniper
Needle juniper
I haven’t seen many developed needle junipers in the U.S., but I hope that will someday change.
Subscribe to Bonsai Tonight
New Posts Delivered Every Tuesday and Friday
yenling29 says
I sure love ibo-jin on needle juniper. I also seem to find similar type of jin on some Sierra junipers. I feel like Sierra reminds me somewhat of a cross between Shimpaku and Tosho.
Jose Luis says
I thought ibo jin meant porcupine jin?
Jose Luis says
Anyhow, Great Tosho bonsai. I too feel they are a bit underrated as bonsai. Beautiful!
Steve Moore says
Excellent — excellent — trees! Thanks for posting these pics.