Page 30 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2014Q2

Judging Bonsai

Who Decides What is Good?

By Kath Hughes, UK
Photos courtesy Malcolm Hughes except photos on this page and facing page, top right,
which are by Willy Evenepoel.
Part One. Look for Part Two and Part Three in an upcoming issue.

Judged First-Class Trees at Various Shows. udging bonsai is always controversial and a highly subjective
subject. Just how do we actually do it?
All were judged by professional judges and placed first or We all agree that some bonsai are better, or much better, than
second in major international shows. Are these good trees in others. In this three-part series, we will explore the various as-
your eyes? If so ask yourself why? Do not be too easily satisfied; Jpects of judging a bonsai, and try to design a judging system that
be analytical in your evaluation.
can be used objectively to determine the quality of one bonsai, compared
Good? Yes, we know they are, but why? What criteria do they with another.
fulfill? Do not give up, write down your comments and by the We will never, for as long as people remain different in their opinions on
end of this series of articles we hope you be able to look back every factor from religion to what clothes they wear and what food they eat,
and say “Yes, I understand.” succeed in devising a system that pleases all parties. However if we manage
to satisfy the majority we will have made progress and hopefully silence
those who still say, “I gave it first prize because I liked it.” At least they could
say they like it based upon some measurable criteria that we all recognize.
The challenge of such a system is not the problem of selecting the right
criteria: We all know what to appreciate in a good bonsai. Design, har-
mony, visual balance within the tree, visual balance between pot and tree,
good health, ramification and branch development, quality craftsmanship
with wiring and carving. We all know that a bonsai needs good taper to
both trunk and major branches, proper branch development and refine-
ment, good-looking nebari, and a pot that enhances the overall image.
So what then, is the greatest challenge?
It is, to decide the relative importance of all these criteria, and form
them into a system that is both simple and practical for all to use, and also
containing enough depth to cover all the important aspects of what makes
one bonsai better than the next one.
Trunk taper is very important—a major factor in creating the impres-
sion of age and the impression of grandeur in many species and styles.
The root-base (nebari), also species and style dependent, adds to the
above qualities, and also provides the feeling of balance. It is important
to remember that bigger is not necessarily better. A stronger taper or
a larger nebari is not necessarily better than a smaller one. It has to be
appropriate to the subject. When grading taper or nebari, we should not
give a higher grade to a nebari just because it is larger. The key word is
harmony: it has to be in harmony with the rest of the tree.
Branch development is a large category, and includes several aspects;
The proper placement of branches is one.
The development of a fine network of secondary and tertiary branches
is another.
Finally, the branches need to be thick enough and tapered, in other
words, in good proportion with the trunk, in order to appear as mature
as the trunk itself.

28 | BCI | A p r i l/M a y/J un e 2014
28 | BCI | April/May/June 2014