My purpose for this thread was to maybe get some people that are interested in older or natural looks to go down the right path. To hopefully make achieving their goals easier. To put forth that learning the foundation will eventually be the key to what you are trying to achieve. Sometimes, I hear and see people just really speaking about Japanese traditional bonsai guidelines in a real negative light. Which, there is no need of. It is all bonsai. The way to achieve creating nice trees is to respect the art and respect it's tradition. Not refer to it like it is some kind of bad or detestable thing.
Rob
I have been styling for two days one divine juniper at Taisho en. I reached a pad above mid point in the canopy. This pad was longer than the pad that was bellow and slightly to the side. I kept trying to bend the branches to make the pad shorter...and it was hard. Decided to call oyakata and ask if I should shorten that pad.
He told me....you are thinking of traditional bonsai style. This is a yamadori. It is Good to have uneven levels in the first two branches....it is good to have pads that are higher longer than pads then are lower....think about where this junipers grow....and under what conditions. They can never be Perfect or regular.
Was he talking of something like natural style....I never thought of asking him what is that other style...but I should ask tomorrow.
Yes Japanese like their trees well manicured, but within that there is a deliberate inclusion of imperfection, which you need to look carefully for, to understand. They find harmony in imperfection.
Japanese break more rules than we can ever imagine....I see it every day.
Second point is. If you look at some old statements of WP, you will see him promoting Japanese type of rules...styles...and their importance...I found it so funny when i saw it. I personally think he is a bit of a rebel and that is all good for me. I am one too.
I don't like too much the perfectly styled bonsai....nor do I like those poorly styled and neglected trees that are being passed as natural style bonsai. I love trees in nature...but again not all of them...
I do bonsai as a hobby, that is supposed to bring me joy. I believe everyone should do it, the way they like it...as long as they get joy from their creations. That is the whole point of it.
If you are doing it to impress others....you might not experience the pure joy you can experience from what you do....but again some people get their kicks that way.
To the point of hand...I see many trees here that look like WPs tree....in the same style....I just need to ask what they call them....is there a name for that style? And what is the other style that is not traditional? Was he talking about natural style? Maybe???? For him to think of nature...conditions in which it grows...what affects its growth...I can only think of it as natural style, if there is such a thing.
