Who Am I?
My name is Marcial Yuste Blasco, though within the path of bonsai and suiseki I am known by my Japanese transmission name, Masaru Buko (勝讓武古).
My journey did not begin in a pot or an exhibition hall. It began much earlier, in the study and observation of landscape. Trained in Physical Geography and deeply connected to the natural world, I have devoted much of my life to roaming mountains, wetlands and natural spaces, learning to interpret the forms, processes and silences that give a territory its character.
There are different ways of building a path in bonsai and suiseki. Some are oriented toward participation in competitions and competitive exhibitions; others find their expression in study, research, teaching and the transmission of knowledge. The path recorded on this page deliberately follows this latter orientation.
From its beginnings, this path has been built on the study of Japanese tradition, ongoing training, research, teaching and outreach, in the conviction that knowledge, sustained practice and respect for the artistic and cultural legacy to which bonsai and suiseki belong form the foundation of a lasting dedication to these disciplines.
Continue reading
That gaze toward the territory led me naturally to bonsai and suiseki. Not as isolated hobbies, but as cultural expressions capable of condensing the essence of nature on a human scale. Since then, I have devoted decades to the study of these disciplines, delving into both their technical practice and their historical, philosophical and aesthetic foundations.
My training has been closely tied to Japanese tradition, especially through learning alongside masters and professionals who have helped shape my understanding of this art. However, my goal has never been to reproduce models mechanically, but to understand the principles that underpin them in order to transmit them authentically within our own cultural context.
The concept of Keidō — the Way of the Landscape — sums up much of that search. A way of understanding bonsai, suiseki and their related arts not as isolated objects, but as tools for contemplating, interpreting and expressing the natural environment.
This space was created as a place for rigorous study, documentation and transmission. A place to share the experiences, research and work accumulated over the past decades. Teaching and practicing bonsai and suiseki are understood here as a path of exchange, learning and cultural preservation. If you have arrived here moved by the same curiosity, perhaps we share part of the same path.
Only much later did I understand that my love for nature had begun long before I could put a name to it. This video is a journey back to that origin.
The Path
From observing nature in the wild to the formal study of the Japanese display space. A single drive sustained for more than four decades.
From this point on, the journey is presented in documentary and chronological format, with the aim of preserving the historical accuracy of events, research carried out and institutional milestones reached over the years.
Naturalist, ornithologist and nature conservationist
Began his activity as a naturalist at the age of thirteen at the Wildlife Refuge of La Marjal dels Moros, a wetland of international importance. There he began systematic monitoring of birdlife, collaborating with SEO/BirdLife on the study and monitoring of bird populations.
Read more about this period
He later worked as an ornithologist for the Department of the Environment of the Generalitat Valenciana, carrying out research studies on endangered species endorsed by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
From the age of fifteen, he was actively involved with Acció Ecologista-Agró, a pioneering organization and benchmark in nature conservation in Spain. Within this organization he took part in numerous study, protection and conservation campaigns, notably his involvement over several years in reforestation programs in the Valencian mountains affected by the fires of the 1980s and 1990s, contributing to the recovery of large areas of what is now the Sierra Calderona Natural Park through the planting of native species such as holm oak (Quercus ilex).
The ongoing research into birdlife at La Marjal dels Moros, together with the compilation of species inventories and the drafting of technical reports (studies on biology, ecology, habitat selection and conservation) to present its value to regional, national and European authorities, generated the scientific basis used in the case for the wetland's protection. This documentation proved decisive in the process that culminated in its designation as a Wildlife Refuge by the Generalitat Valenciana.
Studies in Physical Geography
Studied Physical Geography at the Universitat de València, focusing on Geomorphology and Analytical Climatology. This training deepened his understanding of the natural environment, natural processes and the reading of landscape — a foundation that later directly influenced his approach to bonsai and suiseki as arts that evoke the natural landscape.
Bonsai as a discipline
His passion for nature merged with an interest in traditional Japanese culture. Thus began a professional, full-time dedication to bonsai that, over the years, would extend to suiseki, as well as to Kazari and Keidō, disciplines in which these elements take on their full artistic dimension.
Distance study with Kobayashi Ippū
Began a personalized, direct course of study in Keidō under the guidance of the III Iemoto of the Katayama School, an unprecedented arrangement for the school. In the summer of 2024 he received his Japanese name, a Gō (号) or "path name": 勝讓武古 (Masaru Buko), calligraphed by the master's own hand, in recognition of natori status.
First stay at Shunkaen
Officially completed his Keidō studies at the Shunkaen Museum, after passing the tests set by the master. He received completion certificate No. 1, featuring more than 60 kanji and 4 hanko, entirely hand-calligraphed by Kobayashi Ippū, and was publicly presented at the Taikanten as his Spanish student.
Transmission at the Shunkaen Museum
His second in-person stay at the Shunkaen Museum (Tokyo) will take place.
He will formally receive the makimono — the lineage scroll certifying inclusion in the keizu, or living genealogy of the school, with the rain kanji (雨) as its genealogical trunk — and the kakejiku bearing the transmission name Ichibu (一武), to be received through ichiji-hairyō.
This milestone will mark the first complete journey of this kind documented and certified for a Western bonsai and suiseki specialist.
The Lineage
This transmission is not an isolated gesture: it is part of a precise system of rules and meanings that has, generation after generation, governed how a master recognizes a disciple.
Keidō is the Japanese art of composing the traditional display space within the Katayama-ryū lineage, in which bonsai, suiseki, kakejiku and accompanying elements are arranged in relation to the tokonoma, the contemplative alcove of sukiya-style Japanese architecture.
The tokonoma, developed within the Japanese architectural tradition and especially established since the Muromachi period (室町時代, 1336–1573), is the space where nature is presented as an object of contemplation.
