Redesigning a Japanese White Pine

摘要

had the pleasure of working with Masa Furukawa of 'Japan Bonsai' during the summer of 2003. 'Japan Bonsai' has been serving Portland, Oregon for over twenty years and is well respected, especially for the creation of saikei designs. During his studiesat the Tokyo Agricultural University, he entered into a ten-year apprenticeship with Toshio Kawamoto, owner of Meiju-en, the developer of saikei, and the Nippon Bonsai Saikei Art Institute. Mr. Ron Allison, a long-time friend of Mr. Furukawa, brought this white pine to us for pruning and reshaping. Mr. Allison has been collecting and working with both native and imported material for over 30 years. He was kind enough to give me permission to make any changes I thought necessary. With this tree and allother bonsai, I follow a process that, hopefully, further develops a tree into a good bonsai. I always keep in mind that the tree may pass through many hands as it ages and that I am only one person on that continuum. For the period of time that I am the caretaker, I try to do what is best for the health and design of the tree.