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The bonsai tool can be considered anything that helps us to shape, design, transport, and otherwise care for our bonsai
-- of whatever plant materials(s) we use -- and their home containers or pots. All of the tools can be placed in the following six categories. 1) SINGLE-BLADED : Knife; Saw; Grafting knife; 2) DOUBLE-BLADED : Leaf trimmers/Defoliating shears/Finger snips (similar to an ancient Roman design), to remove individual leaves; Bud shears; Trimming and thinning shears, to remove or shorten smaller branches or twigs; Shears or secateurs, to remove individual leaves or shorten smaller branches or twigs; Satsuki shears; Scissors, to remove or shorten smaller branches or twigs; Concave cutters (1920s Japan), to remove branches leaving a small indent which could then heal flush with the surface of the larger branch or trunk; Knob cutters, to remove larger stumps or burls, usually in sections rather than all at once; Root cutters; Needle tweezers, to remove conifer needles individually; Angled tweezers with spade; Jin pliers, to remove bark from a living branch to turn it into a deadwood stub; Trunk splitters (resemble small version of some farrier tools, cross-over?) to debark and remove larger sections of a trunk to represent naturally damaged or weathered deadwood; Pruning shears, to remove larger branches; Branch loppers, to remove larger branches. 3) MECHANICAL-SHAPING : Spacers/shims (wood, stone, plastic, cardboard, or other), to slightly separate smaller branches when wire cannot be safely used; Miniature bamboo or stick scaffolding; Lead strips or steel bars (both, late 1700s China) or string or bound rope; Wire, to bending branches and trunks, anodized aluminum (by 1970s from Japan) or annealed copper (early 1900s Japan) or steel (early 1800s China) or zinc-galvanized steel (late 1800s Japan) or brass (early 1800s China); Wire cutters, to remove excesss lengths of end metal after wiring or to clip wire into shorter length when removing wire so that branches are not accidentally broken during unwinding; Pliers, to bend wire or just the ends thereof with more precision than one can do with one's fingers; Guy wires/Tie downs, to fasten a branch by anchoring it to the rim or bottom of a pot; Clamps, to help move a large branch or trunk to a particular angle and hold it in place for a while; Bender lever or jack, to help move a large branch or trunk to a particular angle prior to wiring; Rubber or foam protective strips, to prevent specific sections of bark from being cut into by wires; Raffia/Paper tape or even aquarium airline tubing, to prevent bark from being cut into by wires; Wire gauge card. 4) CARVING : Mini-router (Dremel™, Makita™, etc.), to either rough or smooth a debarked section of branch or trunk to represent naturally damaged or weathered deadwood; Mini-chain saw, to remove or sculpt larger sections of branches or deadwood; Circle jin carving tool; Double-ended carving tool; Carving gouges; Brass brush, to rough up or smooth a debarked section of branch or trunk to represent naturally damaged or weathered deadwood; Lime sulfur/Wood preservative, to dry and strengthen deadwood; Cut paste or foil wrap, to assist in the healing of larger cuts or wounds, while smaller cuts or wounds on non-resinous non-conifers can be covered with a little cut paste or even petroleum jelly. 5) WATERING : Watering can, to enable smaller amounts of water to be conveyed certain distances; Hose, to enable larger amounts of water to be conveyed certain distance; Nozzle, to control and vary spray/stream of water onto plants and pots; Watering wand, to control and extend reach of a water stream, usually with several spray patterns available; Mister spray bottle, to humidify foliage up-close or break up a new soil mix's initial surface tension; Water barrel, to hold extra water for later use. 6) OTHER : Chop stick, bamboo or stainless steel, to work soil particles into air pockets in the soil mix in the container; Soil rake, to smooth or contour surface soil; Root rake, to remove soil from and untangle parts of a small or medium-sized root ball or tease out longer roots; Root hook, to remove soil from and untangle parts of a larger/thicker root ball; Root pick, to remove soil from and untangle parts of a smaller root ball;; Soft toothbrush, to remove dirt, moss, etc. from tree bark; Small broom or brush, to smooth the surface of the soil mix or help clean up a work table; Soil tamper, to remove air pockets from surface soil; Soil scoops, to transfer small amounts of soil mix from its container to the pot; Trowel, to transfer larger amounts of soil mix from its container to the pot; Soil sieves, to remove smaller and/or larger particles than what are needed; Shade cloth, to provide shade to prevent damage from intense sun over a display area or shelves; Hail cloth, to prevent damage from hail over a display area or shelves; Insect cloth, to prevent damage from insects over a display area or shelves; Turntable, to be able to work on a tree from all sides by rotating it in its pot; Apron, to prevent cloths from getting dirty or wet, also to hold at least some tools nearby; Tool belt, to hold at least some tools nearby; Tool box, to hold at least some tools between uses; Tool oil (including WD-40), to keep metal and joints in good working condition; Rust eraser/Sandpaper, to remove early rust or corrosion from metal; Sharpening stone, to renew or increase the cutting edge of a tool; Small oil container and cloth/paper towel, to clean wipe or put a light sheen on exterior of pots, usually pre-show; Drop cloth/newspaper/tarp, to keep soil and trimmings in a restricted area on the ground or floor or table; Broom and dust-pan, to gather up dry or scattered dirt and debris; Burlap bag/large plastic trash bag, to hold a dug-up rootball or be able to dispose of wet or dry refuse; 2 or 4-wheel dolly/wagon/wheel barrel, to move potted trees a certain distance without additional human assistance or injury to one's back and limbs; * And, technically, your car/truck/lorry, etc. would be included here as well. Bonsai tool brands and manufacturers include: American Bonsai (made in USA), Bonsai Aesthetics (China), Joshua Roth (USA), Kaneshin (Japan), Kikuwa (Japan), Koyo (Japan), Masakuni * (Japan), Matsu (Europe), MOSFiATA (USA), Okatsune (Japan), Roshi (USA), Ryuga (China), Suwada (Japan), Tanabe (Japan), Tian (China), Toyama Hamono (Japan), Tsurumaki Hamono (Japan), Vouiu (China), Wazakura (Japan), Yagimitsu (Japan), and Yoshiaki (Japan). See also Bonsai Empire's List of Tools and The Ultimate Guide To Bonsai Tools. |
| This page is a work in progress. Anyone who knows of additional information regarding bonsai tools is asked to please contact rjb@magiminiland.org. Contributor acknowledgment will be posted. Please include as many details as possible. Thank you! |