Founded in 1986 by Katayama Teiichi (片山貞一, 1908–1996), this system transcends any purely ornamental or horticultural function, treating each composition as an evocation of the seasons and a means of contemplating nature.
Inspired by the principles of Sen no Rikyū's tea ceremony (千利休, 1522–1591), Katayama developed an interpretation of wabi-sabi (侘寂) applied to the display space, where simplicity and imperfection take on spiritual dimension.
The name 勝讓武古 (Masaru Buko) is not a phonetic transcription. It was constructed by Jin Yasufumi, guardian of the lineage, as an ethical-semantic transliteration of the name Marcial Yuste Blasco, with each kanji chosen for its sound and its moral weight:
| Kanji | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 勝Katsu | To win, to overcome — victory without force. |
| 讓Yuzuru | To yield, humility — the spirit of victory yielded. |
| 武Bu | Martial, inner peace — a kanji of mission: transforming bonsai from the ornamental into a path of rectitude. |
| 古Ko | Ancient, seniority — the depth gained with time. |
The makimono will bear the kanji 雨 (Ame), the genealogical trunk of the school since its founder, and the kakejiku will carry the transmission name 一武 (Ichibu), to be received through ichiji-hairyō: the act by which the master grants the disciple a character from his own name as a seal of genealogical belonging. The ceremony is scheduled for October 2026, during the second in-person stay at the Shunkaen Museum.
Formal membership in the Keidō Katayama-ryū lineage with full ceremonial legitimacy. This affiliation does not imply succession rights to the position of Iemoto, nor institutional authority within the school's Japanese structure. Sagunt-En carries out its bonsai and suiseki teaching activity independently, inspired by the principles and teachings transmitted by this lineage.
The Path of the Lineage
Some encounters mark a path. My master, Kobayashi Ippū, while contemplating the Japanese white pine Oku no Kyomatsu (奥の巨松), felt the calling that led him to devote his entire life to bonsai. That tree became his silent guide, a presence that still speaks today with the patience of time and the stillness of centuries.
I had the good fortune of being received as a disciple under the guidance of Kobayashi Ippū. I learned to listen to the whisper of each branch, to feel the patience in each cut, to recognize humility in each shoot and impermanence in each form. His teaching opened up a world of sensitivity and spirituality for me: a space where what I saw transformed into what I am.
The Oku no Kyomatsu is no longer alive. The master keeps it in his personal shrine at Shunkaen, where he pays it respect and offers incense — not as a relic, but as the totemic presence of the tree he connected with most, the one that made him reconsider the entire course of his life.
Read more about this story
During my study stay in autumn 2025, with respect, honor and humility, I wanted to express my gratitude toward my master and toward his beloved tree. I brought a watercolor painted by hand by my friend and fellow disciple, the Bolivian artist William Garcés, depicting the pine in all its splendor, when it was still alive.
Nothing in that gesture was improvised. For months we prepared every detail: the choice of the image, the artistic composition, the presentation ceremony. The work traveled wrapped in a furoshiki, as Japanese tradition dictates for acts of gratitude, and was offered with both hands, between an opening bow and a closing bow, in absolute silence.
Alongside the watercolor, I prepared a card written in Japanese and headed with that same symbol, to record my gratitude toward the master, toward the tree that inspired his path, and toward the teaching he has generously offered me over these years. What we love does not disappear: it transforms and endures, in memory and in practice.
Philosophy
If Bonsaidō and Suisekidō represent the path of refinement through the tree and the stone, Keidō is the natural culmination of that process. Within it, bonsai, suiseki and the other elements that traditionally accompany them are no longer seen as isolated objects, but become integrated into a harmonious composition imbued with meaning, emotion and aesthetic depth.
Bonsai and suiseki, understood through Japanese tradition, are neither decorative horticulture nor a collection of stylistic techniques. They are a path of contemplation: the evocation of landscape and the seasons as a way toward inner stillness.
Through the correct arrangement of the main elements, complemented by the kakejiku (掛軸), accent plants or shitakusa (下草), and the various accompanying objects such as tenpai (添配), a space of contemplation is created in which each component speaks with the others. What until then might be perceived as an outstanding example of specialized horticulture or a valuable collector's piece takes on a higher dimension, becoming a true artistic expression.
Keidō does not seek merely to display beautiful objects, but to reveal the atmosphere, the season, the landscape, the passage of time and the emotion held within each composition: the art of harmonizing elements to express, through them, the deep relationship between human beings and nature.
Much of the bonsai practiced today in the West has drifted toward the commercial and the competitive, moving away from that foundation. This is not to deny the value of that path — many fine trees are born there too — but to point out that another path exists, older and more demanding, which the Sagunt-En School seeks to uphold: that of bonsai and suiseki as an art of space, faithful to classical Japanese principles.
That is the underlying vocation of this work: not to compete within an industry, but to preserve and pass on a way of understanding the tree, the stone and the space as close as possible to its origin.
Matsuo Bashō 松尾芭蕉
No name is cited more often among practitioners of Keidō than that of Matsuo Bashō (松尾芭蕉, 1644–1694). He was no gardener and never grew bonsai, but his travel poetry —the haiku (俳句) as a brief form of contemplating landscape and the seasons— is, for this school, the purest literary expression of the same impulse that Keidō pursues through the tree, the stone and the display space.
Bashō left the city to walk the land, stripping his gaze down until only the essence of the landscape remained. That same renunciation of the superfluous is what governs composition in Keidō.
松尾芭蕉, c. 1686 — a constant source of inspiration for those who walk the Way of the Landscape.
International Instructor Program of Bonsai Clubs International
International Accreditation · July 2026
An International Accreditation
Bonsai Clubs International (BCI) is one of the leading organizations for the promotion, preservation, and advancement of bonsai and suiseki worldwide. Founded in 1963, it brings together clubs, associations, professionals, and researchers from numerous countries with the aim of fostering study, education, and the exchange of knowledge in both disciplines.
