Teaching to
see the trees
Top and bottom left: Juniperus chinensis
worked in the school, above, and before
styling below.
Bottom right: Author Marcial Blasco of
Sagunt Bonsai School, Spain.
2 | BCI | April/May/June 2019
at Sagunt
Bonsai
School
By Marcial Yuste Blasco, Spain
Photos courtesy Sagunt Bonsái School
M
y passion for nature (in my adolescence
I immersed myself in it) and Eastern
culture, especially its cinema, its way
of seeing and especially understand-
ing the Universe, merged in 2001, to
lead to the world of bonsai. It all started with a visit to
a gardening center where I purchased an Olive (Olea
europaea) and a Japanese Black Pine (Pinus thunbergii)
for less than € 50 each. I placed them in my kitchen,
seeking to bring something of the spirit of nature to my
home, which has always brought me so much. After
a few months, they die because of inexperience, and
this fact acts as a trigger to find the cause of the failure.
Since then I started on a long path, which I continue
to travel today, to study this noble art as a self-taught person, reading everything I find about it, trying
to understand the great theorists of design and aesthetics and watching multiple masters work in
classes and demonstrations. The artists who have most influenced me with their work, in my way of
understanding the bonsai are Seya Takeshi, Masahiko Kimura, Kunio Kobayashi, Saburo Kato, Haguio
Etsuji, Takeo Kawabe, Deborah R. Koreshoff, John Yoshio Naka, David de Groot, Pieter Loubser, Charles
S. Ceronio, Peter Adams, François Jeker, Thierry Font,
Josep M. Miquel, Ryan Neil and Bjorn Bjornholm.
Also, for a few years I dedicated myself to help in the
maintenance of the collection of the Bonsai Museum
of Onda (Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain)
and together with Jorge Sansano (editor of the current
Bonsái Actual magazine), we gave some workshops to
the members of the Segorbe Bonsai Club. I displayed
a tree on the occasion of the 10th anniversary in the
VII Exhibition of the Municipal Museum of Bonsai
of Alcobendas of Madrid in 2014, out of the compe-
tition because bonsai, as I understand it, is more as
a philosophy of life than as an object with which to
compete.
In the last stage of Bonsái Actual magazine (the most
Taxus baccata designed for my
widely published publication in Spanish on this noble students., before and after.
art), I was its editor, when Antoni Payeras became
Director. In September 2015, I created the Sagunt
Bonsái School, where since then I teach my theoretical
classes, conduct workshops and do demonstrations.
During these years more than thirty students from four
different nationalities have attended (Spain, Argentina,
Chile, and Bolivia) and we have worked on almost a
hundred trees.
At the request of the students, given the evident
lack of theoretical teaching on bonsai in Spanish—
especially in terms of design and aesthetic concepts
since the trend is more practical learning—I began to
teach a theoretical course on Bonsai Art. It consists of
10 modules that start from cultivation as a tool, going
through the different styling and design techniques,
introducing aesthetic concepts, and finishing with
the analysis and study of trees awarded in prestigious
exhibitions such as the Kokufu-ten in Japan. Another Taxus baccata designed for my
The School was born with the aim of deepening and students., before and after.
publicizing Bonsai Art. Our goal is to help people who
show interest in knowing and evaluating this discipline,
understand, recognize and above all appreciate bonsai
in its proper measure and all its breadth. For this, it is
essential to understand how complex this concept can
be, which usually has a philosophical meaning and a
way of understanding life in Mother Nature.
When you enter the universe of bonsai, you see that
it can reach very high levels, in terms of techniques and
knowledge, although for the layman a bonsai is any
plant in a pot. In consideration of all this, as a reflection
and respect for this ancient art to which some teachers
devote their whole lives, the use of the term bonsai
should be used with care, since it is understood that:
1) A bonsai is usually a replica of a tree in nature.
2) Bonsai should grow in a pot or on a stone slab.
Styling a Cedrus atlantica, before and
3) Bonsai must also have an aesthetic appeal.
after.
Trees must be modeled after one or a combination
of several styles defined in bonsai, which are nothing
other than the simplified and idealized form (through
its artistic expression) of the trees that can be observed Our goal is to help people who show interest in knowing
growing in nature. But what is it that truly defines a and evaluating this discipline, understand, recognize and
bonsai? To know it we must draw an imaginary line,
above all appreciate bonsai in its proper measure and all its
which determines where it starts and where it ends.
One can not, for example, call any tree in a pot a bonsai. breadth.
April/May/June 2019 | BCI | 3

