When the careful preparation as we introduced last time finished, people start the wiring. It is the important technique which influence the value of bonsai. For this work, it needs to have long experience so every bonsai artist aspires to do it. Ideue Fumio, the owner of Ideue Kikkoen bonsai garden in Takamatsu’s Kinashi town, showed us the masterful technique.

Base to apex

He wires the branches which are protected with a band made from raffia palm. The standard order of wiring is from base to apex and from thick to thin part. In order of ichinoeda (the first branch found from the base of a tree), ninoeda (the second branch found from the base of a tree), and sannoeda (the third branch found from the base of a tree), he wires from base to apex. He check the position of each branch and uses 7 wires which are of varying thickness for Kuromatsu (Japanese black pine) whose height is 68 centimeters and width is 95 centimeters.

It’s detailed work with hands but he keeps doing smoothly. Sometimes he looks at the tree from a distance and checks the whole balance. If the distance between a branch and other branch is wide, he modifies the position to bend the branch with wire. On the contrary, if the branches overlap one another, he opens them crossly and arranges the tree’s shape. It is advanced technique which changes the branch’s shape of bonsai trees in a pot at will.

Make cut branch to Jin (perished branch)

Ideue doesn’t always wire. When he thinks the tree take a great deal of strain, he avoids wiring even if he wants to do it. Wiring is the work to shape branch unnaturally so it could hurt the tree.

The tree sometimes gains the atmosphere of old tree when the cut branches use for Jin (perished branch). He made Jin (perished branch) with a branch which was cut 2 years ago.

He said, “I imagine the beautiful Jin (perished branch) when I cut a branch. It is important to be natural over time. It is our role to use the full attraction of trees. “

Ideue takes care of his trees after shipment. He keeps wiring for trees which was bought by bonsai lovers, and tries to advance the bonsai tree in rank.

（By Shigeo Hano）