For more than six decades, BCI has driven the international development of bonsai and suiseki through congresses, specialized publications, educational programs, and an extensive collaborative network that has helped strengthen dialogue among professionals and institutions worldwide.
As part of this work, the International Instructor Program recognizes professionals whose careers demonstrate a sustained commitment to teaching, research, outreach, and the preservation of these arts, acknowledging their contribution to the transmission of knowledge with rigor, responsibility, and respect for tradition.
Appointment to the International Instructor Program
Appointment to the International Instructor Program of Bonsai Clubs International took place with the simultaneous granting of the International Bonsai Instructor and International Suiseki Instructor accreditations.
These accreditations recognize more than two decades dedicated to the study, practice, research, and teaching of bonsai and suiseki, as well as ongoing outreach carried out through lectures, specialized publications, exhibitions, educational activities, and cultural projects undertaken both in Spain and internationally.
International Bonsai Instructor
The International Bonsai Instructor accreditation recognizes contributions to the teaching and dissemination of this discipline, as well as a commitment to preserving its technical, artistic, and cultural foundations in accordance with the principles of Japanese tradition.
International Suiseki Instructor
The International Suiseki Instructor accreditation honors a career dedicated to the study, research, and teaching of viewing stones, promoting knowledge of this discipline with respect for its historical, aesthetic, and cultural values.
An Enduring Commitment
Membership in the International Instructor Program of Bonsai Clubs International represents a commitment to contributing to the preservation, study, and transmission of bonsai and suiseki as expressions of Japanese artistic and cultural heritage.
Teaching, research, and outreach form the core of this commitment, aimed at fostering the exchange of knowledge across generations, schools, and cultures, while preserving the authenticity of both disciplines and promoting their development internationally.
Traditional School of Bonsai and Suiseki Art
At our school we understand bonsai and suiseki as artistic and cultural expressions deeply connected to the contemplation of nature, to Japanese aesthetic sensibility and to a tradition passed down across generations.
Technical knowledge is part of the path, but not its destination. The true purpose of bonsai and suiseki transcends technique to enter the realm of art, observation, harmony and the cultivation of an eye capable of recognizing the essential beauty of the landscape.
The teaching we offer is grounded in the rigorous study of traditional Japanese sources and in ongoing training within the classical systems of cultural transmission. For this reason, learning is not limited to the care of a tree or the appreciation of a stone; it also encompasses an understanding of the aesthetic, philosophical and cultural principles that gave rise to these arts.
Our school is a space for those who wish to deepen, research and understand bonsai and suiseki from a broader and more authentic perspective. A place to cultivate patience, sharpen observation, develop one's own aesthetic judgment and walk with respect along a living tradition.
We believe that bonsai and suiseki are not merely objects for contemplation, but vehicles for understanding nature, time, landscape and our relationship with them.
This is the path we follow. This is the spirit we transmit.
Shodō calligraphy by my master
Shodō calligraphy by my master
A place for learning
Spain and international · In-person and onlineA space for those who wish to deepen their understanding of bonsai and suiseki from an artistic, cultural and traditional perspective.
Beyond technical learning, the school offers a way of observing and understanding nature through traditional Japanese arts, cultivating a more attentive gaze toward landscape, time and natural expression.
Training takes place through in-person sessions and distance learning programs, open to students from Spain as well as other countries.
The work is grounded in observation, sustained practice and the progressive understanding of the aesthetic principles underlying bonsai and suiseki, always respecting their cultural and traditional context.
Nature · Study · Transmission
Two itineraries, one same path
Two training itineraries conceived for those who wish to deepen their understanding of bonsai from an artistic, cultural and traditional perspective, integrating technique, aesthetics and Japanese thought into a single learning process. Training is offered both in person and online, with students from Spain and countries across Europe and the Americas.
In-person training in Spain is specifically oriented toward those who wish to approach the artistic level represented by the Kokufu-Ten, from a rigorous, aesthetic perspective deeply rooted in Japanese tradition.
-
Container cultivation imposes physiological constraints that have nothing to do with garden or ornamental plant growing: limited root volume, precise water management and constant vigor control. The topic covers the specific needs of the tree in a pot — reading water demand by species, vegetative state and environmental conditions; water quality and pH; physical-chemical properties of bonsai substrates; correcting nutritional deficiencies; fertilizing programs using solid organic, liquid organic and chemical fertilizers — as well as proper placement of specimens, species selection suited to each climate and arrangement on display benches. The aim is to master the three or four fundamental guidelines that determine 95% of cultivation success, with special attention to managing residual moisture, the main cause of bonsai pathologies.
-
Direct intervention techniques applied to the tree, studied from both agronomic and artistic standpoints. Structural and refinement pruning; selective pinching for growth control; partial and full defoliation — purpose, timing and candidate species. Wiring with copper and aluminium: theoretical application model, execution, correct tension by branch thickness, timing and precautions to avoid marks. Repotting: optimum timing by species, root treatment and pruning, substrate reduction or replacement, correct anchoring of the tree in the pot and post-repotting care. Identification of the main bonsai pests and diseases; types of plant protection products (systemic and contact); preventive and curative treatment strategies, with examples of common pathologies and action protocols.
-
The five classical styles — classified according to the degree of trunk inclination from vertical — are not taxonomic categories but formal models reproducing at reduced scale the shapes trees take in nature in response to their growing conditions: climate, exposure, altitude, species. This topic explores in depth the design principles of each style: reading trunk movement, branch distribution, nebari construction and apex projection. Understanding the basis of each form is the first step toward designing a bonsai with visual and botanical coherence.
-
Applying the same criteria as the previous topic, this unit explores in depth the remaining styles recognized by Japanese tradition — those which, though less common in exhibition contexts, are often the most appropriate expression for a starting material with distinctive morphological characteristics. Knowing them and being able to read when the tree calls for them is as important as mastering the canonical styles. The choice of style is not a personal preference, but a response to the form latent within the tree's own structure.
