The Magician: The Bonsai Art of Kimura 2 (Bonsai Today Masters Series) (Paperback)

by Masahiko Kimura (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Every bit as good as the first volume. Though both show the master at work, the focus in volume 2 is more on how-to, step-by-step transformations and the thinking that goes into creating some of the worlds greatest masterpieces. Master Masahiko Kimura, also known as The Magician, is the most famous bonsai master ever. Because of his willingness to break with convention, many in Japan refused to take him seriously, at least in the early years. Now, no one disputes Kimuras genius or his pioneering position in the bonsai world. 8 x 11 1/2 178 pages

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Stone Lantern (2008)
• ISBN-10: 0976755041
• ISBN-13: 978-0976755043
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,232,186 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Kimura's genius., November 27, 2008

By	Dryfus Petty (San Dimas, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

As far as masters' books go, this one is very interesting. However, in case there is confusion, this book isn't a 'how to', but rather a 'how it was done' series. Pre-bonsai stock is shown, and then the progression of that stock into something almost gosammer in its beauty. For advanced students, this is great reading, simply for these progression slides. For beginners, this is also recommended, if only to provide inspiration and drive. A 'what can I do if I really keep trying' mentality. However, some knowledge of classic styles would be helpful, if only to realize how revolutionary Kimura's techniques are. A good deal of experience with live trees is also necessary for the beginner, because if anyone other than an experienced technician tried to replicate these Kimura masterpieces, they would 9.9995 out of 10 times kill the tree. Because Kimura makes it look so easy, we are sometimes lulled into a state of confidence that we don't really deserve. Having said this, this book is for all enthusiast levels. There's something for everyone.
There's a reason why I gave this book 3 stars-though I recommend its purchase-it's due to the sometimes overbearing Stone Lantern Editor editions. Essentially, the people at Stone Lantern have republished articles that originally were Bonsai Today Magazine articles(published by Stone Lantern as well). (If you own all Bonsai Today magazines, don't purchase this book. You already have the information) What they have done, however, is to republish the articles 'with' their own two cents thrown in. Sometimes this can be helpful, e.g. specifying geographical locations and throwing in bits of trivia as well as clarifying some obtuse information. Other times this can be very annoying as it interrupts the flow of the progression series. When I read I like to engross myself in the subject matter privately. With Stone Lantern comments-which are on every page, at the end or middle of nearly every paragraph-it makes me feel as if someone is constantly reading over my shoulder, or that I'm reading over their's. Comments along the lines of,

"One year seems too short for those little branches to get up in size. Perhaps this is a mistranslation?"

or "This is the first mention of what ends up being the front of the tree. It seemed pretty clear all along that Kimura wouldn't use the view that showed off the trunk's widest point, though you can never be sure what he's going to do. It's possible that this notion was speculation by the original author rather than a suggestion of Kimura."

or "If you look at the photos, the before photo says March 1, 1984 and the first after photo says July 10, 1984. Is this possible? Could a tree of that beauty and power be hiding inside the mess of overgrown and unhealthy looking needles Kimura received in March? ...could this amazing change take place in four months, or is this a translation problem?"

Just to give you an idea. For me, it was tedious at times, and often annoying. Other times, however, it was bearable and sometimes helpful.

Lastly, being that this is a masters' series book, and being that Stone Lantern wished to publish it with their two cents thrown in, it should have been the two cents of a professional technician. The Stone Lantern comments are quite amateurish at times and their lack of knowledge is frustrating. For example, with the progression series of Kimura's "Dance of the dragon flying toward the sky" Kimura separates the deadwood from the live veins in order to radically bend the wood without damaging the life lines of the tree. Stone Lantern pipes in with:

"If you want to try this technique, a good way to proceed would be to find some deadwood with good character and attach a long trunk or branch from a living juniper. This isn't the same as separating a living vein and reattaching it, but it's a good start."

Now, it's not that this is bad advice or bad commentary, it's just that, again, this is a masters' series book and what they're advising is what's known as the phoenix graft or as the Japanese call it, "Tanuki". They should have known this. Beginners know about the phoenix graft. It's nothing new. Anyway, the depth of Stone Lantern comments lacks very much. One more example:

"No matter how much I look at this tree, I can't seem to grasp exactly what Kimura did. When you read the original text below and look at the pictures, maybe you'll have better luck."

I really don't need comments like the above. I didn't want an interactive book or a 'companion' to join me in my reading. It becomes utterly irksome sometimes.
Last, but not least, you should know that this book is a profile of Kimura. It explores Kimura's art, second hand, and sometimes, third hand. There was no interaction with Kimura in this publication. He was not involved. It is simply this: combined Bonsai Today articles on Kimura coupled with Stone Lantern commentary. That's it and that's all. If we could all take a slew of articles, bind them, and then provide commentary, we'd all be authors.

Finally, I do, however, recommend this book for those of you who do not own Bonsai Today editions featuring Kimura. The recommendation is for Beginners-advanced technicians. The book is bound well, the cover is laminated and glossy, the pages are glossy, and the photos are high quality. This in itself is worth the purchase. That said, for those of you whom are advanced students, you won't learn anything new via technique, unless you're great at guessing. There aren't many explanations in regards to the techniques used, or clarification. But if you wish to see how a master acquires his vision and executes it, it's a good purchase.