One highlight of my recent visit to Japan was a day trip to Tokoname where a group of us visited several well-known kilns. Our first stop – the Koyo kiln. Koyo – the kiln established in 1970 by Kouichirou Aiba, is best known for its glazed pots. Today the kiln is run by Aiba’s son, […]
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Koju-en shohin bonsai nursery
I recently returned from a trip to Japan for the World Bonsai Convention. Before getting to the show, I was able to visit a number of bonsai and satsuki nurseries that were new to me. The first of these was Koju-en. Koju-en Koju-en is a Kyoto bonsai nursery run by Tomohiro Masumi. Masumi is a […]
Identifying suitable material for bonsai – part 5 of 5
Over the past few posts we’ve looked at how trees at different stages of development provide opportunities to learn different sets of skills. The same is true for mature bonsai too. Trees that are close to show-ready can help us address questions like: Can I manage vigor? Can I do maintenance work? Can I do […]
Identifying suitable material for bonsai – part 4 of 5
One of my favorite starting points for longer term projects is bonsai that has been developed for some time but is no longer in good shape. Neglect and infestation are two of the most common reasons why a bonsai no longer looks as good as it once did. Failure to repot or cut back a […]
Identifying suitable material for bonsai – part 3 of 5
Creating bonsai from older material, whether collected or nursery grown, can be very rewarding. With age comes character, and with good character we can create compelling bonsai. Greater age can often mean greater challenges. When with working with relatively young pre-bonsai, we often have plenty of branches to work with and the trunks are supple enough […]