Good morning, everyone.
My name is Masahiko Kimura.
Today, I am going to style this pinus parviflora with you.
My client owned this tree,
I think that this one was taken from a mountain,
about 10 to 20 years ago.
This pine grew up in the Fukushima prefecture,
and I acquired this pine recently.
I saw this tree by chance,
and I immediately thought that I could design it in a Fukinagashi (wind-swept) style.
I think this would be very interesting to demonstrate to the students.
I believe that this pine has never been styled before,
since it was taken from the mountain as yamadori.
This pine has been left completely untouched since its collection.
Fertilizing and basic management has not been performed well.
You can see that many branches are dead, or in poor condition.
The dead branches show that there must have been some problems with this tree...
Problems usually related to cultivation and basic care.
I am going to make this tree in a wind swept, Fukinagashi style.
As you can see,
this one is the main trunk.
On the other side, this trunk is growing to the right side.
The height of the right part of this tree is higher than the main trunk.
The main trunk has to be the highest in my opinion.
Furthermore, these branches are bouncing upwards.
I am going to lower these parts.
This raised, moss-covered root base,
covers the good shape of the nebari of this trunk,
which is the most important part of this pine.
So, first I am going to remove the moss-covered soil,
and check the condition of the roots and the nebari.
First, Look at this thick patch of moss.
I am going to remove this.
The lower part of the trunk is the most important part of any bonsai.
I need chopsticks.
Remove all of the soil around here, will you?
The moss is terrible.
This pine has not been taken care of at all since it was taken from the mountains.
So, I think that the owner may have used a slab that wasn't good enough.
I hope that an interesting shape of the root will appear.
As you can see,
there are lots of dead branches around here. Can you see?
These dead branches were alive before,
but proper pruning has not been conducted,
that's why these important branches on the inside died.
It is really a pity.
Remove these dead branches, will you?
At this point I am removing only dead branches,
and next I will wire and position the remaining branches.
This dead branch is too long,
so I am cutting it and make this part a Jin.
I am pruning all dead and unnecessary branches.
Well, all dead branches have now been removed.
The Nebari (surface roots) is slowly appearing,
and the dead branches were all removed.
Next, I am going to wire the big trunk and the main branches.
I am moving the trunk and the branches using very thick wire.
This branch is so thick that I have to lower this one very much.
This branch can not be moved without the use of thick wire.
Question: how do you decide how much pressure you can apply to the branch?
I bend a branch by applying force,
but too much power breaks the branch.
Just before the branch breaks, I stop applying force.
To prevent the branches from breaking, I am considering my options first.
Fortunately, five needle pines are quite elastic, so branches won't break that easily.
And, as I don't want to break any branch,
it is better to wind raffia onto this part here.
I wind raffia just to be on the safe side.
Prevention is much better than curing.
Usually I don't apply raffia to these kind of trees.
I am going to lower this branch almost horizontally.
And there would be a risk of breaking a branch when lowering it this much.
Originally the raffia has a white color,
but the white color stands out because the bark is brown.
So this raffia is dyed with some pigments.
The raffia was dyed with pigments to make it less noticeable.
In this case I use China ink.
In this case, I don't absolutely have to apply raffia.
Usually, I might not use it here, but I will show you the process.
I'm now winding the raffia onto the tree.
I wind raffia firmly onto the important parts, such as a main root or the lower trunk,
which, if that part breaks, the whole tree would perish.
So I always apply raffia when it concerns a crucial part of the tree.
Remember, raffia is useless unless it is applied very firmly.
If you leave the raffia on as it is,
it will rot and fall off after about two years.
So you can leave raffia as it is,
when you wind it onto the root and bury it into the soil,
because it will rot naturally.
I need a lot of power to press down such a thick branch.
I bend this branch to this extent.
I want to bend it more,
so I pull the branch down with a guy-wire from this point on.
I will pull this branch down, too.
Hand me No.6 wire.