This bonsai is styled as ishizuki (石付) style, meaning a tree grown clinging to a rock. The juniper is planted directly into the stone. This form echoes how conifers grow naturally in rocky terrain.
In nature, trees take this form because of harsh conditions: when soil is scarce and roots can only find purchase in cracks in the rock, the tree is forced to adapt to the terrain.Strong wind, the weight of snow, and a constant incline push the tree to grow its canopy sideways or downward to keep its balance.
This is my first bonsai made at this large a scale.The work was quite difficult and time-consuming, because the sapling I bought was very large before I began shaping it. Over 12 years I changed both its form and the angle of its lean several times.
Looking at such a large bonsai gives a sense of weight, mass, and age.which creates the visual effect of an old tree standing alone in nature.
Juniper is an evergreen and very hardy plant. It has small needles and dense branching, in nature this species can live for several centuries. Given proper care, a bonsai's lifespan is similarly long — it tolerates a small root space, wire training, and pruning well.It handles root restriction, wire shaping, and pruning very well.