Shohin display

Setting up the display

Simplicity is a major component of achieving a display with the right expression of harmony and peace. Balance, contrast, and invisible lines are words to remember when setting up a display.

Along with Shohin-bonsai, accessories can be added to extend the expression and aesthetic of the display. It is necessary to be aware of the basic Japanese rules for displaying bonsai, to fully understand how a display is set up and appreciate how it works.

There are pieces of industrial art which would be completely inappropriate in a bonsai display, regardless of their immediate elegance and refinement.

Westerners have tried to use such items from time to time, but they never seem to last long. They simply do not have the feeling of nature, the aesthetic value, or the simplicity and beauty appreciated in bonsai art.

 

A Shohin-bonsai display by Caroline Scott.

Note the balance between the trees and the use of a Suiseki as well as an accent plant,

which is usually placed outside the main stand. Juniperus chinensis, Acer buergerianum, and Ulmus nira.

The elements

Besides balancing the different elements in a Shohin-bonsai display, there are some other aesthetic considerations to be aware of. The bonsai itself tells a story, and suggests a theme that can be expanded by using the right companions to the tree. All together, the bonsai, the way it is set up, and the elements applied will suggest a mood and a certain story to the viewer.

Just as a written poem suggests feelings to the reader, a Shohin-bonsai display is a poem of nature for a viewer to translate, with primary focus on the season.

Elements in a display have to be of natural materials. Industrial materials will affect the picture in a negative way, taking the focus away from nature. The purpose of the elements is to enhance the image, not take the lead. This means that one has to choose the right accessories very carefully, so they harmonically melt together with the rest of the set-up, the trees as the main objects.

The display table

Display tables and stands are available in many varieties. There are stands that can hold different numbers of Shohin, and tables for solitary plants. Stands are designed to hold both odd and equal numbers of trees, up to seven trees, and different sizes of Shohin.

It is totally acceptable to use an equal number of elements in a display; although odd numbers are traditionally used. At the biggest Shohin-bonsai exhibition in Japan, Gafuten, in 2005, second place was taken by a display that contained six trees. Newer display racks are designed for both odd and equal numbers of trees; two or four items are standard for equal numbered stands.

Ulmus nigra

Natural elevation

In a display of more than one level, the elevation of the items should correspond to their natural elevation in the landscape. A Shohin-bonsai is most often placed at the same level in a display as it appears in nature. This can be illustrated by choosing a pine or juniper as top tree on a Shohin-bonsai stand, related to its natural place in the landscape, and then placing any flowering or deciduous trees lower.

More important, though, is that the top tree should show strength and power, and this is best shown by a conifer.

The basic rule for stands of three levels is that the objects are read from the highest point to the lowest, as though descending.

The main stand can be accompanied by a smaller complementary platform.

Normally, stands with two levels follow the same basic rules, but exceptions are always possible.

Suiseki with turtle

Suiseki

Suiseki, or viewing stones, are symbolic in bonsai and are often displayed together. The stones represent mountains or plateaus, maybe a waterfall or steep ocean cliff. The use of stone in display dates back many centuries.

For displays not using multi-tiered stands, Suiseki suggesting celestial feelings are sometimes placed higher than the bonsai. In the same manner, it is more natural to place Suiseki resembling mountains, turtles, or other earthbound images below the top bonsai in a display.

The order of the display must relate to the order of the natural landscape, as well as taking in artistic considerations.

On multi-tiered stands, the top or binary tree must never be replaced by other items. Suiseki must be placed at a lower point when stands are used.

There is a difference between setting up a Tokonoma and a display for exhibition. The Tokonoma allows room for a freer presentation, whereas the exhibition’s overall purpose is presenting the seasons through the beauty and quality of the trees.

Suiseki - Torben Pedersen

One of my very good friends has a crying, or raining, stone, where drops literally run down the stone. This is an extraordinary stone that can be used to bring a certain feeling to a display; it contains the essence of Wabi and Sabi (see the chapter on Wabi Sabi). This could be a calm summer rain, or the rain of autumn, depending on the tree that it is displayed with. It could create thoughts of crying for either joy or sadness.

Display by Duncan Hield (UK)

Pinus parviflora, Acer buergerianum, Acer palmatum

Lower level accessories

Accessories like water bowls and ornaments (i.e. copper deer) are naturally placed lower than the top bonsai; like accent plants that grow naturally below the trees. This achieves a natural and harmonious impression.

The artist has the freedom to place objects however they work best, as long as they are in the right relationship to the trees.

Secondary trees

The secondary trees, which support the top tree and the assistant tree, may be arranged freely.

A white pine, for instance, would clearly be placed above a flowering apricot, because the pine grows in the mountains and the apricot grows at a lower level.

On a Shohin multi-tiered rack, this rule does not have to be followed rigidly when it comes to secondary trees. The secondary trees placed below the top tree may be arranged freely to achieve the best balance, movement and beauty of the display.

Accent plants

Bonsai are often displayed with an accent plant. These accent plants can be grasses or small flowering plants in small containers. (See the section on Shitakusa and Kusamono.)

The purpose of an accent plant is to expand upon the story told by the bonsai. For instance, an elegant grass might suggest that the tree is living in a peaceful field with only a slight breeze in the air.

A piece of fresh green moss placed on a flat stone, or directly on the table, might suggest the sparse freshness of the environment for a tree exhibited in early spring.

Of course, great care has to be taken when pairing the tree and the accent plant, in order to create harmonic play between the two elements.

For a Shohin-display on a multi-tiered stand, accents are commonly placed beside the binary tree, and not on the main stand. This is a basic rule, but it can be broken.

Reading the display

In a Shohin-bonsai display, the number of trees allows for a creative set-up, but the basic principles must still be followed.

Secondary trees (everything but the top tree and the assistant tree) can be arranged freely on the stand, which makes it fun to set up a Shohin-display, because there is so much freedom in arranging the items.

Generally, a display of Shohin follows the basic rules a little less rigidly than other displays. There is a more relaxed attitude when it comes to rules, but still a very tight focus on bringing out the best result.

There are some basics guidelines to be followed when reading a Shohin-bonsai display. Knowing these guidelines helps to understand why the trees and other items are set up like they are.

In a normal bonsai display, the main tree is placed closest to the middle and the back of the exhibition area. The second most important tree is placed farther away, to lead the eye to the main tree.

The Shohin-display differs a little from the bonsai display. The main tree is often placed on a stand with two or three levels, making it impossible to place it closest to the middle of the overall display. Instead, the stand that supports the main tree (the tree is placed at the top shelf), is placed nearer the middle than the assistant tree whenever possible.

The numbers in the graphic show how to read the display:

1. Top tree, the most important tree

2. Assistant or binary tree, complements the top tree

3. Secondary trees, of equal importance and value to the display

4. Accents or accessories