Bonsai Gallery of Walter Pall: Japanese Maple nr. 1

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Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) #1

90 cm high
About 100 years old
Pot by Derek Aspinall
From an imported tree

In 1993 I saw this maple in Switzerland. It impressed me very much, although it was in a very neglected state. Apparently it was imported from Japan around 1980 or earlier from a major bonsai nursery. It had not been treated very well. Folks did not know that it had the typical problems of the Kiohime variety. The top tends to be weak, branches are extremely brittle and it has to be repotted at least every two years. So the tree, which used to cost a small fortune, went downhill for years. Finally it was for sale as a sort of left-over, second rate tree. The top was weak and a couple of branches were broken off, especially in the upper part. The pot was way too small. The tree as a whole was totally overgrown. It had not been repotted in many years. It had not been cut back in many years either. The trunks appeared too straight and had almost no taper. The tree had an ugly knob on top of the main trunk.
Anyway, I had the strong feeling that this one I could handle and make my prime maple. I knew that I had to live with some of the faults and camouflage them. The main trick was to achieve an aura that is so strong that the faults disappear in the viewer's eyes. It is like with a person that has a very strong appearance, an aura, an unforgettable character. The person will be full of faults, but it does not matter, the aura is stronger.
This probably was my best deal in bonsai. See the progress. It is not exactly a Kiohime, but close to. As far as I understand there is no name for this variety, it is close to the wild form, only has smaller leaves. And the bad habits of Kiohime.
This maple is a very good example to discuss tree critiques. Go see this and the ensuing discussion at Art of Bonsai Project: Critique: Walter Pall's Japanese Maple By and large the general public is quite enthused about this tree. Folks come up to me frequently and tell me how much they love this maple. Folks who see it in person in my garden are often overwhelmed. Yet there are some who point out that it is just mediocre. Well, it certainly has it's faults. And it certainly is not the best maple around like some dare to suggest. One thing is for sure: one does not have to understand anything about bonsai to appreciate this tree. It seems especially attractive to the general public and the photographs of this maple are best-selling. So does this mean that it is kitsch? Well, could be, but also kitsch has it's merits.
One can judge a bonsai with the heart, with the soul and come to a conclusion that it touches the soul; it touches it in a tremendous way. One can also judge a bonsai with the intellect, with what one KNOWS to be good and KNOWS to be faults. Then this particular tree might be mediocre. The question is which sort of judging is the 'correct' one. And the question is whether the positive features are so strong that they way overshine the faults. And then some 'faults' may be just in the minds of gardeners (and not artists). E.g. the fact that the sub-trunks come out of the main trunk either too high for a multitrunk or too low for a broom form is a major fault for some fundamentalists. Well, go look at real trees and not at bonsai forms and go re-write the bonsai books, taking this maple as an example. Anyway, it is kind of amusing to listen to these discussions. And it is kind of pleasing to own this tree and be able to say that you have made it to what it is today. Life has been good to me.