Professional Bonsai and Suiseki

Professional bonsai and suiseki from Peter Warren. Japanese bonsai educated by well known bonsai master Kunio Kobayashi.

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Who

Saruyama comes from part of a Japanese proverb, "Saruyama no taishou", which roughly translates as the general of monkey mountain, which at the time made me laugh and think about the world around me. I decided there and then that I would name my future garden "Saruyama", literally "monkey mountain", as a reminder to myself to try and not become as close minded as those that I had seen around me. It is with that in mind that I intend to work with the finest Bonsai in Europe and the US and improve the standard of Bonsai education from beginners to the most advanced level, constantly learning and improving myself as I go.

My name is Peter Warren, a shy and retiring type, hence the lack of pictures of me! I grew up in the North Yorkshire countryside, went off to Leicester University where I read Physics with Astrophysics before running away to Japan for what I thought would be a year long stay before settling down for a relatively normal life. Fortunately while I was there I stumbled across Bonsai in an attempt to become cultured. I was instantly taken by the power and beauty that...well, trees in pots could have. I had never seen anything quite so incredible in my life and even now the idea of Bonsai is one which astounds me and continues to drive me forwards. There are so many interesting facets of bonsai; ideas, ways of doing things, aesthetic concepts and philosophical constructs, so many that every time you sit down in front of a tree you can learn something new.

I began to study under Kunio Kobayashi at his garden, Shunkaen, in Tokyo. Initially I was a sudent at his weekly class before I asked him if I could become his full time apprentice, a position I held for over five years before I had to leave. I return regularly to help out and to have te opportunity to learn more.  My time as an apprentice was an incredible learning experience and I was able to steal many techniques, ideas and aesthetic principles and make them my own. Until recently my entire bonsai experience has been in Japan, I entered my masters tutelage as an empty vessel, and during that time I worked hard to ensure that I made the most of a trying experience, not just in terms of bonsai technique but also as a person, learning not only the humility and patience that is necessary in bonsai but also the controlled self expression that will enable me to become an artist in my own right.

Whilst I was in Japan I worked on some of the most famous trees in Bonsai, I became their caretaker and responsible for trees that were not only several hundred years old, but incredibly valuable as well. I had to perform all types of work on these trees, from repotting to wiring and restyling. At times the pressure was intense, deadlines to be met, a non stop succession of aged, valuable trees to work on from morning until night but it was those extreme conditions which created both the beauty of the trees and also forced me along a very steep learning curve. That said it is precisely that severity and extreme conditions which create the deadwood on Junipers or the aged bark on pines, the twisted trunks and the broken branches and the sheer power of life that can be seen in a bonsai tree.

Some of the trees that I worked on were selected for Kokufuten, the national annual exhibition held in Tokyo. Many of you may have visited there and seen the trees which I prepared, displayed and myself admired. Kokufuten is a strange experience when you are responsible for the trees, I took great pleasure and pride in seeing the trees which I had lovingly cared for and helped to create on display along side the best of Japanese bonsai, although they weren't technically my trees, I had given enough of myself in the years previous to have a strong claim on them. It is that experience and knowledge which I want to bring back to Western Bonsai and help to increase the already high level until we have some trees which are easily as good as the best in Japan.

Recently I have been working closely with Bonsai Focus, a forward thinking bonsai mgazine which like myself is looking to push things forward, please keep your eyes peeled for some interesting articles coming out over the next year. I enjoy writing very much and you can read some of my articles here.

My own tastes in Bonsai are varied, although I prefer literati style and trees which show great age and grace particularly flowering plum trees. From a technical point of view I love repotting, working on deciduous trees and carving using hand tools. I have experience of working on many species especially Satsuki Azaleas, Black Pines, Junipers and Maples, and advanced techniques such as grafting, repotting to improve nebari, selective candle cutting and leaf pruning.

Aesthetically I have been trained in a very formal Japanese style, and I am able to create very Japanese looking trees, according to the accepted conventions that many find restrictive. My personal style is a much less formal style, more natural and less sculpted. I prefer to take time with the creation of trees and I will not compromise. The health and safety of the tree is paramount, as is creating a deep sense of natural pathos.

In addition to studying bonsai I was also exposed to many forms of Japanese art including suiseki and keido, the art of display. I have a small collection of suiseki myself and I have access to highest quality suiseki from the top dealers in Japan which are offered here. Althought I do not claim to be an expert or a scholar of suiseki or display, I know what I like and like what I know and I am willing to pass on that information, or objects which I feel other people will gain great appreciation from.

The real beauty and essence of bonsai is brought out when it is displayed in a complimentary way. This does not have to be strictly in a Japanese method but the tokonoma display method is one which suits Japanese bonsai and suiseki very well. During my time at Shunkaen i was responsible for creating many of the tokonoma displays that were open for public viewing at the museum, including the summer suiseki display to the left. It was particularly this aspect of bonsai which struck a chord with me and turned it into an art form, rather than an extreme form of gardening. Despite the difficulty in studying display, I devoted a lot of my time to it and gained knowledge from various dfferent sources. I am now looking forward to creating an English display aesthetic, mixing hte best of both world in which I inhabit and have been influenced by.

It is a difficult line to walk between making money from what is essentially a hobby and maintaining integrity, but without patronage then art dies. It is not my intention to get rich from Bonsai, but to live and continue practicing and teaching what is an expensive but very rewarding art form. I made this website to raise my profile in the west where I am an unknown quantity and to try to make a living doing what I love to do and what I have trained so desperately hard for over the last five years. I hope that in some way I can enrich your appreciation of bonsai and help you to create the trees and the experience that does this wonderful art form justice.