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 In Plants

The tree in Bunjin style (Bunjinga 文人画literati painting) has got no defined form. It is a freestyle, a symbol of spiritual freedom. It gets inspiration from the Taoist philosophy according to which one must live in perfect harmony with nature thus respecting the season flow and rejecting what is non-essential.

The main features of the Bunjin are essential, light foliage, light branches, the irregular trunk which tends to the sky to show a spiritual elevation.

Sometimes the tree is old, scarred by time to symbolize life as a fight to survive.

Our Ilex aquifolium Argentea Marginata are more than 30 years old. Their bark is signed with marks and scratches. To enlighten these signs of time we painted the bark with a calcium sulphide solution, usually known as “jin liquid”. This solution was used by the bonsai masters in Japan. It allows to make the old wood harder and stiffer thus preventing it from rotting. The calcium solphite fills the scratches and the marks with a nice white colour thus making the tree age even more evident.