What's a Tanuki or Phoenix Graft?

TreeBay

"Tanuki" is the Japanese word for "badger." In traditional Japanese Folklore, this animal is responsible for playing tricks on people, so when a Tanuki is involved, nothing is quite what it appears.

A tanuki bonsai is a living tree "grafted" to a section of deadwood, usually from another plant entirely. The effect can be impressive, but many people frown on Tanuki bonsai, because they feel that this is a cheat.

Tanuki are also sometimes sometimes called "phoenix grafts" after the mythological Phoenix, which arose from its own ashes.

Here are some Tanuki Links.

A Juniper Tanuki by Colin Lewis:
http://www.btinternet.com/~colinlew...ges/Tanuki.html

Here is a nice article on how to create a phoenix graft
(oops he removed it. You can reach the text at least, in the Internet Archive)
http://web.archive.org/web/20010307...com/oldwood.htm

and a Video CD you can purchase
http://www.goldenarrowbonsai.com/cd_page.htm

Another shimpaku juniper by Vance Hanna with some sketches and photos:
http://www.ameritech.net/users/alvhante3/tunuki4.htm

Driftwood style, Phoenix graft by Paul Weishaar
http://www.indybonsai.org/gallery/p...%20shimpaku.htm

IMHO, the bad name Tanuki bonsai have may be caused when people pay too much for trees that they think are authentic. Here are some Tanuki offered for sale. Would the casual buyer know what they were buying?

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