Bonsai Display - The Basics.
So first of all, let's talk about size categorization.
There are three basic size categories that you'll find at the Kokufu-ten, or the Japanese National Exhibition.
The first of these is Ogata bonsai.
These are trees that are well above 45cm in height
measured from the top of the pot, to the top of the tree.
These are typically displayed in what's known as a two-point display
meaning that you have the large tree, the main bonsai
and next to it you have an accent plant displayed with it - that gives you your two points.
The second size category that you'll find at the Kokufu-ten is the Chuuhin size, or medium size bonsai.
These are trees that measure in height from about 30cm to 45cm
as measured again from the top of the pot to the apex of the tree.
These are typically arranged in a San-Ten Kazari, or three-point display
which a Chuuhin bonsai, a Shohin bonsai off to the side
and an accent plant in the middle, giving you your three points.
The third and final size category that you'll find at the Kokufu-ten
are Shohin bonsai, which are under 20cm tall
again, measured from the top of the pot, to the apex of the tree.
These are typically displayed in either three-point displays
similar to the San-Ten Kazari with the Chuuhin trees
or more typically what you'll see is a seven-point display with six bonsai, and one accent plant.
Now that we understand the basic size categories that you'll find at the Kokufu-ten
let's head into the workshop and try to set a few of these displays up on our own.
Before we begin setting up a display, we need to have an arrangement of display stands
so that we can pick and choose just the right one depending on the tree.
Now obviously you want to have a mix of sizes, shapes, and colors
so that when we start to build particularly the Chuuhin and Shohin size displays
we have enough elements to choose from, so that nothing is the same in the display.
In other words, we want every element within the display to be completely different.
Let's take a look at this display stand in particular to begin with.
This is a very typical display stand that you'll find in any arsenal at any professional nursery in Japan
and it's one that I recommend that all of you get
because it's a very versatile, very universally usable stand.
The style is known as Sangi, which refers to these elements here
the slats that are running along the front side of the stand.
You can utilize this type of display stand for both feminine, dainty trees
and masculine, heavy, powerful trees at the same time.
The element along the front here, the Sangi that we just mentioned
that gives you some added visual stability
when you're placing a tree that's quite heavy and powerful on this type of stand.
And that same element also brings out the dainty characteristics or feminine characteristics
in softer, more feminine style trees.
So it's a very very versatile stand to use.
The straightness of the legs as well, provides a visual stability for heavier trees
and also doesn't detract from more feminine plants either.
Next, let's take a look at this stand in the middle.
Now obviously this stand varies slightly from the original stand that we looked at in several ways.
First and foremost is the color.
The color of this stand obviously is a more reddish color.
It's not as dark and formal as the original stand that we looked at here.
It also has a floating top which gives it a much softer, more dainty feel.
So with a particular stand like this you wouldn't necessarily want to put a super heavy duty tree on it
something that's planted on a rock for example
that's going to feel like it's crushing that upper floating level down onto the legs.
We want something that has a little bit less heaviness to it.
That doesn't mean you can't put a masculine tree on a stand like this, but
it needs to be balanced in a way where it doesn't feel like it's crushing the stand.
Also, take a look at the legs here.
Instead of being completely straight, going straight down onto the table itself
the legs actually bow underneath, giving it a much more dainty, kind of feminine look.
Now again, that doesn't mean you can't use a masculine tree on a stand like this
you just have to find the right tree so it doesn't take away from the stand
feel like it's crushing the stand, or overpowering the stand, when you build your display.
Next let's take a look at this stand on my right, your left.
Now this particular stand is very interesting in several ways.
First and foremost again, let's take a look at the difference in color.
Again, the original stand is very dark. The middle stand here is a lightish brown color.
This stand off to my right here
is really between the original two stands in terms of its color.
It's kind of a darkish red color
not as dark as our black color here, not as light as the stand in the middle.
The legs are also quite different than the original two stands.
It has kind of a bowed effect to the legs coming directly out of the stand
and then they bow out at the very bottom, giving it a nice sense of balance.
This type of stand would work very well with a feminine style tree
something that has some curvature to the trunk as well
to really draw or complement those lines within the tree.
Now that being said, you could also use a tree that's very contrasted
to those legs as well, something with very straight lines.
