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Manuel Germade shows us how he solves the puzzle of this juniper. You can read and watch him working on the tree. This is all about making choices. Which branch is too long, too much, or not necessary for the final design? Manuel Germade clearly explains branch by branch whether…...
An impression of the Bonsai-san Show which was held in the weekend of 12 – 13 October 2019, Saulieu, France. Guest of Honour Mauro Stemberger. Demonstrations were held by Bjorn Bjorholm (USA), Jan Culek (CZ) and Mauro Stemberger (IT). The show was held in the fantastic venue in Saulieu, which…...
Salvatore Liporace reworks one of his finest bonsai. The first styling of this Juniperus chinensis ‘Sargenti’ has a long history which goes back 20 years when its top was 40 cm higher. Gradually it was pulled down with guy wires to create a more compact tree. The amazing spiralling trunk…...
Portland (USA) based woodworker, Austin Heitzman seeks inspiration from ancient trees I have been attempting bonsai for just as long as I have been a professional woodworker. When contacted about commissioning a bonsai stand, I thought I had won the lottery. Unfortunately, the job never went through, but the idea…...
The only regret Manuel Germade has is the fact that he did not go to Japan much earlier. A couple of years ago he officially graduated as a bonsai Master and he now finds his way in the West exhibiting and sharing his knowledge. What was your professional education? I…...
Reworking a small juniper Alexandre Escudero is crazy about shohin bonsai. At the nursery of his teacher Hiroyuki Tanibata, he found a little gem of a juniper. Let’s together find the beauty lost on this Juniperus itoigawa and discover step-by-step how to rework a shohin-sized tree. I bought this Juniperus…...
Although it seemed completely wired and styled, this juniper still looks like a wild bush. What it needs is a totally different approach to get it just right. Jan Culek explains. For the possible future design of this juniper, I decided to tilt it to the right side. This new…...
For Walter Venne every bonsai exhibition is like a gallery where an artist can exhibit their work. Through such exhibitions Walter’s pots have found their way into the hands of many bonsai enthusiasts and Masters. How did it all start? It began via my hobby of bonsai, more than 40…...
learn how to make a bunjin How does one get the branches right? Using the bunjin-gi, or literati style, as a guide, we give an insight into how the branch placement works This can be a difficult topic since, in literati, creativity plays out in our imagination while at the…...
Paolo Nastasi travelled to the land of the rising sun to deepen his knowledge Years ago there was no tradition of going to Japan to improve one’s knowledge. However, times have changed… Taisho-en, run by Masters Nobuichi Urushibata and his son Taiga, was one of the first to give foreign…...
Chiharu Imai looks back on some of his remarkable works Chiharu Imai is a well-known bonsai Master in the west, famed for his sensitivity and excellence of technique. Here he looks back on some of his best work with junipers The strength and power of the lower trunk is the…...
Jan Culek sketches options for the juniper of John Rigg John: ‘I had this tree in the garden for about 17 years. It has lots of curving branches with partial deadwood. I have been working on the tree for some time, having planted it in this exceptional pot. The front…...
On the 150th anniversary of the restoration of Imperial rule, bonsai is displayed at the former capital. An outdoor exhibition is quite rare, even when it’s at a scenic site like the Nijo-jo castle, where once the Samurai ruled. Nijo-jo Castle, Kyoto, is characterized by low yet imposing grand structures,…...
Juniper scion grafting for foliage replacement Changing the foliage of junipers is becoming more and more common in the bonsai scene. Mauro Stemberger talks about his juniper projects using scions or the so-called approach graft technique. Mostly a finer variety of juniper, like’Itoigawa” is used to improve the quality of…...
Bjorn Bjorholm reworks the tree he styled in Japan A bonsai is never finished, over the years it will mature, perhaps even grow out of its original style. This is what happened with a juniper that Bjorn Bjorholm styled in Japan a couple of years ago. Now it needs a…...
Dominique Bosch styles a sabina juniper Dominique Bosch, an upcoming Dutch bonsai artist, has been studying under Masters like Hotsumi Terakawa, Salvatore Liporace and Taiga Urushibata of the Taisho-En in Japan. In 2017 he was one of the demonstrating guests of the 4th Zhongguo Penjing Exhibition in China. Dominique has…...
The 21st HWA Bonsai exhibition in Taiwan Farrand Bloch was invited by Kim Sae Won, Korean bonsai promoter in Asia, to attend the big national bonsai show in Taiwan. It was a full programme with a tour laid on to visit the best bonsai nurseries and the Masters of Taiwan…...
A JUNIPER IS SPLIT UP TO CREATE TWO SEPARATE BONSAI Minoru Akiyama is well-known for his refined work. In summer 2017 he was invited by Frank Busch, of Bonsai Park Nursery, to carry out some workshops and to do a special demo with us on a very unusual juniper. Minoru…...
Jan Culek sketches options for Max Ludwig’s juniper The tree looks quite fresh and I would like to recommend working first with the essential things for junipers — the live veins and deadwood. The trunk needs first of all to develop stronger character by creating shari and establish the live…...
A professional gardener, German Valentin Brose’s love of bonsai drew him to Japan to learn more about this fascinating art. So he
decided to quit his job and went to work for famous Master, Kunio Kobayashi. He soon found out that life as a student is somewhat
different ...
Grace, elegance and style all come together in one tree What do you expect from a good juniper bonsai? Dynamism? Restlessness? Elegance? Style? But is this always so? Antonio Gesualdi is going to prove that, by restoring an impressive Itoigawa juniper, a fine juniper can have all of this… Here…...
