Shaping from New Stock #2 Wiring & Building the Pad Structure

The front is not something you decide at the start

The jin is finished, the lime sulfur applied. Now I pause, step back, and study the tree from a distance.

The side I had decided was the «front» before starting. But once the jin was finished, the scene had shifted. The moment I tilted forward what had originally been the «back,» the movement of the trunk leapt out vividly. The front is not something you decide; it is what the tree reveals to you—and that is how this shimpaku showed me its true face.

Everything lives in the first wrap

Now the wiring begins. The first wrap must be precise.

If the first wrap is loose, no amount of careful winding afterward will move the branch where you intend. That is why the opening move is everything. Fine branches, on the other hand, demand a gentle touch — «softly, softly.» Wire too tightly and the twist will kill the branch. This sense of pressure cannot be fully explained in words. You simply keep wiring until your hands learn it.

Know the rule, then break it

Remove any branch below the first branch — a basic principle of wiring. But this time, the Gafu-ten exhibition is approaching. This tree needs volume. So I deliberately kept that branch.

The reality of an upcoming exhibition drove the decision. It is precisely because you know the fundamentals that you can see what this tree needs right now.

The unseen angles create the front

Shimpaku is a tree of such freedom that a single branch can shape the entire silhouette. Within that freedom, the question becomes how clearly you can define the pads — the layered tiers of foliage. Establish the front lines first, then fill in the rear branches to complete the space. When the domed silhouette comes together, the tree becomes truly three-dimensional for the first time.

While shaping the front, always remain aware of the back and sides. It is the angles you cannot see that sustain the beauty of the front.