TREE FEATURES

                It is impossible to create exact miniature tree replicas and bonsai are interpretations.   A bonsai with 5 major branches is a depiction of a tree with many more branches.   One way to create an interpretation is to have the overall profile resemble the tree's profile.  The top, middle and lower branches of a bonsai resembles typical top, middle and lower branches of the trees. But there are far less branches. 

                If the goal is to create outstanding bonsai, the bonsai is really an exageration of natural trees.  To help focus on major tree features, a variety of tree details are presented.

THE ROOTS & TRUNK BUTTRESSING         Tropical trees must be visually well anchored to the ground or it will appear weak like a telephone pole sticking out of the ground.  Generally the roots will suggest a tree's styling. If they are uniform and spreading out in all directions, it could be an upright tree. But if it's one-sided, consider creating a slanting tree. In bonsai, creating such large root buttressing is a costly time-consuming task. Fuku-Bonsai builds visual anchors by rock planting and training root over rock.  Ironwood (Casuarina equistifolia) photographed at Kapiolani Park in Waikiki.

CREATE EXCITING TRUNKS          Thick heavy trunks are nice, but so are slender trunks with a lot of character.  Thin straight round trunks with no taper or interest will take many years for the bark to form to become interesting. Furrowed trunk of a Hawaiian Wild Olive (Olea chrysophila) in Honokaa.

TELL A STORY         Every tree has a story and its shape tells a history of all that has happened to it in its lifetime. Trees are as individual as people and outstanding bonsai all have individuality.  This Monterey Cypress near Kamuela (Waimea) was ripped apart by a wind storm and has recovered.   The dead bleached wood is called jin.  California's great bonsai master John Naka developed a technique to greatly reduce the size of trees and creating similar jin by splitting the trunk and ripping down sections of the top part of the tree. Gutsy concepts create exciting bonsai!

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