Just because the stand itself has those characteristics, doesn't mean that you have to mimic those all the time.
Sometimes contrast works quite well.
So we can even put a tree on here that was a formal upright tree perhaps
but it would have to be just the right tree, with just the right size
so again it doesn't feel like it's overpowering the stand
and also not losing out to the stand either.
There needs to be a balance in terms of size and weight of the tree
versus the size and weight of the stand.
Now down here in the front you can see that we have several smaller stands.
We have on both sides here Shohin size stands
so these would be perfect for use in the seven-point Shohin display
the three-point Shohin display, or for the Shohin plant in a three-point medium size or Chuuhin display.
Again, take a look at the characteristics of each of these stands - they're slightly different.
The stand on my right, your left here has bamboo characteristics to it.
Around the outer edge of the upper layer of the stand, the tabletop of the stand
are carved areas that mimic the joints in bamboo.
The same motif can be found throughout the legs
and throughout the braces underneath the tabletop of the stand.
This stand is obviously very unique, very beautiful
very intricate and very detailed
so we would want to place a tree on here, again, that either complements or contrasts with those elements.
Now let's contrast that stand on my right, your left
with this stand on my left, your right.
Now they're both Shohin stands, but they're slightly different in appearance.
The stand on my left here is a much lower, more weighty stand
The legs again, they bow out directly underneath the base
and then they fan out at the bottom, so it gives a nice stability to the stand.
It's also quite low, so this would be a very good stand for something that's kind of heavy
say for example, an informal upright Japanese black pine
maybe located at the very top of the box in a seven-point display.
Now we're going to get into the details of that in a few minutes here
so you understand exactly what I'm talking about
but this type of stand works really well for heavier, weightier trees
particularly very masculine Shohin trees.
If you take a look here in the center of this table
we have what are known as Jita, or flat stands.
Now these exist in several iterations.
We have natural slabs that are taken from burls that have been spliced down.
We also have hand made slabs here that are in more geometric shapes.
These can be used in a number of capacities in Ogata, Chuuhin and Shohin displays.
For example in an Ogata or large bonsai display
we mentioned earlier that those are typically set up in a two-point arrangement
with the large bonsai and an accent plant displayed off to the side.
This Jita right here, this large one in the front
would work very well for that accent plant set off to the side in a two-point display.
What we want to avoid is placing any element within the display directly on the table itself.
So placing an accent plant on a Jita such as this
delineates that accent plant from the table
and gives you a sense of display that's concise, has balance with the larger bonsai off to the side.
In a Chuuhin or medium size display with three elements
or San-Ten Kazari that we mentioned earlier
any of these smaller Jita throughout here would work well for the accent plant as well.
Also, the original Jita that we talked about here, the larger one
that would work perhaps well with a Shohin tree displayed off to the side.
In other words, you could have your medium size tree on a table like this
you could have your Shohin tree on a larger Jita like this
and then the accent plant that's located in the center of the display
could be displayed on any number of the remaining smaller Jita.
That way each element again within the display
is on its own individual stand, and delineated from the table itself.
With regards to Shohin display
again, any of these elements could be used throughout the display.
Again for example, the larger Jita here
could be used to display one of the smaller Shohin within the larger box display.
The Jita here, the smaller ones off to the side
could be used for the accent plant that gives us that seventh element within the display.
And these could be used in any number of combinations.
Again, we need to keep in mind that each element within the display needs to be different
and that includes all of the stands and Jita we use throughout.
So if we use say a natural slab Jita like this one here
if we display an accent plant off to the side
ideally we'd want to use one of the geometric shaped Jita that are located right here.
That way each element within the display is different.
The final type of display stand that we need to talk about is the Shohin box stand
which is what I have here to my left, your right.
Now this particular type of stand fits five trees internally
one at the top, one on each of the layers down below which gives you five
then off to the side here we have a Jita.
You can use a natural slab like this
or you can use a more geometric shape, either is fine.
On this Jita we will display one more bonsai and an accent plant
which gives you that sixth and seventh point for the seven-point display.
Now that we've discussed the characteristics of some of the display tables
that we utilize in contemporary bonsai display
let's build an Ogata, a Chuuhin and a Shohin display to solidify these concepts.