-
Reproducing the forms of natural trees to scale is a necessary condition, but not a sufficient one: a tree may be correctly designed and still lack aesthetic power. Elevating a bonsai to the artistic dimension requires mastering a set of concepts that act directly on the viewer's visual perception. In this topic — the most dense and fundamental of the five aesthetic topics in the course — the principles that make a bonsai visually powerful are studied: dynamic balance, management of negative space, and asymmetry as a tool for naturalness and age. The difference between specialized horticulture and bonsai art lies precisely in mastering these elements.
-
This topic expands on theoretical concepts that, due to their complexity, could not be incorporated in the previous topic without compromising its density. It also includes an extensive practical section of visual analysis of specific specimens: the student learns to read how aesthetic elements articulate, interrelate and reinforce one another in a real tree. Visual understanding of aesthetics — seeing in the tree what was previously only understood theoretically — is the qualitative leap this topic aims to consolidate.
-
Development of aesthetic concepts at a higher degree of abstraction which, precisely because of this, are capable of refining design to levels that more obvious principles cannot reach. This topic continues and deepens the line of the previous one: new ideas, new analytical angles and new specimens to consolidate an increasingly refined and autonomous aesthetic vision. The aim is for the student to begin developing their own personal standard, derived not from imitation but from genuine understanding.
-
A monographic topic on Seiya Takeshi, one of the great Japanese masters — and one of the least known outside Japan — who conducted an exhaustive, systematic and descriptive analysis of the factors that determine the beauty of a bonsai. His research led him to identify three fundamental axes: dynamic balance, which in trees that possess it generates greater visual attraction; the management of negative space, understood not as absence but as an active element of the composition; and asymmetry as an instrument for conveying naturalness and age, qualities that trees acquire in nature under the influence of the elements and adversity. Mastery of these three principles defines the difference between a well-formed tree and a bonsai that speaks.
-
Consolidation and extension of the concepts developed in previous topics through comparative visual analysis of a wide selection of trees. The student trains their eye to identify with precision the elements that raise — or limit — the aesthetic dimension of each specimen, developing their own critical vocabulary that allows them to analyze, correct and project their own designs from understanding rather than intuition.
-
Development of the highest-abstraction aesthetic concepts: those which, precisely because they are not immediately visible or easily codified, have the power to elevate design to levels that more direct principles cannot reach. New ideas, new analytical angles and new reference specimens to continue refining the eye and consolidating an increasingly autonomous aesthetic vision. The aim is for the student to be able to perceive, name and apply elements of beauty that they previously only felt without knowing how to articulate.
-
A complete treatise on the art of kazari at every level: tokonoma composition principles, hierarchy and relationship between elements (bonsai, suiseki, kakejiku, shitakusa, tenpai), seasonal reading, compositional formality according to the shin-gyō-sō system and the aesthetic criteria at the foundations of Kazari. Kazari is not decoration: it is the art of creating a space that invites contemplation and conveys the spirit of a season and a moment.
-
Expansion of the concepts and ideas from the previous topic, with detailed analysis of real kazari compositions. The student studies how the various elements articulate in specific situations, what decisions make them more or less successful, and what formal, chromatic and seasonal relationships between them determine the quality of the composition. The aim is to develop the ability to read and build a kazari composition with autonomy and sound judgment.
-
The Kokufu-Ten is the highest reference in Japanese bonsai. This topic works on the practical application of all the concepts learned — in the two style design topics and the five aesthetics topics — through detailed analysis of exhibition specimens. The student learns to read a Kokufu-Ten bonsai by precisely identifying the elements that determine its artistic level: design, proportion, nebari, branching, species character and aesthetic dimension. This practice of analysis is the most direct route to consolidating and refining everything learned.
-
Continuation of Kokufu-Ten specimen analysis with new trees and compositions. The work of topics 13 and 14 on the Kokufu-Ten is the equivalent of what in classical Japanese arts is called kata: the repeated and intentional practice on reference models to internalize principles until they become one's own. Both topics together form the closing stage of the course and direct preparation for the final evaluation session.
-
A two-hour online session with the teacher, both evaluative and formative in character. The student is presented with photographs of Kokufu-Ten bonsai and kazari compositions to analyze orally at the level of design and aesthetics. The teacher evaluates not to grade, but to identify what has been solidly absorbed, what is mastered but not yet precisely articulated and what points require reinforcement. Based on that reading, they correct, refine, expand and work with the student on what is still unseen or unclearly expressed. It is a guided review class, a synthesis and consolidation of the entire course.
-
It is not possible to work on a tree without understanding how it functions. This topic begins with plant physiology as applied to bonsai: tree anatomy, how the vascular system works, seasonal cycles and the response to water and mechanical stress. The concept of energy occupies a central place: where and how the tree produces it, how it moves it and how it manages it. Without that knowledge, any pruning, pinching or defoliation is blind, because all of them directly affect the tree's ability to generate and manage its reserves. Fertilizing is studied as a precision tool in the service of controlled vigor: types of fertilizers (solid organic, liquid and mineral), dosage, schedule and adaptation according to species, vegetative state and cultivation goal.
-
At master's level, the study of pests, diseases and plant-protection products goes beyond basic identification. The topic delves into the classification of the main pathogens and vectors affecting bonsai, their life cycles, favorable development conditions and differential diagnostic symptoms. It covers the different types of plant-protection products — systemic, contact, preventive and curative — their mechanisms of action, compatibilities and limitations, as well as the criteria for designing an integrated protection program that preserves the health of the tree, the quality of the substrate and the surrounding growing environment.
