AusBonsai

I have had an old Japanese pot in my shed for many years and I have never used it. It was used by the previous owner but has been gathering dust since I acquired it. This year I thought it would be nice to give it some air and put this trident maple in it. The tree probably isn't good enough to warrant the pot but I did it anyway.
Firstly a couple of photos of the pot.

I know its a real Japanese pot because it still has the "Made in Japan" stickers on it.

And here is the tree. Still plenty of work to do.

I like that Watto! Dancing in its new shoes.


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Looks good to me nice tree and pot combo. Not sure why you think the tree isn’t good enough? I’d be pleased with both on my bench.
Cheers
Kirky

Very nice specimen and pot combination Watto. I think it's a Tokoname Yohen pot.

Thank you Hal, I have a link to Japanese pots but I couldn't find it. I will have another look, thanks for the assistance.

Straight akadama Watto?

Yep, I think this one is 3 to 6 mm. This year I also deliberately planted a few of my deciduous trees slightly higher in the pot. I'll see how things go.

Was just going to comment that this one looks very high in the pot.

One of the visiting Japanese masters told us that is not good practice but unsure if that is for visual or plant health reasons.

With any aspect of bonsai there are a number of ways and just as many theory's. I have always potted my bonsai in what I would describe as the Japanese method and for a lot of bonsai this is fine. The reason I am trialing the higher in the pot method is aesthetics related. With a flat nabari lower in the pot gives that calm feeling of tranquility, but with a "up and in" root base a planting with a more assertive look is being trailed. This is not my idea but one I pinched from some European professionals and I wanted to see if the growth rate is still OK and how it looks after it has settled in.
If its a success and I like it I'll report back but if its unsuccessful I will revert back to the old ways.

you're quite right Watto that a lot of us, myself included, initial reaction is 'that's potted too high' simply because that's what we've been programmed to think looks right by thousands of photos of bonsai. I for one am happy people are experimenting intentionally for a slightly different aesthetic. My only concern would be longterm, say 10-20years time, are you encouraging a concave/sigmoidal shaped nebari as opposed to the difinitely more beautiful and natural concave shape

The problem with bonsai experiments is they take so long. 1 or 2 years down the track and you find its no good, there is those years wasted. It is successful it still takes years to take the next tree to that level.

The problem with bonsai experiments is they take so long. 1 or 2 years down the track and you find its no good, there is those years wasted. It is successful it still takes years to take the next tree to that level.

Could not agree more Watto. I was frequently frustrated while learning about bonsai. No internet back then and no mentors in the areas I lived, only the sunset book of bonsai for guidance. Many wrong paths, changes of direction and wasted years back then but I did learn to experiment and try new things.
I'd encourage every bonsai grower to try new techniques and innovative ideas. That's what keeps bonsai moving forward.

Here's some examples of nebari's that have turned convex.

The first is a very old maple in Bill Valavanis' collection, formerly owned by shohin king count matsudaira. The odd nebari is rightly accepted with this tree as it has spent decades in a tight pot. Second example is Stewartia, again, it is accepted because Stewartia are known to grow this way, I have seen much more pronounced examples on Stewartia but couldn't find any pictures easily. It is not a deal breaker if a maple develops this nebari shape, but for me, it is no where near as beautiful or elegant as a concave nebari