The shallow wound exposes a non-living portion of the trunk, which will be surrounded by living bark. A small shari usually runs vertically on or near the front of the trunk - shari have little aesthetic value at the rear of the trunk, where they are rarely viewed and are obscured by branch growth. For example, when removing a branch from a deciduous or broadleaf species, bonsai growers often make a uro to avoid having an ugly wound healing slowly and scarring without control.Ī shari is deadwood on the main trunk of the bonsai. Bonsai gardeners replicate this hollow as a uro by making a small, irregularly-shaped wound in the trunk. A small indentation is left where the branch used to be, and new wood grows around it forming a small hollow. In these species, dead branches generally rot and fall off the tree. While jin appear natural on coniferous bonsai, they do not look as appropriate on most deciduous and broadleaf species. A remaining jin may be long, with a pleasing shape bent or carved into it, or short, like the dead remains of a branch broken off near the trunk.Ī uro can be seen close to the bottom of the trunk of this bonsai. When used on branches, the jin technique allows the grower to remove some of a bonsai's unwanted branches while increasing the illusion of age. A top jin also provides an aesthetic solution for a tree with two leaders, an unaesthetic shape that the designer can modify by turning one of the two into a jin. Removing the active leader distributes vigor to lower branches, which will grow more quickly and help increase trunk diameter, reinforcing the illusion of age. The change in proportion can greatly improve the illusion of age in the bonsai specimen. Ĭreating a jin from the leader (a "top jin") can produce a shorter, more visibly tapered bonsai in a single step. The remaining wood dies and dries out to form the jin. A jin requires the complete removal of bark from a given start point to the end of the branch or leader. Jins are created in nature when wind, lightning, or other adversity kills the leader or a branch further down the tree. A jin is meant to show age, or show that the tree has had a struggle to survive. Jin (神) is a bonsai deadwood technique used on branches or the top of the trunk (the "leader"). Most deadwood techniques for the tree's trunk apply equally well to deciduous and to conifer bonsai, although the driftwood style (in which much of the trunk is dead) is generally restricted to conifers.Ī jin can be seen on the top left of the tree, and a shari runs up the front of the trunk from the roots on the left. Deciduous trees tend to shed dead branches and heal over the wound, while conifers often retain the dead limb, which naturally becomes weathered and eroded over time. Usually, deadwood techniques for branches are applied to conifers. Whether freely chosen, or forced on the bonsai designer, integrating dead wood into a tree's design is a necessity for a significant number of bonsai.
#Bonsai techniques 1 and 2 free#
In bonsai being developed from trees free of dead wood, it may be aesthetically useful to create some deadwood elements to enhance the illusion of age, to hide defects (such as an overlarge or misplaced branch), or to disguise the original trunk after reducing the height of a tree that is too tall. In addition, the dead wood usually needs to be shaped to fit the aesthetic plan for the bonsai.ĭeadwood can also be an aesthetic choice for the grower. If dead wood is retained, however, it must be chemically treated to preserve it and to produce the coloration of weathered wood. It can be partially or completely removed by the bonsai artist, but doing so may damage the tree's overall shape or the illusion of age. Dead wood can also appear on a bonsai under cultivation for many reasons, including branch die-back, pest infestation, or disease. Practically, collected specimens of aged trees often have dead wood present. Deadwood techniques are used for reasons both practical and aesthetic.