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The Magician: The Bonsai Art of Kimura 2 (Bonsai Today Masters Series) Hardcover – January 1, 2008

by Masahiko Kimura (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 6 ratings
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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 world’s 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 Kimura’s genius or his pioneering position in the bonsai world. 8” x 11 1/2” 178 pages
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  1. Print length
    162 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Stone Lantern
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2008
  5. ISBN-10
    0976755041
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0976755043
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Stone Lantern (January 1, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 162 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0976755041
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0976755043
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.6 pounds
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 6 ratings

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
6 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Leonardo G. Carvalho
5.0 out of 5 stars The Magician's Masterpieces
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2011
Verified Purchase
Fantastic book. It's a compilation of Bonsai Today articles about world's top bonsai artist, Masahiko Kimura, including several outstanding works of the Master, in excelent quality pictures. Very educational. Kimura takes bonsai into a level that "sets the standards by which much of the bonsai in the world is measured".

Even better than the first Kimura's book, containing some trees of the first book in an older, beautiful and tecnically perfect state, this book is a must for every bonsai lover. One should use this book as a source of precious information on advanced bonsai techniques for a lifetime.
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Dryfus Petty
3.0 out of 5 stars Kimura's genius.
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2008
Verified Purchase
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.
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maple
5.0 out of 5 stars Maple
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2012
Verified Purchase
El trabajo de Kimura siempre es muy atractivo, el libro esta realizado con esmero y si muestra gran parte de los diseños del bonsaista y los aspectos que el toma en cuenta para diseñar un bonsai.
Felicitaciones al autor
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Walter W. Matera
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2014
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I am in awe of this man's work.
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Dr. Roman
5.0 out of 5 stars Kimura
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2014
Kimura's second book is almost as good as his first, in my opinion. Great pictures, lots of commentary. He is the Master for a reason.
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Top reviews from other countries

Patrick May
4.0 out of 5 stars I found the books excellent. The style of this book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2014
Verified Purchase
I have purchased the Bonsai Masters Series books on Pines and Junipers. I found the books excellent.

The style of this book, with excerpts from the magazines, was less than I expected. It was well planned with a variety of different projects taken on by the 'master'. His expertise, imagination and ingenuity shone through.

What disappointed me the most was the lack of any real explanation on how the processes were carried out. On the contrary, the commentary supporting each magazine article of made reference to the fact that such detail was missing from the original and that no attempt to explain was going to be made.

While I will remain in awe of the Bonsai work contained in the book I was hoping for more information in order to refine my own techniques.
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