On my last day in Japan this past February, I had the opportunity to visit two bonsai nurseries in Kanagawa prefecture. The first stop was Kentaro Shiino’s. I’d met Shiino, a graduate of Daiju-en, several years earlier at Gomankoku (back row on the left). As is the case with every student at Daiju-en, Shiino had a lot of opportunities to work with pine bonsai. This was clear from the numerous large, well-developed pines in his garden.
Black pine
Black pine
Black pine
Great bark
There was a similar number of white pines.
White pine
White pine planted on a rock
White pine
White pine planted on a rock
Many of the trees were kept inside to protect them from the cold, including a number of bonsai that were shown at this year’s Kokufu.
Trees in the workshop
Medium sized black pine
The larger trees outside showed the colors of winter – yellow-green for black pines and grayish yellow-green for white pines.
Shiino’s garden
Winter color in Shiino’s garden
Root over rock black pine
In one corner of the garden we found two relatively young black pines, one in good health, the other in less good health. Both were relatively early in their branch development.
Two black pines
Large white pine
Very large pine
Shiino’s garden also featured plenty of other conifers plus a good selection of deciduous bonsai – more on these next time.
