Japanese Red Pine / Primary Branch Development for Large Japanese Black Pine Bonsai

Drawing Out the Wildness of the Trunk, Quietly

This Japanese Red Pine came down from the mountain and had been left to grow freely for six or seven years. The branches had gained considerable volume, making it difficult to see the trunk movement hidden beneath them. A wildness cultivated over more than fifty years lay buried under the density of the foliage.

Koji Hiramatsu begins by taking in the whole tree. Where is the character, and what is getting in the way — only after settling that does the order of work become clear. Working backward from 'what do I want to show' — that perspective is the first question this material asks of you.

The Feeling of 'Japanese Red Pine-ness' — Beyond Words

'What makes a Japanese Red Pine feel like itself is quite a vague thing to put into words —'

If Japanese Black Pine is strength, Japanese Red Pine is softness. You may know that contrast as a fact, yet coaxing a 'gentle quality' into the material in front of you is an entirely different matter. Which branches to keep, how to build each Branch Pad — every choice accumulates toward that feeling.

The reasoning behind technique can be put into words. But the character of a species that lies beyond that may be something that seeps into the body only through the continued movement of the hands.

Creating Space Is What Gives the Branch Pad Its Movement

When lowering a branch, rather than pulling it straight down, draw it inward. The branch will then settle firmly into place. If it feels almost too low — that is just about right.

Only by leaving open space between one Branch Pad and the next does the movement of the branches become visible. Rather than packing things in, create breathing room — that act of subtraction lets each individual branch speak.

In bonsai, 'ma' — negative space — may not be something arrived at by removing things, but rather something that was always meant to be there from the start. When the wild trunk of this Japanese Red Pine quietly comes into view, that is also the moment the space comes alive.