-
A complete monograph on the most highly valued and demanding plant group in Japanese tradition. It examines in depth the specific physiology of potted conifers, their cultivation needs, repotting timing and criteria, fertilizing programs and particular shaping and refinement techniques: metsumi, mekiri, mekaki, hagari and their variants by species. It also covers branch construction in pines, junipers and cypresses, with specific criteria for each group, and the aesthetic reading of their distinctive formal qualities. Conifers have their own language: learning it is a condition for being able to work them with rigor.
-
Deciduous trees demand very precise technical mastery because their four seasons are always on display: the nebari and trunk in winter, the unfolding of foliage in spring, the canopy in summer and the autumn color. The topic thoroughly covers pruning, wiring, pinching and defoliation techniques, with special attention to developing and refining ramification according to the vigor of each species: differentiated techniques for species of strong and moderate vigor, alternate-leaved and opposite-leaved species, and specific criteria for the deciduous trees most referenced in Japanese tradition — maple, elm, hornbeam, zelkova, among others. Building a fine, balanced and aesthetically coherent branch structure is the central goal of this topic.
-
Evergreen and tropical species display physiological behavior different from that of deciduous trees and temperate-climate conifers, which requires adapting all cultivation criteria and working techniques. The topic examines how to modify repotting, fertilizing, watering and vigor-management programs for this group of species, and how to coherently apply shaping and refinement techniques to material that has no marked winter dormancy or that responds differently to pruning stress. The aim is to broaden the student's technical repertoire beyond the classical Japanese groups and equip them with the criteria needed to work rigorously on any species.
-
Flowering and fruiting species are enjoyed precisely for their blossoms and fruit, which imposes a particular technical logic: many of the usual pruning, pinching and defoliation operations must be adjusted or reoriented so as not to compromise those physiological phases. The topic covers the specific cultivation and management criteria for this group, the appropriate timing of intervention according to each species' flowering cycle, and the shaping strategies that allow a strong aesthetic design to be built without sacrificing flowering or fruit set. Flowering and fruiting bonsai are also among the most direct expressions of the passing of the seasons.
-
Two long-form video modules — around three hours each — devoted entirely to the aesthetic analysis of Kokufu-Ten trees. The teacher analyzes in depth a selection of reference specimens, identifying and explaining how the aesthetic principles studied throughout the course manifest in each tree: design, proportion, species character, dynamic balance, management of space and the qualities of the nebari and branching. This sustained visual analysis is the most effective way to internalize aesthetic concepts and begin seeing them in one's own trees.
-
Two video modules of between two and three hours devoted to the analysis of kazari compositions. The teacher breaks down real compositions — from the Kokufu-Ten and other benchmark exhibition contexts — explaining in detail the decisions that shape them: the relationship between the main bonsai and the accompanying elements, seasonal reading, the formality of the composition, the visual dialogue between objects and the selection criteria specific to Kazari. The aim is for the student to understand how a high-level kazari composition is built and to begin developing their own with independent judgment.
-
The pot is not a container — it is part of the work. This monograph covers everything needed to choose the right pot for each bonsai: shapes — rectangular, oval, round, hexagonal — glazed and unglazed finishes, colors, textures, proportions, foot and rim details, and the characteristics that define the character and formality of each piece. It also examines the criteria for the formal relationship between tree and pot — shibui — that allow the choice of container to enhance the tree's beauty rather than compete with it. The student learns to read a pot and to decide with well-founded aesthetic judgment.
-
A monograph on the most demanding and visually striking techniques in Japanese tradition: jin, shari, sabamiki, tanuki and other interventions of high technical and aesthetic complexity. Each one is studied in depth: rationale, criteria for application, execution, aftercare and aesthetic reading. These techniques are not decorative devices: they are tools for expressing the passage of time, the tree's struggle with the elements, the memory of the landscape. Applied without judgment they look artificial; applied with rigor, they give a compromised or difficult tree an artistic dimension that no other technique can achieve.
Would you like to start this training path? Each student follows a different path. Training adapts to their level, goals and prior experience, while always maintaining the same standard: understanding bonsai as an artistic and cultural discipline, not merely as a cultivation technique.
ContactTeaching and career
Director and master of the Sagunt-En School, dedicated exclusively and full-time to teaching bonsai and suiseki for more than a decade. Students trained from Spain, Portugal, Italy and practically every country in Central and South America.
Years of bonsai
More than two decades dedicated to the practice and styling of bonsai specimens.
Years of suiseki
A personal collection of more than a hundred pieces, some of exceptional quality.
Years of distance study
First graduate of the Bonsai Academy: personalized, direct study under the guidance of the III Iemoto since 2022.
Shunkaen Diploma
Completion certificate of the international course, calligraphed by the III Iemoto.
Bonsai Works and Suiseki Collection
Bonsai: specimens worked and styled by me, belonging to students and clients. Suiseki: pieces from my personal collection, distinguished by two classical categories of appreciation: Sansui Keijō-seki, landscape stones evoking mountains, waterfalls and coastlines, and Sugata-ishi / Dōbutsu-seki, figure stones suggesting human, divine or animal forms.
The bonsai works shown here are only a sample of the total number of trees worked and styled. The personal suiseki collection, by contrast, is presented almost in its entirety, although a few pieces are missing, especially those of Mame size. There is no predetermined route: each visitor decides how much time and attention to devote to each piece.
