For those who have yet to visit the Omiya Bonsai Museum, I highly recommend it. The collection is small, but the quality is high. Indoor displays teach bonsai basics. An outdoor garden allows for strolling among famous trees. My favorite exhibits include an overview of the history of bonsai and of the Omiya Bonsai Village. Old […]
Japan
Post 701 – Kimura’s creations
In recent years, Masahiko Kimura has created a number of compositions that use young trees planted on stones. Some of these creations suggest landscapes. In other cases, the stones suggest large trunks or more abstract shapes. These creations are fun to look at, and are a great use of young material. Enjoy! Hinoki Shimpaku Shimpaku Shimpaku Shimpaku […]
Needle juniper foliage
On my last visit to Aichi-en, Juan Andrade and I took some time to compare the different foliage on some of the needle junipers in the garden. Needle juniper Needle juniper foliage It turns out there can be quite a difference in leaf size between specimens. If you’re working with a small tree, smaller foliage […]
Twists and movement
On a visit to Aichi-en last fall, I saw a juniper that was a little too much. Twisty shimpaku The other side Aichi-en apprentice Juan Andrade wasn’t very convinced by this tree with artificial twists. Junichiro Tanaka, on the other hand, suggested that the tree might take on more character as it ages and prove to […]
An old pot
The pots holding the bonsai at Shinji Suzuki’s garden were often as interesting as the trees. We learned the story of a few of these containers – others we appreciated on our own. One glazed pot looked like it had been around awhile. There were chips, cracks, mineral deposits and other signs of wear. There […]