On June 16, 2011 an all day scroll-making workshop was conducted at Bonsai in the Bluegrass. It was a very intensive course for the students. The class concluded at 6:30 P.M. instead of the allotted 4:30 P.M. In order to create a scroll for a specific bonsai display it requires a significant amount of thought and dedication. This article will outline the thought process behind the creation and design of three scrolls, with some accompanying pictures, and hopefully give individuals the tools that they can begin to think of designing a scroll that could accompany a bonsai.
The first scroll was the demo scroll that was to be completed for the organizer of Bonsai in the Bluegrass, and was used to help him realize the steps necessary to design a good scroll. The first thing asked of the bonsaiist was what trees he liked to use. His answer was shohin Azalea. The next determining factor for the scroll was to find the season or phrase that would best fit with this bonsai. The phrase Hyakka Haru Itaru 百花春至 was recommended. This phrase means Spring (Haru) Begins (Itaru) with one Hundred Blooms (Hyakka). This felt like a very appropriate phrase to help accentuate an Azalea about to bloom or one in full bloom.
The next thing to think about was size of the scroll compared to the size of the shohin tree. Experience dictates that most bonsai displays in America are limited by the vertical space to hang a scroll. In one style of display, Gadou 雅道, most of the scrolls which accompany the shohin bonsai are long, narrow scrolls with very thin hashira or pillars. Dimensions are usually a foot or less in width, and a length up to 6 feet. This particular scroll was shortened up considerably in order to be more flexible with these height limitations.
In choosing the cloth colors, utilizing a color that would be compatible with spring was important. Also, not knowing the exact colors of the flowers that would bloom, a green cloth with an off white Ivy/Flower pattern in the cloth was used. The pattern was soft enough that it did not feel like it would compete with the azalea bonsai. The Ichimonji selected was an Aka Renga 赤レンガ (brick red) color, because it reminds one of the sky during a majestic springtime sunrise or sunset. In this case not only did the ichimonji border the top and bottom of the artwork, but it was also put around the entire work of art itself, with a narrow strip (1.5 bun) running down the lengthwise edges. For the finishing touches the Bonsai in the Bluegrass organizer chose the Shitan Enshu 紫檀遠州 (Rosewood Lantern shaped) jikusaki 軸先 and the takuboku たくぼく design,
which is white with blue speck for the kakehimo 掛け紐 (Hanging String).
The second writing for a scroll came from a different perspective. Rather than using a seasonal phrase, the bonsai artist wanted to go with a feeling or emotion. The student intended to use this with a forest planting, and they wanted to catch the essence of serenity, calm or peacefulness that should accompany the displayed trees. About 10 phrases from the Zengo Kichigo Jiten that fell under the auspices of serenity were provided. In the end the phrase selected was Tori Naite Yama Sarani Yuu Nari 鳥啼山更幽. The phrase literally means, “The birds cry is all the more deep in the mountain”. This phrase not only references the mountains but that silence is all the more profound when one realizes that there is no nothingness in life, even in silence. A full translation was provided for the student in the class. This student also proactively selected a cloth that could be used for the scroll. Choosing a teal color from a project previously consulted on with a Japanese Sensei, it was possible to obtain a high quality, solid colored silk pictured above on the left. The book is owned by this Sensei and is a specific Japanese color swatch to match cloths with customer requests.
Another student wanted to use a Matsuo Basho poem for the writing, but could not find the specific Haiku he requested in Japanese. So in the end he selected a Summer theme because the bonsai club exhibits primarily show during the summer months. The reading of this is Kaun Kihou Ooshi 夏雲多奇峰. This phrase represents the gathering thunderhead in the summer and is often depicted in a formal display. In fact,
there is a scroll with a sumie representation of this phrase on page 115 of the book 雅道山本流教本 Gadou Yamamoto Ryu Kyouhon. The best point about this students’ scroll was the design with the writing and the cloths selected. For the kireji or cloth he chose a dark maroon/purplish silk with a flower print design and for the ichimonji, he selected a brown cloth with a bamboo design which is a summer themed motif.
One can see that there is a complex thought process involved to design a scroll for a bonsai display. Having a scroll custom made can actually make the display design easier because one can select the cloth colors and phrase around the tree and the pot in the season or emotion already needed, rather than scouring to find a scroll already made that can work to complement the tree or sanyasou with the accompanying pot. If you have questions about having a scroll custom made for your tree, please contact to Jonathan Maples at info@customjapanesecalligraphy.com
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