What Sand For Display Of Suiseki In A Suiban ??

Bart Thomas(deceased)

What are the recommended types of sand used for displaying suiseki in a suiban?

Thanks.

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dbz12fan

The sand should be a super fine grain, preferably off white. I have seen black used a few times for a lighter colored stone. I have only seen pure white sand used once and this was to portray a snow storm. Generally, pure white sand is frowned upon.

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Charles Bevan
Vero Beach, Fl

dbz12fan

Bart,
Would this be the stone that you are planning to display http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...item=2247640757 ?

It is a beautiful stone. I do hope you lightened the picture with a photo editing program before bidding . If not, you got lucky and picked out a jewel in the dark. I could never understand why sellers do not brighten their photos before posting them.

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Charles Bevan
Vero Beach, Fl

TreeBay

I have never frowned at white sand, but I am willing to try.



nah, it didn't work.

Regards,

Matt

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Bart Thomas(deceased)

You have to frown upon it

Charles: That's the stone. It's better in person. I have a rectangular suiban for it.

So far the best sand I have found is the fine sand sold for lizard and snake cages.... hisssssssss!!

See ya next week!

bonsaial1

Go to a large hobby or craft store. Ask them if they have the sand used for making the coke bottle thinggys. You know the booth at the fair where you pour the colored sand into the coke bottle in differant colors and then the stuff some feathers in the top and you pay them about 5.00 for this ugly albeit colorful kitchy mess.

but...the sand is the corrrect size and you can find it in a range of colors. BTW, there is absolutely nothing wrong with white sand. I have no idea who made up that rule.

Sand in a suiban with a stone is a very personal matter. Like acccent plants or bonsai tables, backdrops or colors of pots, the whole thing must be arranged to compliment each other. An Island stone would look perfectly happy in a blue suiban with white sand to simulate rough seas. Just let the stone, sand, and suiban tell the story.

Regards, Bonsai-al

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dbz12fan

Al,
On page 113 of The Japanese Art of Stone Appreciation it says this:


Many non-traditionalists will not mind the use of pure white sand. I feel that unless it is used to represent snow, it draws too much attention away from the stone.

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Charles Bevan
Vero Beach, Fl

bonsaial1

Those that repeat crazy notions from the past, are bound to repeat them in the future.

Only a backwards thinking person would allow tradition to stagnate a forewards thinking ideal...

If Walter Pall only cared about tradition, his collection would be crap. Allowing expansion of thought allows creativity to bring forth beauty.

Be wary of everything you read.... Sometimes you have to read between the lines. Why even bring up white sand in a book if it had not been used in times past. Probably was just used wrong. There is a time and place for everything, and white could be usefull in many ways.


BTW, just suppose the stone is very dark green or black. Just what color would be appropriate, and why? Why would white not be? Al

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bonsaial1

This same book also states: (taken from the Japanese Art of Stone Appreciation) Quote;" Most collectors use only off-white or beige sand, as pure whitesand is considered too brite." (snip). A little further on, page 74 it says "These are only crude guidelines, however, and the exact color and texture of the sand will depend on what best compliments the stone. "

Further...page 132 Bonseki-( bon ,tray, seki, stone or stones) is one of the original terms for suiseki. In modern usage the term refers specifically to "a landscape scene created by sifting and arranging white sand onto a black-lacquered tray using spoons, small seives, tiny brooms, thin rectangular boards, cutting dies, chopsticks, and feathers."

"Bonseki artists of the Hosokawa school, one of the oldest bonseki schools in Japan, classify the pure-white sand into nine types according to the size of the grain."

Remember it's not so cut and dried as "white is frowned upon".

Just where you use it! Respectfuly, Al

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