Driftwood style – A tree where the trunk is mostly deadwood, more commonly seen on junipers and yews where the trunk is primarily deadwood with one or two live veins running up to the remaining […]
Netsuranari | Sinuous-root style
Sinuous-root style – Resembling the Yose-Ue style, but all the trunks are connected by a single root system. It consists of a primary tree with multiple stems, each of which has emerged from various points […]
Kengai | Cascade style
Cascade style – In nature, this tree grows on a rock face and, because of snow and wind, it first grows downwards and then upwards again. In Kengai the leaves grow lower than the pot. […]
Hokidachi | Broom style
Broom style – Trees in this style have an upright trunk with branches and foliage radiating outwards in the shape of a Japanese fan or an umbrella. In nature, trees are forced into all kinds […]
Shohin
Miniature trees – Bonsai are classified in sizes. The most commonly known are Mame (5–15 cm / 2–6 inch), Shohin (13–20 cm / 5–8 inch), Chiu (41–91 cm /16–36 inch) and Dai (76–122 cm / […]
Shakan | Slanting style
Slanting style – In nature, a tree can lean to one side when there is a prevailing wind direction, or when a tree is standing in the shade and growing towards the light. In the […]
Tanuki | Artificial driftwood style
Artificial driftwood style – Tanuki is not so much a style, more a technique for making bonsai look older than they are. A live plant is joined to a piece of driftwood. Sharimiki is the […]
Sokan | Double-trunk style
Double-trunk style – A double trunk occurs if a tree develops two trunks out of a single root base. The junction of the trunks at the base must be sharply “V”-shaped and not “U”-shaped. One […]
Fukinagashi | Windswept style
Windswept style – You should imagine this as a tree through which wind is blowing at that very moment. The main branches stay in position; only the thin branches and leaves position themselves according to […]
Han-kengai | Half-cascade style
Half-cascade style – In nature, this tree grows on a rock face and, because of snow and wind, it first grows downwards and then upwards again. In Kengai the leaves grow lower than the pot. […]
Bankan | Coiled style
Coiled style – This twisted style is probably the closest to what came from China; often called the ‘dragon style’ (or ‘green dragon’) it is a favorite in Chinese bonsai and is an auspicious presence […]
Neagari | Exposed-root style
Exposed-root style – The roots of the neagari emerge above the surface of the soil. These uncovered roots give the impression that the tree has been exposed to soil erosion for many years. In nature, […]
Gokan | Five/seven-trunk style
Five/seven-trunk style – This has a multitude of trunks, usually of an odd number. Gokan (five trunks) and Nanakan (seven trunks) refer to those bonsai with distinct, countable trunks, each of which has a stronger […]
The ‘ROOKIE’ potter…
Natural talent, Roy Minarai (USA), has only very recently entered the world of bonsai pottery. Text: Bonsai Focus Studio Photography: Roy Minarai Can you tell us, Roy, how you got into bonsai pottery? What got me interested in bonsai to begin with was by visiting two places as a kid — the Morikami Museum and Gardens […]
An elegant pine
Antonio Ricchiari sketches the options for the Pine of Gunther de Boeck Antonio Ricchiari passion for bonsai started in the early seventies. He is known for his many publications in bonsai magazines and writer of […]
