Herb, thanks for the penjing photos. I've been by this temple, but I didn't know it was open to the public. Richmond is a great place to get any sort of Asian food!

Herb -- The penjing are lovely, but in the second photo.. it appears that the base of the light-box (ukebachi) on the lantern is upside-down ... unless it is a deliberate attempt to make the kasuga appear more Chinese?

or - someone screwed-up! :)

Jack

Jack - I hadn't noticed the light box base, but yes it is inverted, compared to what we're used to. It's very curious.

I tried looking up Kasuga on the Internet & found several that had light box bases that looked symmetrical, as though it didn't matter which way up they were, but this one clearly isn't that sort.

Then I examined several other pictures that I'd taken in the temple garden, and there are more, very similar lanterns, each with the light box base positioned like that.

And here's another a pair of lanterns, also in the Richmond Buddhist Temple grounds that look just the same. The picture is in jalanjingga's album at Webshots.

I can't account for them being like that, but on the other hand I don't feel that thay actually look wrong. The upward curve of the roof and the downward curve of the lightbox base give me the impression that the light box is positioned between two convex shapes, and in that way there seems to be a sort of symmetry.

{{gwi:1010232}}

I dunno Herb -- To me it's like staring at inverted nipples.. or.. listening to a painful rendition of "I only have ICE for you" by the local Swedish piano player.. or even to continue Gardener's Asian food theme: eating a samosa with apple sauce lol

Perhaps the inversion was a genuine faux pas, and not any attempt to deliberately alter it's appearance.. which would take a lot more..

I scanned a photo which I took in 86 of the lantern in the Chinese garden at Darling harbour.. see what you think..

Incidentally, I get a FORBIDDEN message when I click on your last link ..

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1010234}}

-try again

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1010236}}

Jack,

That's an interesting lantern - the pillar is so ornate and so massive compared to the rest of the lantern. I don't know anything about Chinese lantern styles, but I'm quite willing to believe that it's essentially Chinese.

Strange that the link didn't work for you. Try typing jalanjingga into your Google search box & that should take you to his Webshots page & when you get there, click on Richmond Buddhist Temple - his picture is numbered x07 in the album.

Or maybe just pasting this link into your browser will work -
http://community.webshots.com/photo/169275872/169276436yEuQWR

Herb

Herb --Yes, that is an authentic Chinese lantern - part of the gift from the Chinese govt. They tend to be very ornate and covered in high-relief carving .. and the proportions seem closer to stupas - they lack the elegance of the Japanese lanterns imo

The google search worked..(but the direct links don't - strange).. yes they all seem to be inverted .. perhaps it's just a cultural preference

Jack

"I thought of these, at first, as Bonsai, but ... - I believe Penjing may be more accurate."
Herb, great pictures! However, I think both Bonsai (to plant in basin) and Penjing (to landscape in basin) are Chinese words. The two different words (even in Chinese) are used to descripe exactly the same things which you shared with us in those fantastic pictures. The only difference I can tell is that the word of Penjing is more popularly used in mainland China today (maybe that is what you really mean because the garden is more "Chinese style"?); The word of Bonsai was either translated directly from Chinese in ealier time (than Penjing) or translated from Japanese that originally from Chinese.

The close relationship between the words that Maples is referring to may perhaps be better illustrated here on phoenixbonsai's timline as prepared by Baran
-take a look at the 1500 columns, penzai - bonseki, with the recollection that the karesansui garden originated through the bonseki history and parentage.
http://www.phoenixbonsai.com/bigpicture/timeline.html

for garden information, the origins of cultivation, interrelationships between geography and countries becomes very apparent, if anyone remembers the historical introductions that we were discussing last year.
This also provides a small insight into global plant redistribution.
enjoy,
edzard

Here is a link that might be useful: bonsai timeline

Also regarding the maple in full sun -- you'll find that bonsai soil is an extremely porous mix which (paradoxically) allows moisture to be retained for a longer period.. because of the larger interstices (pores) between soil aggregate .. which are optimized for better aeration and drainage (by sieving out the 'fines' which would otherwise clog these 'channels')

This open soil-mix allows an even saturation of the entire soil volume with each watering, coupled with the fact that bonsai/penjing are watered on an 'as required' basis.. which can mean 2- 5 times a day, depending on climate and season

Jack