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Shohin
How to improve euonymus
The winged spindle tree charms with its cork bark and deep crimson foliage There are a number of species in the Euonymus family that have been appreciated as bonsai for a number of years. They are shrubs which holds interest with both the colours and fruit of autumn. Additionally, the…...
Creating shohin from faulty material
Use dull material to make impressive bonsai helped by grafting techniques. Here we show you how easy it can be. Pyracantha is in the Rosaceae family in the subset that contains Crataegus. It provides bright orange berries during the winter, a time lacking in colour. It is a very robust…...
Prickly situation
Jean-Philippe Hoareau (JP) works with the prickly juniper The needle juniper or Juniperus rigida, is a far more rugged tree than the Chinese ‘shimpaku’. Its deadwood is spikier and so is its foliage, too. You can get in a very prickly situation when working with this variety because of its…...
A clever operation
Getting rid of faults and improving good characteristics Hiroki Miura works on a Chinese quince. It’s too heavy at the top, so that it is not entirely suitable for becoming an interesting shohin. It has, however, some very good qualities which, with the aid of air layering, can be used…...
A different way
The bonsai passion of Torben Brenfeldt His first encounter with bonsai was not very positive, but Torben Brenfeldt was determined to master the art — in particular the art of shohin. What was your professional education? I was trained as a carpenter. Can you tell us how you got into…...
The shohin geisha’s
The meaning and thought behind the display of shohin, or Seki-kazari Morten Albek takes time to go through some of the shohin displays from the World Bonsai Convention in Japan, held in spring of 2017. He’s not here to judge them, but to add some words on how to display…...
Regular fit
Alexsandre Escudero works on a tiny Itoigawa juniper An average juniper can be changed into something interesting, you just need to have a vision and opt for doing something different to make it less regular. The tree I will work with is very commonly seen as bonsai, a purpose-grown juniper…...
The new big
Koji Hiramatsu works on a black pine Shohin and the slightly larger Kifu-sized bonsai have become ever more popular. This because they are much easier to enjoy and appreciate compared with the larger trees and you can still enjoy the same aged character, or get the feel of a larger-sized…...
A powerhouse
Mike Lane gives an in-depth look at the venerable Sea Hibiscus An unassuming bonsai subject at first glance, the sea hibiscus appears to lack any of the desirable traits we pursue when looking for good bonsai candidates. I had overlooked this abundant material myself, during my initial years in bonsai…....
Fine and fiddly
Yukio Hirose guides you through the defoliation and wiring of maples and elms Yukio Hirose: ‘First I will introduce this tree, a trident maple (Acer buergerianum) that is halfway through its development. The reason for entirely defoliating this tree rather than a partial defoliation is to be able to see…...
Can you feel it?
Yukio Hirose creates the windswept style from a juniper Hirose Yukio is a shohin expert who shows you here how to create from simple material, a tree shaped by the wind The material that Yukio Hirose has prepared for us is a juniper that, although it has been in a…...
Grow ’em yourself
Nobuichi Urushibata shows how you can use juniper cuttings In Japan, material for shohin is mostly grown from cuttings, seed or by air layering. The junipers shown here come from cuttings, which is one of the best methods for creating shohin. Creating a group planting on a vertical stone A…...
Tiny love
The Gafu-ten exhibition brings together those who love these tiny bonsai The second part of a report of the 45th Gafu-ten held from 10 -12 January 2020. Every January it’s time for the major shohin exhibition in Japan. The age and mochi komi (maturity) can be seen in the characteristics
Seas of Green
An exploration of Premna, one of bonsai’s biggest tropical stars Premna is a genus of tropical and sub-tropical species native to southeast Asia, Africa, and some islands of the Pacific Basin. It is extremely popular for bonsai in countries such as Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China. Offering many fine qualities…...
No right or wrong way
Yukio Hirose looks at the many options for displaying medium-sized trees We asked Yukio Hirose (Yamato-en) to create a few different displays using kifu-sized trees (35 cm maximum height), using both deciduous and coniferous species. There is no right or wrong way when displaying trees, it is a manifestation of…...
Little princess
Orihime and Maihime are two maple varieties with very tiny leaves With the discovery of a very small-leafed variety comes a new chapter for the maple bonsai. Mr Katsumi Komiya (Shofu-en) guides you through the specific techniques needed for small leaf maples There are a number of very small-leaf varieties…...
Think ahead
Get the most from your trees by making corrections for the future. Harumi Ishii (Ueharu-en) specialises in shohin of which refinement is a key element, so ugly cuts or disordered branch settings need to be addressed. Using two examples, Mr Ishii shows you here how to cope with these problems…...