The challenge was for Masahiko Kimura to style a bunjin literati bonsai with only one branch see below for where he started.
Since a literati trunk usually features quite a bit of movement, Junipers because of their elasticity make excellent bonsai subjects.
Or, if you want to have a bit of an optical illusion, you might try a thinner pot that's glued to its base so it can't tip over.
As to the point of 'just' reproducing nature, no one really has or will do so, but if they could I would consider them the master over all.
NextFinished for the moment.
Posted by on Dec 29, 2005 in Notes From John Y. I have many forests and the best ones are closer to the classical form than those that are not as good.
NextHowever, while many Bunjin are simply tall and thin, that's only the beginning.
Generally speaking, two thirds of the total height of the tree is free from branches. When I first saw it, I was impressed with some of the trees but not completely taken by the collection as a whole. And I will not even get into the debate of whether small potted trees were first in the Indus Valley or the Liaoning Provence of China or whether it was for aesthetics or other reasons.
NextHowever, we shall try.
Eventually it influenced horticulturists who started to design trees in Nansoga Nanga painting style. I am not going to go into the massive amount of information of the history on this style or the numerous attempts to describe the style as an essence, a feeling, a mood etc.......
Arranging the branches on a Bunjin style tree is also different from traditional forms of Bonsai.
It's nearly impossible to take stock from one source or another and duplicate a picture of a perfect tree, so we all make our trees by picking and choosing among the existing wood, stretching here and crimping there, to accommodate what's in the pot with our own tastes and coming out in the end with something good, bad, or indifferent, but not a duplicate of the picture.
NextThe Bunjin style can be applied to most types of Bonsai tree species.