What is Shohin Bonsai?
Shohin is the Japanese word for "a-tiny-thing."
According to Morten Albek, a Europen arthorty on the subject of Shohin Bonsai the basic rules are as follows. "The basic rules are demanding that the Shohin-bonsai may not be higher than 25cm (that's 10 inches) when measured from rim of the pot, to the top of the tree. But, at the same time it has to be said, that these measures and rules, has to be taken with a bit of laciness."
Basically, most experts believe that you must be able to hold the shohin-bonsai in one hand, and it must express the beauty of a large tree in miniture. The exact measure of the height of the tree is then less important.
The majority of shohin-bonsai found at bonsai shows measure approximately 20 cm / 8 inches in height. However, a slim and elegant flowering Quince will easily override the limit in height but still be considered a Shohin.
The Shimpaku Juniper shown here is owned by Bob Jardinico and is only about 6 inches in width and 3" in height. The age of the tree is about 15 years but in Shohin age is not a s big a factor as ramification and style.
"Bonsai is imagination and fantasy. You can’t just scale down a big tree, and put it in a pot. You have to paint the visions held in peoples’ minds." Morten Albek
Should a Shohin bonsai look like a big tree that has been scaled down?
Yes and No. the viewer has to think he sees a miniture verision of the big tree but the bonsai artist must "paint the image" with a minimum of materials. I know I quote Mr. Albek frequently but his knowledge of the subject and grasp of the artistic principils is amazing.
From his Shohin Europe website; " Open spaces and few leaves have to suggest the crown of the tree. The small trunk carries the soul of the tree and suggests the size, age and living conditions. A few roots will be enough to show that the tree is well secured in the ground. The entire story must be told with less material than is normal for larger bonsai. This constraint demands something more from both the artist and from the audience: imagination.
The tree to the right is a Japaneese white pine that was grafted onto black pine root stock to give it a better chance to thrive in the southern California climate. It is approximatly 15 years old and is 8 inches tall and 9 inches wide. It is in a 5" x 8" oval pot. This is a very nice plant and some day if it survives the climate for 4 or 5 years the branch ramifiction should be good enough to fall into the Shohin catagory at the show level. One can only hope.
Shohin Bonsai Resources
Shohin Bonsai Europe - Morten Albek's extremely informative shohin bonsai website.
All Japan Shohin Bonsai Association - Associations official website, best view with Japanese language pack.
Higuchi Takeshis' Shohin Bonsai website - best view with Japanese language pack
Shohin Bonsai Clubs Index - Here is a list of Shohin Clubs around the world
