An autumn Rock Planting in which a Cascade Style Shimpaku Juniper is brought into companionship with an Ibigawa Stone. How to choose the front face of the stone, how to balance the scale of tree and stone, and the decision to convert a branch into Jin — what to look for and what to judge in order to bring stone and tree into a relationship where each draws out the other.
The Ibigawa Stone that arrived from Gifu carries a face shaped by long years of erosion. It has hollows and depth. It is not merely a stand — in itself, it is already a piece of landscape.
Hold the stone, turn it, and look. Where does space open up? Where does light enter? Reading the character of the stone is where Rock Planting begins.
The phrase 'placing a tree on a stone' probably falls short. The character of the stone and the character of the tree come together so that each draws out the other — that, I think, is the true nature of Rock Planting.
When deciding the front of a Shimpaku Juniper, the question is not which side is better. Working back from the question 'what do I want to express in combination with this particular stone,' the angle of the Cascade Style takes shape. Is the tree large enough to overwhelm the stone? Is the stone standing out too much on its own? The eye that searches for that balance is closer to aesthetic sensibility than to technique.
The quiet decision to transform an upper branch into Jin leaves a lasting impression. It is not a matter of 'cutting because it is unnecessary.' By making the composition more compact, a balance with the stone is born, and the branch echoes the natural Jin already present — the decision comes from that kind of vision.
To pare away is not to lose. By removing something, something else rises up. That feeling seems to run through the very heart of bonsai as a 'way.'
'Expressing the scenery of nature' — that intention runs through this Rock Planting. Not technical precision, but calling back to hand a scene that exists, or once existed, somewhere in the world.
Just as a Cascade Style suggests a tree rooted on a cliff face, a placement that lets the tree peek slightly from behind the stone gives rise to depth and story. No one has yet seen the finished form of this stone and tree together. Without a completed image in hand, feeling one's way toward a shape through imagination alone — perhaps that is what Rock Planting is: a journey like that.
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