Bonsai Techniques 1 Verified - John Yoshio Naka

Look at your tree from the front. The trunk line should form a gentle 'C' curve—like a crescent moon. If the trunk is a straight vertical line, Naka would say: "You have a telephone pole. It has no soul."

In a 1979 lecture at the Huntington Library, Naka was asked why he didn't use copper. He replied: "Copper is for masters who wire every day. Aluminum is for the rest of us who want the tree to live. It mimics the cat—flexible but firm." john yoshio naka bonsai techniques 1 verified

Naka once wrote: “The tree is your teacher. The wire is your eraser. Mistakes are your lesson plan.” Look at your tree from the front