Yamasibon Kiwa - Bonsai diary

[Clicio]

I've been watching this Japanese yamadori short videos nightly.
Soothing, interesting, and showing many things differently from the mainstream.

One episode every day (almost).

Small yamadori trees, some nice penjing like assemblages, expert use of moss.
And some tricks I've been applying myself such as tying small trees to shallow pots not using wire, but sisal string instead.

Even if just for curiosity, it gives one food for thought.
I enjoy it a lot.

 

[Clicio]

What I like most is that he never ever say a word.
Learn by watching, the traditional old school Japanese way of teaching.

 

[Pitoon]

What I like most is that he never ever say a word.
Learn by watching, the traditional old school Japanese way of teaching.

Talking is overrated.....

 

[Clicio]

Talking is overrated.....

Yeap, @Pitoon .
Last night, before YouTube went down, I watched a video about turning a Christmas tree into a bonsai.
Very elaborate technique, splitting a trunk and bending the two parts to make a believable spruce bonsai.
One hour and fifty minutes long.
1:50:00, and the professional talked non-stop.
Fast.
By the end of the first hour I was exhausted, just by watching it.
Would I have learned as much if the demonstration was mute?
I guess so.

 

[Pitoon]

Yeap, @Pitoon .
Last night, before YouTube went down, I watched a video about turning a Christmas tree into a bonsai.
Very elaborate technique, splitting a trunk and bending the two parts to make a believable spruce bonsai.
One hour and fifty minutes long.
1:50:00, and the professional talked non-stop.
Fast.
By the end of the first hour I was exhausted, just by watching it.
Would I have learned as much if the demonstration was mute?
I guess so.

You have a link to that video?

 

[0soyoung]

Yeap, @Pitoon .
Last night, before YouTube went down, I watched a video about turning a Christmas tree into a bonsai.
Very elaborate technique, splitting a trunk and bending the two parts to make a believable spruce bonsai.
One hour and fifty minutes long.
1:50:00, and the professional talked non-stop.
Fast.
By the end of the first hour I was exhausted, just by watching it.
Would I have learned as much if the demonstration was mute?
I guess so.

I watched that video on mute.

I skipped through many minutes, jumped back, jumped ahead to see where we were going. I am still pondering how the split is going to appear a few years from now. There is that one part that was bent over and down. I think that when the raffia comes off it is going to present a peculiar line of exposed wood. Were I doing it, I think I would have tried to twist this a bit more to interrupt that line.

Interesting and thought stimulating.

 

[Clicio]

I watched that video on mute.
I am still pondering how the split is going to appear a few years from now.

Yes, how are both parts going to become trunk and branch if the split (and the supporting guide wire marks) are going to be there for years and years?
Are they meant to be shown? Hidden? Transformed in Shari?
Interesting, but as you prove it, even talking non-stop for two hours, those concerns are not mentioned by the author.

 

[Flowerhouse]

I watched the episode of Bonsai Diary in which he set up a mini-greenhouse. Two thoughts: First, I tried to imagine living in a place where a little greenhouse like that would make a difference or even survive the wind for a few days. Also, the vid was soooo quiet, just the sounds of the pieces being joined together, footsteps, and at one point what sounded like a small child calling out a greeting. Very calming.

 

[Colorado]

Very calming. Thanks for sharing.

 

[keri-wms]

When it was dug up it almost looked like it was growing in Akadammmm....Ohhhh lol!

 

[jerzyjerzy]

I have been watching these videos practically every night for the last couple of months
Just before going to sleep - at least for once my wife does not complain about loud bonsaists disturbing her sleep...lol

 

[Clicio]

I have been watching these videos practically every night for the last couple of months
Just before going to sleep - at least for once my wife does not complain about loud bonsaists disturbing her sleep...lol

Well, I've been doing THE SAME ! hahahahahha

 

[Colorado]

What I love about these videos is the appreciation afforded to very humble material. I can’t stop watching them!

 

[kale]

Interesting how he dumps a layer of gravel down to secure the screen rather than wire, and his soil looks like garbage but obvs works for him!

 

[leatherback]

I watched that video on mute.

I skipped through many minutes, jumped back, jumped ahead to see where we were going. I am still pondering how the split is going to appear a few years from now.

hahahaha, I could have written exactly that. Switched off the sound to just focus on what was being done.

You have a link to that video?

It is a rian neil video, linked earlier in the forum.

 

[leatherback]

Interesting how he dumps a layer of gravel down to secure the screen rather than wire, and his soil looks like garbage but obvs works for him!

I sometimes use tape used for cracks in walls. That I also just put in the pot and put gravel over it.

Risk is if you move the tree around to get the substrate up in the rootball that the screen shifts.

 

[Clicio]

Interesting how he dumps a layer of gravel down to secure the screen rather than wire, and his soil looks like garbage but obvs works for him!

Most of the times he uses a mix of mountain gravel and akadama.
For the tiniest bonsai he uses only small Akadama.
For the big yamadori he uses only mountain gravel.
Always a botton layer of large gravel.

 

[Pitoon]

I found the video. I enjoyed the work on the tree, but the talking was to much. I think I fast forwarded maybe 2/3 of the video.

 

[Yamabudoudanshi]

What I like most is that he never ever say a word.
Learn by watching, the traditional old school Japanese way of teaching.

I wonder what happened. The modern Japanese way of teaching is the complete opposite unfortunately.

I also recently started watching some of these videos as well. He is based in Shikoku somewhere and lives in an area surrounded my mountains/nature. He actually kills a lot of trees, but doesn't often take the greatest specimens to begin with.

I really like how accessible and unserious he makes bonsai look. Much less intimidating than most representations.

 

[Clicio]

I really like how accessible and unserious he makes bonsai look. Much less intimidating than most representations.

Exactly.
Bonsai should be fun, not stressful.