This is a Kifu (maybe shohin if the Jin gets shortened) itoigawa shimpaku that I purchased from Larry Leone in Texas in 2006. It is a very gnarly twisted plant that I have wired, Mike Hagedorn wired and styled in 08 and Akio Kondo wired and styled this month. This tree has always been a bit difficult because it wants to act like a slant or a semicascade and I really want it to be more of an informal upright. The tree has flowed heavily to the right, but each styling has brought it back more to the center. I would like to eventually show this tree, just to have a twisty juniper out there. Anyway, I know some folks are critical of these twisty little devils, calling them contrived, I however view this as a well done, yet highly stylized tree, where the foliage is finally starting to catch up with the trunk.
Any comments or ideas?
John
(Pictures are front, right, back, left, views. Thanks Boon for the nice pictures!).