Firethorn / Tokiwa-sanzashi (常盤山査子) / Pyracantha coccinea
Mastic tree / Pistacia lentiscus
Itoigawa Chinese juniper / Itoigawa-shinpaku (糸魚川真柏) / Juniperus chinensis 'Itoigawa'
Wild olive / Olea europaea var. sylvestris
Chinese juniper / Shinpaku (真柏) / Juniperus chinensis
Wild olive / Olea europaea var. sylvestris
Wild olive / Olea europaea var. sylvestris
Wild olive / Olea europaea var. sylvestris
Savin juniper / Juniperus sabina
Itoigawa Chinese juniper / Itoigawa-shinpaku (糸魚川真柏) / Juniperus chinensis 'Itoigawa'
Scots pine / Yōroppa-akamatsu (ヨーロッパアカマツ) / Pinus sylvestris
Austrian black pine / Pinus nigra
Scots pine / Yōroppa-akamatsu (ヨーロッパアカマツ) / Pinus sylvestris
Chinese juniper / Shinpaku (真柏) / Juniperus chinensis
Scots pine / Yōroppa-akamatsu (ヨーロッパアカマツ) / Pinus sylvestris
Scots pine / Yōroppa-akamatsu (ヨーロッパアカマツ) / Pinus sylvestris
Chinese juniper / Shinpaku (真柏) / Juniperus chinensis
Japanese black pine / Kuromatsu (黒松) / Pinus thunbergii
Rosemary / Salvia rosmarinus
Scots pine / Yōroppa-akamatsu (ヨーロッパアカマツ) / Pinus sylvestris
Rocky Mountain juniper / Juniperus scopulorum
Japanese cedar / Sugi (杉) / Cryptomeria japonica
Itoigawa Chinese juniper / Itoigawa-shinpaku (糸魚川真柏) / Juniperus chinensis 'Itoigawa'
Itoigawa Chinese juniper / Itoigawa-shinpaku (糸魚川真柏) / Juniperus chinensis 'Itoigawa'
Austrian black pine / Pinus nigra
Rocky Mountain juniper / Juniperus scopulorum
Mastic tree / Pistacia lentiscus
Itoigawa Chinese juniper / Itoigawa-shinpaku (糸魚川真柏) / Juniperus chinensis 'Itoigawa'
Itoigawa Chinese juniper / Itoigawa-shinpaku (糸魚川真柏) / Juniperus chinensis 'Itoigawa'
Itoigawa Chinese juniper / Itoigawa-shinpaku (糸魚川真柏) / Juniperus chinensis 'Itoigawa'
Olive tree / Olea europaea
Cork oak / Quercus suber
Yew / Taxus baccata
Itoigawa Chinese juniper / Itoigawa-shinpaku (糸魚川真柏) / Juniperus chinensis 'Itoigawa'
Scots pine / Yōroppa-akamatsu (ヨーロッパアカマツ) / Pinus sylvestris
Spanish juniper / Juniperus thurifera
Japanese black pine / Kuromatsu (黒松) / Pinus thunbergii
St Lucie cherry / Prunus mahaleb
Scots pine / Yōroppa-akamatsu (ヨーロッパアカマツ) / Pinus sylvestris
Japanese black pine / Kuromatsu (黒松) / Pinus thunbergii
Japanese white pine / Goyōmatsu (五葉松) / Pinus pentaphylla
Holm oak / Quercus ilex
Itoigawa Chinese juniper / Itoigawa-shinpaku (糸魚川真柏) / Juniperus chinensis 'Itoigawa'
Portuguese oak / Quercus faginea
Boxwood / Buxus sempervirens
Scots pine / Yōroppa-akamatsu (ヨーロッパアカマツ) / Pinus sylvestris
Scots pine / Yōroppa-akamatsu (ヨーロッパアカマツ) / Pinus sylvestris
Atlas cedar / Cedrus atlantica
Nearby mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Kinzan-seki (近山石)
Bridge stone / Hashi-ishi (橋石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Single-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Koho-seki (孤峰石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Snow-covered mountain stone / Sekkei-ishi (雪渓石)
Boat-shaped stone / Funagata-ishi (舟形石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Twin-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Soho-seki (双峰石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Bridge stone / Hashi-ishi (橋石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Twin-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Soho-seki (双峰石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Nearby mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Kinzan-seki (近山石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Nearby mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Kinzan-seki (近山石)
Bridge stone / Hashi-ishi (橋石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Nearby mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Kinzan-seki (近山石)
Single-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Koho-seki (孤峰石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Single-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Koho-seki (孤峰石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Nearby mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Kinzan-seki (近山石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Single-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Koho-seki (孤峰石)
Twin-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Soho-seki (双峰石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Nearby mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Kinzan-seki (近山石)
Single-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Koho-seki (孤峰石)
Nearby mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Kinzan-seki (近山石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Nearby mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Kinzan-seki (近山石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Single-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Koho-seki (孤峰石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Twin-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Soho-seki (双峰石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Bridge stone / Hashi-ishi (橋石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Nearby mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Kinzan-seki (近山石)
Single-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Koho-seki (孤峰石)
Snow-covered mountain stone / Sekkei-ishi (雪渓石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Twin-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Soho-seki (双峰石)
Boat-shaped stone / Funagata-ishi (舟形石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Nearby mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Kinzan-seki (近山石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Single-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Koho-seki (孤峰石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Twin-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Soho-seki (双峰石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Bridge stone / Hashi-ishi (橋石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Nearby mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Kinzan-seki (近山石)
Single-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Koho-seki (孤峰石)
Snow-covered mountain stone / Sekkei-ishi (雪渓石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Twin-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Soho-seki (双峰石)
Boat-shaped stone / Funagata-ishi (舟形石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Nearby mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Kinzan-seki (近山石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Twin-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Soho-seki (双峰石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Bridge stone / Hashi-ishi (橋石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Nearby mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Kinzan-seki (近山石)
Single-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Koho-seki (孤峰石)
Snow-covered mountain stone / Sekkei-ishi (雪渓石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Mountain range stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Rempo-seki (連峰石)
Distant mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Toyama-ishi (遠山石)
Twin-peak mountain stone / Yamagata-ishi (山形石) / Soho-seki (双峰石)
Human or divine figure / Sugata-ishi (姿石)
Human or divine figure / Sugata-ishi (姿石)
Human or divine figure / Sugata-ishi (姿石)
Human or divine figure / Sugata-ishi (姿石)
Human or divine figure / Sugata-ishi (姿石)
Human or divine figure / Sugata-ishi (姿石)
Human or divine figure / Sugata-ishi (姿石)
Human or divine figure / Sugata-ishi (姿石)
Human or divine figure / Sugata-ishi (姿石)
Human or divine figure / Sugata-ishi (姿石)
Human or divine figure / Sugata-ishi (姿石)
Animal figure / Dōbutsu-seki (動物石)
Animal figure / Dōbutsu-seki (動物石)
Animal figure / Dōbutsu-seki (動物石)
Kokudō-monseki · 黒洞紋石
Kikka-seki · 菊花石
Chōzu-seki · 蝶図石
Ōka-zu-seki · 桜花図石
Tsuki-ishi · 月石
Tsuki-ishi · 月石
Tsuki-ishi · 月石
Nisshoku-zu-seki · 日食図石
Nichirin-seki · 日輪石
Yūkei-seki · 夕景石
Tentai-zu-seki · 天体図石
Kuzuya-ishi · 屑屋石
Kuzuya-ishi · 屑屋石
Kuzuya-ishi · 屑屋石
Iwaya-ishi · 岩屋石
Mizutamari-ishi · 水溜石
Publications
Articles and contributions published in leading international bonsai and suiseki journals.
