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Japanese Maple: Kiyo-Hime

Acer palmatum 'Kiyo-hime'
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by John Biel


See John Biel's article on this variety in the "Spotlight On A Tree" section.

In order to appreciate the beautiful colour of this variety, visit these images on the TBS web site (http://torontobonsai.org).
June 1984 - The tree has been transplanted into a dark, almond-coloured, oval Tokoname ware container. The simple design of the pot complements the tree nicely. The bonsai has become dense, and its form is now better defined. 1986 - Early spring foliage. This colour is typical of the cultivar. In the photo the surface roots are clearly visible, and the bonsai has developed many fine branches.
1987 - Late March. Before pruning and repotting. 1987 - Late March. After pruning and repotting. The aging process has started, as can be seen by the change in colour in the lower trunk, from green to brownish-gray.
May 1987 - A studio photograph, in addition to showing the bonsai's shortcomings, also gives a better view of the trunk flare that is developing, as well as the more pronounced surface roots. The pruning cuts have been covered with cut paste for health and cosmetic reasons.
March 1994 - For some reasons, and pardon the poor photography, the Kiyo-hime produced both excellent spring and fall colour. The intensity of the colour is not typical. The white stuff in the photo is March snow, and plenty of it, too. This speaks to the fact that Kiyo-hime wakens early. Fall 1994 - Noticeable in the above photo is the weakening apex - after only 18 years - and how wide the bonsai has become despite my best efforts to prevent it.
Late summer, 1995 - Yes, it is the same tree! In the spring of 1995 I bit the bullet and radically pruned the branches back to stubs. I then planted the tree in an oversized bonsai pot. Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of my attack. The tree responded well, as you can see.
From left to right, the dates are: April '96, early May '96, and late May '96. As can be seen in the left photo, budding has progressed well one season after hard pruning. (The severity of the pruning can be appreciated by comparing these photos with ones taken earlier.) The maple was transplanted using a better quality, but still too large, Tokoname ware container. Its development, partly due to the large container, is self-evident.
Late May 1997 - Shown here after pruning and still in the oversized pot. The trunk taper, movement, branch placement, developing 'twigginess' and surface roots, are easily visible. May 1998 - In the spring of 1998 the bonsai was transplanted into an oval container made by PET (Petra Engelke Tomlinson). Again, it is a pot of simple design. Its colour, which suits the bonsai well, is a mixture of gold and charcoal, in a matte finish. March 2001 - After pruning and repotting, Reiner Goebel did the repotting at a meeting of the Toronto Bonsai Society on March 12, 2001. The bonsai's dimensions - compare them with those given in the following "Kiyo-Hime Maple" article - are: height, 12"; width, 16"; trunk, 2.25"; and flare, 5".