Esprit Bonsai International – August 2019

42 - EspritBonsaiInternational # 101

Shohin:

Small Bonsais

The drama

of deadwood

Author: Morten Albek

Juniperus chinensis is a

type of raw bonsai material you often find

at bonsai nurseries and shops. Most of the

time, these imported trees display very little

variation and little interest regarding form

and movement. The challenge is finding the

soul of the tree and bringing it to the fore.

The main features of junipers, and what

has made them popular for shohin

bonsai, are the movement often created

with twisted branches, and the contrast

between deadwood and live vein.

Analysing the tree

This tree had been trained with the intention of

letting another artist make it truly shine. It bore

the traces of some good preparation, but also

had some flaws. The deadwood at the trunk

(shari) had been treated properly. The wood

was soft and partly rotting, so action had to be

taken to preserve it. This was done by brushing

Morten Albek analysing

the Juniperus chinensis

before work. He

will bring out the

species’s deadwood

and character.

The deadwood at the trunk (shari) is soft.

It needs to be worked on and preserved from further rotting.

Passing

through

different

hands

Often trees are pre-

developed at two or

more nurseries, before

they are handed over

to the final artist. And

maybe later someone

else will make the

tree evolve further.

The styling of this

little juniper involved

transforming a branch

into a jin, which has given

the tree character.