Before and after by Koji Hiramatsu. No species is mentioned, but given that Koji lives in Japan and that the tree looks like a Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii), that's probably a good guess. Though I have been fooled by Japanese red pines (Pinus densiflora), another two needle pine
We’ve featured Koji Hiramatsu several times over the last couple years, though mostly his Shohin bonsai (here’s our first and my favorite Koji post), though lately I’m seeing more larger trees and fewer shohin on his fb posts. Either way, big or small, Koji is always worth a visit.
Before. The bones are already there, but there's plenty of work to do. The shears are specially designed to trim pine candles, needles and small branches without crushing the needles
After. The powerful, well-gnarled trunk is fully exposed
Closeup