Smoke
Ignore-Amus
No it's not some Korean guy pretending to ride a horse. It's a style of bonsai coined by Mike Page a past member here who is as old as Methuselah and taught God how to bonsai.
This article by John Romano tells it pretty good.
You may have heard of the "Extreme Games" and the "X Games" athletes pushing the limits of their particular sport. We now have the extreme games of small bonsai: Sumo Shohin!
I read an article a few years back by Mike Page in Golden Statements (the magazine of the California Bonsai Federation) titled "Sumo Bonsai" which described a style of bonsai in which the trunk taper was quite exaggerated starting from a very wide base upwards. One would best describe a tree in this style as short and stout (a much kinder description of sumo wrestlers). From this article sprang an idea that I have been developing over the last few years in which this sumo style would be translated to shohin size. From observations of exquisite shohin bonsai seen both in exhibits and in Japanese books, the phrase "sumo - shohin" originated. Here is a description of this style.
What is Sumo Shohin?
In the article I referred to on Sumo bonsai, Mike Page defined this style in terms of a ratio of the trunk size to the overall size of the tree. He defined the parameters as (the trunk) being "1 1/2 circumference to 1 height". (Mike told me that in the article in Golden Statements, they mistakenly substituted "diameter" for "circumference" which would have made a drastic difference!) Although this definition is a good one for any sized sumo bonsai, I have made a slight variation in this definition for shohin-sized. I propose that the width of the nebari at the base of the trunk (ground level) should be approximately 2/3 of the height of the tree. A 6" tall tree would have a base width of 4". Hey, I said we're being extreme here! (I was tempted to say 3/4:1!) Obviously, some of this is tongue in cheek, but I find that this kind of challenge gets my juices flowing to create something unique and special.
It is quite hard to develop such an exaggerated, continuous taper on any size bonsai let alone a shohin size. Obviously this style is quite challenging for small bonsai. It is a feat in itself to simply accomplish it, but to make it aesthetically pleasing without being grotesque is difficult. Observe high quality shohin to see the characteristics that make it appealing. Although the taper is drastic, there should be a somewhat natural developmental pattern to the growth. This is achieved through repeated "cut and grow" stages always keeping in mind the final form and height of the tree. It takes years just to get the trunk in the right proportions. Ideally, the more extremely uniform the taper, the better.
What to look for?
In searching for material to use, the old adage "look for a good trunk first" is applicable. Pre-bonsai material with a good-sized base and roots is the first quality to look for when trying to find good shohin material. The initial task is determining where the first trunk chop will best be performed. Most of the first stages of development are with this "cut and grow" method. This is the main method of developing such extreme taper. The key is to make the cuts as hidden from view as possible always keeping in mind the final view of the tree. In these first stages, which can take years, the tree is allowed to grow out relatively unchecked in a larger container (or in the ground) with careful attention to the different leaders that sprout out. Pick the one that looks most promising as a natural leader in the overall outline of your tree. Other branches may be left to grow unfettered to allow for healing of the previous chop to the trunk. There are, of course, a lot of variables to consider depending on the particular tree species. For example, with many deciduous trees, you do not have to even think of future finished branches in this initial stage. The branch development will occur during the refinement stage.
The bonsai does not have to be shohin and can be very large in size as long as it has the correct trunk proportions and gives the feeling of great power and standing in front of a great tree. These are a few of the trees I have made over the years. Most I still have, some are still being refined and some are sold and some are dead...well at least two are.
This article by John Romano tells it pretty good.
You may have heard of the "Extreme Games" and the "X Games" athletes pushing the limits of their particular sport. We now have the extreme games of small bonsai: Sumo Shohin!
I read an article a few years back by Mike Page in Golden Statements (the magazine of the California Bonsai Federation) titled "Sumo Bonsai" which described a style of bonsai in which the trunk taper was quite exaggerated starting from a very wide base upwards. One would best describe a tree in this style as short and stout (a much kinder description of sumo wrestlers). From this article sprang an idea that I have been developing over the last few years in which this sumo style would be translated to shohin size. From observations of exquisite shohin bonsai seen both in exhibits and in Japanese books, the phrase "sumo - shohin" originated. Here is a description of this style.
What is Sumo Shohin?
In the article I referred to on Sumo bonsai, Mike Page defined this style in terms of a ratio of the trunk size to the overall size of the tree. He defined the parameters as (the trunk) being "1 1/2 circumference to 1 height". (Mike told me that in the article in Golden Statements, they mistakenly substituted "diameter" for "circumference" which would have made a drastic difference!) Although this definition is a good one for any sized sumo bonsai, I have made a slight variation in this definition for shohin-sized. I propose that the width of the nebari at the base of the trunk (ground level) should be approximately 2/3 of the height of the tree. A 6" tall tree would have a base width of 4". Hey, I said we're being extreme here! (I was tempted to say 3/4:1!) Obviously, some of this is tongue in cheek, but I find that this kind of challenge gets my juices flowing to create something unique and special.
It is quite hard to develop such an exaggerated, continuous taper on any size bonsai let alone a shohin size. Obviously this style is quite challenging for small bonsai. It is a feat in itself to simply accomplish it, but to make it aesthetically pleasing without being grotesque is difficult. Observe high quality shohin to see the characteristics that make it appealing. Although the taper is drastic, there should be a somewhat natural developmental pattern to the growth. This is achieved through repeated "cut and grow" stages always keeping in mind the final form and height of the tree. It takes years just to get the trunk in the right proportions. Ideally, the more extremely uniform the taper, the better.
What to look for?
In searching for material to use, the old adage "look for a good trunk first" is applicable. Pre-bonsai material with a good-sized base and roots is the first quality to look for when trying to find good shohin material. The initial task is determining where the first trunk chop will best be performed. Most of the first stages of development are with this "cut and grow" method. This is the main method of developing such extreme taper. The key is to make the cuts as hidden from view as possible always keeping in mind the final view of the tree. In these first stages, which can take years, the tree is allowed to grow out relatively unchecked in a larger container (or in the ground) with careful attention to the different leaders that sprout out. Pick the one that looks most promising as a natural leader in the overall outline of your tree. Other branches may be left to grow unfettered to allow for healing of the previous chop to the trunk. There are, of course, a lot of variables to consider depending on the particular tree species. For example, with many deciduous trees, you do not have to even think of future finished branches in this initial stage. The branch development will occur during the refinement stage.
The bonsai does not have to be shohin and can be very large in size as long as it has the correct trunk proportions and gives the feeling of great power and standing in front of a great tree. These are a few of the trees I have made over the years. Most I still have, some are still being refined and some are sold and some are dead...well at least two are.
