Bonsai Today

Online magazine for Bonsai lovers

copper

Step by Step

A moyogi juniper

This less than pretty juniper has hidden potential; its almost bare trunk has enough foliage to make an elegant bonsai


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Technique

Split in two

Yoshihiko Moriyama's transformation of a juniper by using an electric saw


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Masterclass

Time for change

Restyling a famous tree into something new is difficult work and an artist must stake their reputation on it


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Case History

Broken sails

Masahiko Kimura restores a very old juniper


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Masterclass

A Pine Puzzle

Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris, is one of the most popular pine varieties and one of the most commonly styled tree.


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Styling

An offer one can’t refuse

'The tree featured here is an eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis), which is native to Eastern Canada and much of the north-central and north-eastern United States'


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Styling

Just drop it

Creating a literati red pine by focusing on the dropping branch


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Masterclass

Out of the box

The pine called 'Okou no kyosho' is brought back into shape by Master Kunio Kobayashi


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Masterclass

Wired up?

Improving your wiring skills with Chiharu Imai


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Styling

Is it just one blob of green?

Manuel Germade re-styles an Itoigawa juniper This very compact juniper, grafted with Itoigawa foliage, has grown out of proportion. The shape of the trunk with its deadwood is very attractive. The main task for Manuel Germade is to discover the best front and to split up the dense foliage dome…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Styling

Why does he want to break free

Massimo Bandera wants to work unhindered by convention For Massimo Bandera bonsai is very much an art form. The bonsai artist should be free from conventions and rules. In the process of creating an extraordinary olive (Olea europaea sylvestris), Massimo found much inspiration in the Japanese aesthetics and Zen philosophy,…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Masterclass

Can Kimura dance with a shari?

Masahiko Kimura rearranges the foliage around a dancing shari Exploring the artistic sensitivity of Mr Kimura, we take a look at the material he will work on. The transformation is not tremendously dramatic, however the work is of the highest quality in order to accentuate the best characteristics of the…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Shohin

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…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Styling

All-American pine

Bjorn Bjorholm works on a pine grown from seed Bjorn gives an initial styling to a more than 50-year-old pine, grown from seed. This classic informal upright bonsai has a long and much told history in the United States, dating back to the early 1970s in Rochester, New York. At…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Workshop

Just too long

Jan Culek copes with a tree that is almost impossible to style The pine Jan has chosen to work on (Pinus sylvestris) hasn’t the most ideal branch setting and trunk shape. It is a clump with long, straight trunks, so what to do with it? The pine has three trunks…....


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Masterclass

No beating about the bush

A very bushy juniper for Mauro Stemberger to style It was January 2020 when I arrived at the small city of Marostica at the foot of the Italian Alps for a demo with Mauro Stemberger. In the studio of Enrico Pavin, Mauro, together with his team, was ready to transform…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Shohin

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…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Case History

A masterpiece tree has no front

A juniper masterpiece more dead than alive, is totally restored ‘Garyuu’, the history and Kakuryu-an. The oldest photographic record of this tree is from 1962 when it was featured in the auction catalogue for the ‘Gyoshinya Bonsai Commemorative Book’. It was the usual auction catalogue in that photographs of both…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Styling

Too obvious?

A semi-cascade for this oak was so logical René Alber: ‘This huge, but compact cork oak (Quercus suber) is ready for styling. The trunk is massive, has a wonderful curving movement and a fantastic corky bark. With these excellent characteristics an impressive bonsai can be created’The cork oak was collected…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Masterclass

The final test

Andrei Bessonov’s final work as an apprentice to Master Kimura After six years of apprenticeship under Mr Kimura, this is the ‘final test’ for Andrei, with a tree that was obtained specifically for this purpose. Multiple trunks on this aged old white pine give it a very scenic feel. The…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Styling

The Greek oracle

Elsa Boudouri styles a Juniperus sabina rastrera Greek enthusiast Elsa Boudouri is self-taught and became inspired by bonsai when she was 14. She mainly works with native varieties, like the medium-sized sabina juniper. At a very early age Elsa had her first contact with the art of bonsai, but because…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Masterclass

The survivor

Rebirth of a juniper that survived the Tohoku earthquake The Sanriku Coast is a dramatic, rocky shoreline with countless bays, cliffs and coves that stretches for over 300 kilometres along the Pacific Coast from just north of Sendai to Aomori. On March 11, 2011, the strongest ever recorded earthquake in…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Workshop

Wild from the garden

Garden material can be an interesting source for bonsai. It can also be very challenging because it was not really grown for the purpose. Bruno Wijman checks out a garden yew. The yew (Taxus baccata) to which Bruno is going to give a whole new style, originated from a private…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Technique

Let’s wire!

We all know that wiring is essential, so you had better learn to love it if you want great results. Let’s make wiring enjoyable! We will look at wiring with aluminium wire for the benefit of both advanced enthusiasts and beginners. Like any technique, it becomes easier with practice and…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Masterclass

Did it snap?

Enrico Savini twists, bends and turns a sabina into a graceful cascade Enrico’s garden, close to Bologna, Italy, is where he meticulously works on all kinds of ingenious techniques. With these techniques his trees are styled and refined over a period of a couple of years, not created in just…...


For Basic, Plus, and Premium members.
Log In Join Now