- Yuste Blasco, M. (2023). Suiseki and Viewing Stones: A Connection and Return to Mother Nature. BCI: Bonsai & Stone Appreciation, July-September 2023.
- Yuste Blasco, M. (2019). Teaching to see the trees at Sagunt Bonsai School. BCI: Bonsai & Stone Appreciation, April-June 2019.
- Yuste Blasco, M. (2017). Profile: The bonsai passion of Marcial Yuste Blasco. Bonsai Focus EN, September-October 2017.
- Yuste Blasco, M. (2018). La Metamorfosis de un Pino. Esprit Bonsai International, April-May 2018.
- Yuste Blasco, M. (2019). The wild one. Bonsai Focus EN, November-December 2019.
- Yuste Blasco, M. (2020). The wild one. Bonsai Today International, January 2020.
- Yuste Blasco, M. (2021). The wild side. Bonsai Today International, December 2021.
- Domínguez Naranjo, M. Á., and Yuste, M. (2025). 2nd Andalusian Suiseki Congress: April 25, 26, and 27, 2025, Las Gabias, Granada (Spain). BCI: Bonsai & Stone Appreciation, July-September 2025.
- Domínguez Naranjo, M. Á., and Yuste, M. (2025). 2nd Andalusian Suiseki Congress: April 25, 26, and 27, 2025, Las Gabias, Granada (Spain). Suiseki Journal, 2025.
Regularly collaborates with: BCI Bonsai & Stone Appreciation, Bonsai Focus EN, Bonsai Today International, Suiseki Journal, Esprit Bonsai International and European Suiseki Magazine.
Articles published in international bonsai and suiseki journals
Bird watching, the Mediterranean landscape, suiseki, bonsai and Keidō are not separate stages of one life, but different ways of approaching the same reality: the contemplation of nature.
We are born in a breath, and in a breath we return…
Glossary of Terms
A reasoned vocabulary of the Japanese terms used throughout this website, grouped according to the same sections in which they appear.
序 Hero 5 terms
- Keidō 景道
- Japanese art of composing a contemplative landscape using bonsai, suiseki, hanging scrolls and other traditional elements. Its aim is to express harmony between nature, space and the season of the year.
- Katayama-ryū 片山流
- School or lineage founded in 1986 in which Keidō is practised and transmitted. Ryū literally means "school" or "tradition."
- Iemoto 家元
- Master who leads a traditional Japanese school and ensures the transmission of its lineage, teachings and authenticity.
- Shunkaen 春花園
- Bonsai museum in Tokyo and an internationally recognised centre where part of the training described on this website takes place.
- Suiseki 水石
- Japanese art of appreciating naturally formed stones that evoke landscapes, mountains or figures, without artificial alteration.
道 The Path 9 terms
- Kazari 飾り
- Art of arranging bonsai, suiseki, hanging scrolls (kakejiku) and other elements within a display space (tokonoma), according to seasonal and formal principles.
- Gō 号
- Artistic or transmission name bestowed by a master upon a disciple as recognition of their integration into a lineage.
- Natori 名取
- Formal recognition granted by a traditional Japanese school certifying a certain level of training and authorising the use of an artistic name.
- Hanko 判子
- Traditional Japanese personal seal, hand-carved and used to authenticate documents, artworks and certificates.
- Taikanten 大観展
- One of Japan's major annual bonsai exhibitions, alongside the Kokufu-Ten, where distinguished masters and students exhibit their work.
- Makimono 巻物
- Traditional Japanese handscroll; here, the document certifying formal inclusion in a lineage genealogy (keizu).
- Keizu 系図
- Genealogical record tracing the succession of masters and disciples within a traditional artistic lineage.
- Kakejiku 掛軸
- Hanging scroll, usually featuring calligraphy or painting, displayed as part of a composition in the tokonoma.
- Ichiji-hairyō 一字拝領
- Ceremony in which a master grants a disciple one kanji character from the master's own name as a symbol of lineage and continuity.
系 The Lineage 9 terms
- Tokonoma 床の間
- Recess or alcove in traditional Japanese architecture intended to display an artwork of particular importance, such as a bonsai, suiseki or kakejiku.
- Sukiya 数寄屋
- Refined and understated architectural style derived from the Japanese tea ceremony, from which the design of the tokonoma evolved.
- Muromachi Period 室町時代 (1336–1573)
- Historical period during which many traditional Japanese arts that shaped the tokonoma and the aesthetics of Keidō became established.
