Itoigawa Shohin

[Tidal Bonsai]

What do you think is the best front for this shohin juniper? I’m starting with cleaning out the dead, and pulling the bark on the live vein before I start wiring and designing. I was curious what you all thought.

 

[Adair M]

I like 1, if the potting angle were changed to tilt the treeto the right and more forward. Tip it so the apex is coming forward.

 

[Hartinez]

I like 1 also. The job as at an excellent angle in relation to the trunk and base. But that could be the lighting in that photo of the Jin.

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

Something more like this? It seems to deminish the pigeonbreasting of the Shari, but it reduces the view of the live vein.

 

[RobertB]

It looks good. I would prefer the base to be a bit thicker.

 

[petegreg]

Something more like this? It seems to deminish the pigeonbreasting of the Shari, but it reduces the view of the live vein.

I like it this way. Is this really Itoigawa? If yes I'd go slowly, the foliage is almost completely juvenile.

 

[Adair M]

Something more like this? It seems to deminish the pigeonbreasting of the Shari, but it reduces the view of the live vein.

Better. I’d still tip it to the right more. So that the Jin looks more like a branch.

 

[Adair M]

I like it this way. Is this really Itoigawa? If yes I'd go slowly, the foliage is almost completely juvenile.

Itoigawa goes juvenile very easily. That means it’s growing fast. It might have been pruned a bit too hard in the recent past. So it’s putting on foliage the fastest way it can.

So, this tree is in the rough styling stage of development. Nowhere near being refined. So, no worries about juvenile growth at this stage.

 

[LaoTzu]

1 FTW

 

[W3rk]

What do you think is the best front for this shohin juniper? I’m starting with cleaning out the dead, and pulling the bark on the live vein before I start wiring and designing. I was curious what you all thought.

I definitely prefer the view in pic 1. Some of those other angles started to look fatter up top on the deadwood.

 

[Lazylightningny]

1 and 3 look very similar. I agree with tilting and wiring it forward. Most of the foliage appears to be in the back.

 

[River's Edge]

What do you think is the best front for this shohin juniper? I’m starting with cleaning out the dead, and pulling the bark on the live vein before I start wiring and designing. I was curious what you all thought.

I like number two for the live vein visible from the base and front. As well as the overall line.

 

[Lazylightningny]

I like number two for the live vein visible from the base and front. As well as the overall line.

It's a nice line, but it looks like the jin might be an eye-poker.

 

[River's Edge]

It's a nice line, but it looks like the jin might be an eye-poker.

Agreed , but the Jin is a simple fix compared to the overall flow of the tree! Change the shape, size, planting angle etc. Difficult to judge in pictures, easier to do when working on the tree. Some consideration should be given to balance of Shari, Jin and foliage in the overall composition. In the pictures, the Jin appears large and and to uniform in shape with the trunk at this point. just my opinion of course. lots of room for disagreement.

 

[Lazylightningny]

Agreed , but the Jin is a simple fix compared to the overall flow of the tree! Change the shape, size, planting angle etc. Difficult to judge in pictures, easier to do when working on the tree. Some consideration should be given to balance of Shari, Jin and foliage in the overall composition. In the pictures, the Jin appears large and and to uniform in shape with the trunk at this point. just my opinion of course. lots of room for disagreement.

As you say, hard to judge from a photo. There could also be some foreshortening going on, making the jin look larger than it actually is.

 

[LanceMac10]

nick lenz…..larch.