Bonsai Today

Online magazine for Bonsai lovers

live vein

Masterclass

Achieve a natural flow

Master Kimura follows the character of the tree to convert a very raw piece of material into a splendid bonsai.


For Plus and Premium members.
Log In Join Now
Masterclass

Can you restyle a Bonsai masterpiece?

Masayuki Fujikawa takes things further by transforming a masterpiece

It is said that a tree displayed at Kokufu has reached a point of completion in a long journey. As the tree grows, finds a new owner, or an artist to care for it, the viewpoint of the tree will gradually change

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
Shohin

Is this all?

Hiroki Miura works on a Chinese juniper

At first glance, the featured juniper has great looks; however, Hiroki Miura shows us that when we take a closer look, the tree is really a bit dull . . .


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
Styling

The Grim

Bruno Proietti Tocca philosophises about his work on a savin juniper


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

Father and Son

The Sanriku junipers: Father and Son Omachi work on yamadori trees


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

Out of the box

Harry Harrington works on a very bulky elm that has no tapering. By carving the trunk the problem is solved.


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

Paper bonsai

Udo Wollenhaupt is passionate about drawing and sketching bonsai.

Technique

Split in three

Considering the front, planting angle and every different orientation of material is part of the deep fascination of transforming a bonsai.


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

cut in two?

Chiharu Imai deals with a dull bonsai and creates something special


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

POMEGRANATE

Pomegranate: The challenge is to create a finished tree starting from scratch


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

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…...


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

No bonsai stays the same

Working on a very ancient and treasured juniper, Chiharu Imai realises that no bonsai stays the same and so he respectfully gives the tree a new shape for the future.


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

The branch doctor

Master Oota is the expert on grafting new branches on junipers From grafting branches to finishing a tree and his selection of famous needle junipers, these are trees that have been created by Nobuharu Oota over the years using natural material. Using his expert skills he creates a bonsai that…...


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

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…...


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

Between life and death

Carving juniper deadwood with Master Kunihiko Kanemitsu Kunihiko Kanemitsu, of the Okayama City Kanemitsu Bonsai Studio, presents a dramatic contrast between life and death within the confines of a pot. Natural raw material is almost non-existent now. Even field or container grown trees are harder to come by, like juniper,…...


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

Is it a gamble?

Masahiko Kimura is challenged by a huge yew. In a corner of Masahiko Kimura’s bonsai nursery is a yew planted in the ground. The trunk is slender and of a feminine appearance. The top section has great potential as bonsai, both from a deadwood perspective and branch placements. If air…...


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

Bad reputation?

François Jeker has created many outstanding Buxus bonsai by pioneering with this variety Boxwood, also known as box, has a reputation for growing very slowly. However, if we know the right techniques, its branches can grow and ramify very quickly Over the years I have become something of a specialist…...


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