- Sen no Rikyū 千利休 (1522–1591)
- Master who codified the Japanese tea ceremony and established aesthetic principles that influenced many traditional Japanese arts.
- Wabi-sabi 侘寂
- Japanese aesthetic ideal that finds beauty in simplicity, imperfection and the passage of time.
- Senpai 先輩
- Member of greater experience or seniority within the same school or learning group who serves as a guide for newer members.
- Furoshiki 風呂敷
- Traditional Japanese wrapping cloth used to carry and present objects with elegance and respect, particularly in ceremonial contexts.
- A-Un 阿吽
- Buddhist and Zen concept representing beginning and end as an inseparable unity, symbolising continuity and harmony.
- Shodō 書道
- Japanese art of calligraphy, practised through various writing styles ranging from formal to highly cursive.
想 Philosophy 5 terms
- Bonsaidō / Suisekidō
- The understanding of bonsai and suiseki as ways (dō, 道) of artistic refinement and personal development.
- Shitakusa 下草
- Accent plant accompanying the main bonsai within a kazari composition, providing seasonal context and visual balance.
- Tenpai 添配
- Small accompanying object or figurine used to reinforce the atmosphere or suggest a scene within a display.
- Zen 禅
- School of Buddhism centred on meditation and direct experience, whose aesthetic sensibility inspires Keidō without making it a religious practice.
- Haiku 俳句
- Traditional Japanese short poem centred on the contemplation of nature and the changing seasons.
塾 School 1 term
- Happi 法被
- Traditional short Japanese coat worn during festivals, ceremonies and other cultural occasions.
学 Training 4 terms
- Kokufu-Ten 国風展
- Japan's most prestigious bonsai exhibition and one of the foremost international references in the art of bonsai.
- Nebari 根張り
- Visible surface roots at the base of a bonsai trunk, considered one of the tree's most important aesthetic features.
- Shin-gyō-sō 真行草
- Japanese system of three degrees of formality (formal, semi-formal and informal) applied to disciplines such as calligraphy, the tea ceremony and kazari.
- Kata 型
- Traditional model or pattern of learning based on conscious repetition until its principles become fully internalised.
形 Bonsai Styles 7 terms
- Chokkan 直幹
- Formal upright style: a straight, vertical trunk with branches arranged in a symmetrical, balanced structure.
- Moyogi 模様木
- Informal upright style, with gentle, natural curves in the trunk; one of the most common styles in bonsai.
- Sokan 双幹
- Twin-trunk style, in which two trunks grow from a shared base, representing a primary element and a secondary one.
- Kengai 懸崖
- Cascade style, in which the trunk descends below the base of the pot, evoking a tree growing over a cliff edge.
- Han-kengai 半懸崖
- Semi-cascade style, a variant of Kengai in which the trunk descends without falling below the base of the pot.
- Bunjingi 文人木
- Literati style: a slender, sinuous trunk left largely bare of branches until near the apex, with a painterly, poetic inspiration.
- Fukinagashi 吹き流し
- Windswept style, in which branches and foliage lean toward one side, as if the tree had grown under constant wind.
匠 Training (Master's Programme) 3 terms
- Metsumi / Mekiri / Mekaki / Hagari
- Collection of specialised pruning and pinching techniques for conifers used to control vigour, branching and tree structure.
- Shibui 渋い
- Japanese aesthetic quality characterised by understated beauty, restraint and quiet elegance.
- Jin / Shari / Sabamiki / Tanuki
- Advanced deadwood techniques in bonsai used to express the passage of time and the effects of natural forces on the tree.
師 Teaching 4 terms
- ABE
- Acronym for the Spanish Bonsai Association (Asociación Española de Bonsái), Spain's leading organisation for the promotion and dissemination of bonsai.
- BCI
- Acronym for Bonsai Clubs International, an international organisation dedicated to the promotion and advancement of bonsai.
- WBU
- Acronym for World Bonsai University, an international educational platform specialising in bonsai.
- NBA
- Acronym for the Nippon Bonsai Association, the national Japanese organisation devoted to the preservation and promotion of bonsai.
蔵 Teaching / Collection 12 terms
- Sansui Keijō-seki 山水景情石
- Classical category of suiseki consisting of stones that evoke natural landscapes such as mountains, coastlines, valleys or waterfalls.
- Toyama-ishi 遠山石
- Distant mountain stone: a soft, blurred silhouette evoking a mountain range seen from far away.
- Yamagata-ishi 山形石
- Stone with a mountain-shaped silhouette; the most representative and recognisable form within this category.
- Kinzan-seki 近山石
- Nearby mountain stone, with a sharper, more detailed profile than the Toyama-ishi.
- Rempo-seki 連峰石
- Mountain range stone, depicting a chain of several linked peaks.
- Koho-seki 孤峰石
- Single isolated peak stone.
- Soho-seki 双峰石
- Twin-peak stone.
- Sekkei-ishi 雪渓石
- Stone whose pale veining evokes snow lying across a valley or mountainside.
- Hashi-ishi 橋石
- Stone featuring a natural opening or arch that suggests a bridge.
- Funagata-ishi 舟形石
- Stone whose silhouette resembles a boat.
- Sugata-ishi / Dōbutsu-seki 姿石 / 動物石
- Categories of suiseki whose shapes resemble human figures, deities, animals or other recognisable forms.
- Mame 豆
- Miniature size category applied to both bonsai and suiseki.
石 Collection 2 terms
- Mon'yō-seki / Eshō-seki 紋様石 / 絵象石
- Categories of suiseki valued for their natural patterns, veining or pictorial surface markings.
- Keishō-seki 景勝石
- Category of suiseki comprising stones that evoke landscapes or scenes of exceptional scenic beauty.
春 Video / Shunkaen 1 term
- Chashitsu 茶室
- Traditional Japanese tea room designed as a space for the tea ceremony, characterised by simplicity, contemplation and tranquillity.