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live vein
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
Paper bonsai
Udo Wollenhaupt is passionate about drawing and sketching bonsai.
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…...
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,…...
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…...
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…...
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,…...
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…...
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…...
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…...