A Shimpaku Juniper being shaped for exhibition. The leader at the Crown is held in check, wire is applied to every fine branch, and the whole is guided toward a large, rounded dome. Which branches to keep today, which to release in time — each of those decisions reflects a way of seeing this tree across a long span of time.
A branch had grown toward the front. By all accounts, it should have been removed for disrupting the tree's form. Yet this time, it was kept. 'I'll use it for the exhibition — but remove it down the road.' In those few words lived a way of seeing the present within a long span of time.
Today's decision does not bind this tree's future. While answering the demands of an exhibition, the path toward an ideal form is kept open. That kind of resolve quietly shows itself in how a single branch is handled.
Keep the Crown small, and the tree looks 'young', so the saying goes. A Shimpaku Juniper being shaped for exhibition needs the weight of years behind it. A full, rounded dome — this is not merely a technical form. It is an answer to the question of what one wishes to express.
First, settle the front contour line, then use the Back Branch to build depth from that point. This sequence assumes the finished image already exists in the mind before the hands begin to move.
When a Back Branch is drawn toward the rear, space opens between pieces of Jin that had appeared to overlap when viewed from the front. By stepping aside, that branch allows the presence of the Jin to come forward.
Not everything needs to be shown. When something recedes, something else rises into view.
Jin is deadwood. Try to bend it while dry, and it will snap. Only after pressing a damp cloth against it and letting it absorb enough moisture can the shape begin to change.
Rush, and there is something to lose. Waiting, too, is part of the work.
The Crown shaped today is no more than a single move toward where this tree is headed. With one exhibition milestone approaching, this tree's journey continues still.
Within a journey that has no final destination, how does one make today's move? Staying with that question may be what the bonsai journey is all about.
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Will this Juniper be entered into the Kokofu ten next year 2026?
Yes! It is not yet certain if it can be exhibited due to judging, but Koji is working on this juniper, planning to exhibit it next year.