During our trip to Guy’s Japanese Maple nursery at the beginning of March 2019, we had the chance to meet Master Tomoya Nishikawa, one of Japan’s greatest bonsai master. He carved a Japanese white pine tree into a bonsai in front of us, and we were captivated by his way of working. Like a painter before his work, the tree has revealed all its splendor and essence in the hands of the master. His way of trimming the branches, then tying them to give them the shape he wants is really fascinating! An art in its own right and this is why we named him The japanese tree sculptor!
We also did an interview with him that we can not wait to share with you! 🙂 Here are some questions we asked him:
- What is a bonsai and what does it represent in your crop?
- How to take care of a bonsaï? (Substrate, watering, pruning, ligation)
- What training / pathway to becoming a bonsai master?
- In Europe, some people sometimes think that bonsai are “dwarf and tortured” trees, what do you think about it?
Lucie Poirier
“A true masterpiece does not tell everything.”
Albert Camus