Styling an Olea sylvestris, before and
after..
Olea sylvestris: The Minotaur and the
Rhino. Owned by one of my students
Enrique Marco Gómez.
In Bonsai, the primary pursuit is to maximize the attributes
of a tree, so that looking at it awakens our interest and
provokes sensations.
4 | BCI | April/May/June 2019
Many trees that are used for ornamental purposes, even
though these are small versions of their congeners of
nature are all simply potted trees. And there is nothing
wrong in cultivating them in this way, but that is not
bonsai.
Another popular misconception is that a bonsai is
a small tree in a pot, sold in gardening centers under
that name. Now, although it is true that any canvas
portraying something more or less artistic can be called
painting, it is also true that many of these paintings
do not persuade us. The same happens when applied
in bonsai, where the much broader concept seeks to
show a tree as a much more sophisticated example of
an art element.
In fact, at a more advanced level, when talking about
bonsai, we talk about personality. We could say that a
tree has a personality if it is good; if it has possibilities
of becoming bonsai. Natural old age does not mean
that all mature trees are good. Even if a tree is old, if
it has no personality it will be no more than a garden
tree planted in a pot. It is said that the most important
things for a bonsai to be good, are in this order. First is
the base of the trunk or nebari; second, the lower part
of the trunk or tachiagari, which drives the movement
of the tree; in third place is the excellent distribution
of the branches; in fourth, the balance of the apex; and
finally, the personality that will come from its origin.
These five points are very old and have never changed.
The term Bonsai is so well known that its use has
become widespread. This popularity has a positive
and a negative side. The good thing is that every time
it is used, more people know its existence and that is
important to create interest in the hobby. The annoying
aspect is that what is a true bonsai is very much distorted,
which is nothing less than a work of art, with implicit
aesthetic norms and rules, which improve its visual
perception and increase its beauty. When this happens,
part of its understanding and meaning is usually lost
along the way.
Bonsai, like any artistic discipline, seeks to capture the
attention of the observer and that does not happen by
chance. Also, bonsai as art has a recent history, barely a
hundred years old, because before it was only considered
more like a gardening practice. Being so young, if we
compare it with the rest of the art modalities, we try to
advance faster and make up for lost time, borrowing
the concepts used in other arts, to take them to bonsai
and apply them to our benefit.
In Bonsai, the primary pursuit is to maximize the
attributes of a tree, so that looking at it awakens our
interest and provokes sensations. All bonsai of quality
must include the different elements that compose it, to
create an idealized image of an old and majestic tree
from nature, that tells us a story of its existence and
manages to capture our feelings.
There are many studies about visual perception in
people and how we see works of art. In Bonsai, part of
this analysis we owe to a great bonsai master, unknown
in the West, who published a series of articles in the
prestigious Japanese magazine on bonsai, called Kinbon
…part of this
analysis we owe
to a great bonsai
master, unknown
in the West, who
published a series
of articles in
the prestigious
Japanese magazine
on bonsai, called
Kinbon Bonsai
Magazine.

Bonsai Magazine. Seya Takeshi talks very clearly about

how to work and what parts to strengthen, how to get a
tree grown in a pot to end up becoming a work of art.
Next, we will define what aspects this author considers
essential so that a bonsai reaches its fullness:
The first is the development of the theory of empty,
or negative space.
Seya dedicates many pages to this section because
the elegance of the voids determines the quality of the
bonsai. In addition, learning the meaning of empty
space is essential to enter the world of bonsai, in the
area of art.
The second one is the theory of bonsai movement
The bonsai have to show energy in motion, or about
to do so. The creation of movement in a bonsai, as he
explains, is not a balance of weights, but a balance of
vectors. A bonsai that seems to be about to move is a
bonsai that has rhythm. He also says that to achieve
Top: “Gollum” a special olive tree from my collection.
Bottom: Pinus sylvestris. Some elegant and natural looking trees
designed in bunjin-gi style.

April/May/June 2019 | BCI | 5

Juniper worked in a
workshop, before and after. A
photomontage on the right
shows the proposed bonsai
pot.

The creation
of movement
in a bonsai, as
he explains, is
not a balance
of weights, but
a balance of
vectors. A bonsai
that seems to be
about to move is
a bonsai that has
rhythm.

Juniperus sabina in Kengai style
(photomontage shows the
propsosed pot).
it, one must understand thoroughly the force behind
each curve, and the energy that each branch makes. To
the bonsai that do not show this movement or rhythm,
even if they have very healthy and vigorous branches
and leaves, they will lack vitality, and surely they will
also lack artistic sense.
And the third and final: you have to avoid symmetries
from left to right and top to bottom
The main reason why you have to avoid symmetries
is that this slows down the movement and rhythm of
each tree. Also, if we consider that bonsai are planted
in a symmetrical pot, they are placed on top of a table
that is also symmetrical and placed in a Tokonoma that
is also symmetrical, the symmetry of the tree would
merge into a sea of repetitions. In the creation of a work
of art, including the place where it is exposed, we must

6 | BCI | April/May/June 2019

avoid the repetitions because they are monotonous and
boring. On the other hand, the contrast of asymmetry
is a technique of creation. As an example, we find
beauty when we look at the famous Japanese gardens,
and the contrast between the background landscape
that is usually asymmetrical and the constructions that
are typically symmetrical. Thus, everyone is excited to
contemplate them and highlights the magnificence of
their appearance. If we think about it, the way to exhibit
bonsai employs this same theory. Top left and right: A Pinus sylvestris before and after styling in the school.
Bottom and inset: A Japanese pagoda inspired my creation with this
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marcial Yuste Blasco is a Master work on a juniper.
of Bonsai, Instructor of the Spanish Bonsai Association
(ABE), member of the Spanish Bonsai Union (UBE),
member of the Bonsai Clubs International (BCI) and Editor
in the last stage of Bonsai Actual, a magazine specialized
in the subject. He has written articles in international
publications, published in up to six different languages,
such as Bonsai Focus and Esprit Bonsai. Currently, he has
the unattainable task of teaching the students of the
Sagunt Bonsái School the wide range of contents and
knowledge related to the extensive universe of bonsai.
The School has a special impact on all the aspects related
to proper cultivation, the different styles, the specific
techniques of training according to species, the various
design proposals, as well as the multitude of guidelines
and rules that govern aesthetics from the perspective of
the Art. Students reach the established goal when they
all acquire an advanced level in this discipline, always
taking as a fundamental starting point, the point of view
of traditional Japanese bonsai.
There are still many challenges to be achieved, because,
as with bonsai, they never end. A period of national and
international projection begins to make known our way
of working and above all to understand bonsai from a
more traditional and respectful approach, more in the
conventional Japanese line.
And first of all, dedicate ourselves fully to teaching, to
continue carrying the spiritual path of bonsai, students
seeking to get away from Western conventions,
increasingly present in this, our hobby. For more
information, visit Sagunt Bonsai School at
www.saguntbonsai.es.

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