$35,000 bonsai shears--discuss

Wires_Guy_wires

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For 30000 USD I'll fly over to the US and prune the tree with a medical grade surgical scalpel as the owner instructs me to. I'll even walk their dogs and clean their gutters while I'm around.
But be quick about it, I only have 200 scalpel blades left! Limited offer only!
 

Anthony

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Might just have been either -click bait - or an advertisement.
Good Day
Anthony
 

Anthony

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Hmm, second thought, all this talk about simple pounded metal.
What about slab made rectangular ,square or oval pots.
The many members who can easily make them at home.

Still willing to pay for pots with algae growth on them ?
Good Day
Anthony
 

leatherback

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Still willing to pay for pots with algae growth on them
Are you saying that just because you could make something functional, it is not worth buying something that is beautifull? There are very few who can make good, pretty pots..
 

Anthony

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Bonsai pots are not paintings in the Louvre.

They are as frames to the oil painting.

It is ALL the TREE!!
Good Day
Anthony
 
D

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I suspect that the scissors at 35k are not for everyday use.

The craftsman was obviously quoting the highest priced scissors he's ever made in his life for the sake of illustrating (i would think) that there is no limit to the range of possibilities with regards to the craft/art of making scissors to suit the demands of a practitioner or a collector.

There is nothing unusual about this when it comes to craft work. There are potters, knitters, jewelers and woodworkers, for example, that charge a lot more for custom work than they would for their standard line of products.
 

Anthony

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"they are practically invisible"

And after growing the tree someone says --------- nice pot

I believe you understand the point.

Good Day
Anthony
 
D

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And after growing the tree someone says --------- nice pot

I believe you understand the point.

or, after producing a painting somebody asks, where's the frame? and then you have friends over for dinner, and somehow the conversation comes up, and each person has their own an opinion about exactly which size, style, color, and shape of frame would best suit the painting. one thing all your friends seem to agree on though, is that the painting needs a frame of some sort. "you can't just leave it like that" someone says

here is an interesting discussion:

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/us-national-bonsai-exhibition-sept-8-9-2018.31003/page-6

to summarize the discussion: for kokofu, you more or less need a pot whose 'value' (monetary, historical, or in terms of its craftsmanship) ought to match, if not outshine, the tree itself.

so when you're talking Jacques-Louis David, Géricault, or Delacroix, the pot matters for the sake of being on display at all at the louvre.

Yes, the pot or frame may not matter to the casual viewer (at least not in terms of their reflective awareness), but pots and frames matter terribly to those for whom these kinds of things matter.

the parallel doesn't shed much light on the issue. so much is dependent on the viewer's perspective in both bonsai and fine art.
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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I suspect that the scissors at 35k are not for everyday use.

The craftsman was obviously quoting the highest priced scissors he's ever made in his life for the sake of illustrating (i would think) that there is no limit to the range of possibilities with regards to the craft/art of making scissors to suit the demands of a practitioner or a collector.

There is nothing unusual about this when it comes to craft work. There are potters, knitters, jewelers and woodworkers, for example, that charge a lot more for custom work than they would for their standard line of products.
I know this guy who wanted to learn how to play the piano. Before he even started his lessons, he bought a piano costing more than 2 times my home and car together.
I asked him why he did that.
He told me: Kid, listen, I'm going to take classes, get better and better, and in 10 years from now.. I'll have rheumatic joints, I might become deaf, I might break a finger or lose a hand, maybe an eye even. I wouldn't want to miss playing on this classic device that people have worked on for so long, just because I wasn't ready. This piano is ready, and it will teach me how to use it. We will form a bond over time, we will get to know each other, it will force me to become better. But it would be a waste to play on a plastic keyboard for 10 years, while I can play on this majestic beast for the rest of my life.

Bananaman preaches somewhat the same philosophy sometimes: get a good tree to begin with, and it will force you to raise your personal level.

In my point of view, I wouldn't buy a 32K pair of scissors and not use them. Tools are meant to be used. Otherwise I'd just let someone 3D print one and slap some gold and diamonds on it; functionality doesn't matter if it all it does is hang on the wall. But then again, I can also imagine that if you're a super-rich Japanese dude and you love your traditions, that you'd pay 32K for a 3K scissor just to help the business continue.
 

Adair M

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"they are practically invisible"

And after growing the tree someone says --------- nice pot

I believe you understand the point.

Good Day
Anthony
Anthony, “bonsai” doesn’t mean “miniature tree”, it means, “tree in a tray”.

Of course, it means much more than that, but my point is the container is essential to the composition. A great tree might look bad in a poorly matched or cheap container. I’m not saying that trees have to be kept in Antique Chinese pots all the time, but when we want to show them at their best, a high quality container will enhance the beauty of the composition and the tree.

Interesting thing about pots, using pots actually increases their value! Just like an old tree will have more character than a young one, so will old pots. I have a few old Chinese pots with heavy patina showing decades of use. One can only imagine what trees they have held in the past...

About the scissors... while $35,000 is way over the top, if the purchaser enjoys having them who are any of us to say it’s a bad thing? As someone pointed out, perhaps the sale of a set once in a blue moon is what keeps the craftsman in business making less expensive but high quality scissors.

And for the buyer, maybe he actually enjoys using them. People buy Rolls Royce automobiles. They won’t get you there any faster than an ordinary car, but I’m sure the experience is better. A Rolex watch keeps time not nearly as well as a Timex purchased from Walmart. Yet owners treasure them! “Value” is determined by the individual.
 

Anthony

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Thanks Sifu,

for taking the time to respond.
Different Philosophies.

Plus as clay goes, it all the same, just the finish makes
the difference.
So I have seen K take clay from an ant's nest and produce
a vase that sells/ sold for $500.00 us at 6 inch height,

When an Auction company starts an interest in frames - welllllllllllllll
More $$ the merrier.

A simple well finished pot and well designed tree.
Good Day
Anthony
 

Brian Van Fleet

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"they are practically invisible"

And after growing the tree someone says --------- nice pot

I believe you understand the point.

Good Day
Anthony
Understand your point, yes. Agree with it, absolutely not.
Some frames are quite valuable, and are works of art themselves. At that level, the painting better be special too!
 

M. Frary

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I wouldn't pay $35.00 for a pair of shears.
But $35,000 would be a nice down payment on a new Nitro.
 

Boerboel313

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If in fact true and they are $35K USD. That’s just retarded. They are scissors which cut little wooden branches.
 
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