''Juniperus chinensis'' 'Shimpaku' (the shimpaku juniper) is a dwarf, irregular vase-shaped form of the Chinese juniper, '' Juniperus chinensis''. Originally native to Japan, they were first collected in the 1850s in Japan. It is a slow-growing evergreen shrub that typically grows to tall and wide over a period of 10 years. Gray-green to dull dark green clusters of soft needles cover them. They are primarily grown and used as decoration, and at one point were a symbol of status in Japan. The Japanese botanical name of the shimpaku juniper is ''miyama-byakushin''. The shimpaku juniper is used as bonsai material and in various gardens, such as

rock gardens A rock garden, also known as a rockery and formerly as a rockwork, is a garden, or more often a part of a garden, with a landscaping framework of rocks, stones, and gravel, with planting appropriate to this setting. Usually these are small A ...

Bonsai

Shimpaku Juniper are one of the most popular species for

bonsai Bonsai ( ja, 盆栽, , tray planting, ) is the Japanese art of growing and training miniature trees in pots, developed from the traditional Chinese art form of ''penjing''. Unlike ''penjing'', which utilizes traditional techniques to produce ...

within the bonsai community. Its attractive foliage and beautiful bark make this one of the top candidates for bonsai. Many wild trees have been collected in Japan, making it extremely rare to find growing wild. In fact, today the Shimpaku junipers growing in the wild in Japan face extinction due to over collecting. Shimpaku was and is very dangerous to collect. Many of the best Shimpaku live only in remote cliff areas. It is said that the first Shimpaku to be collected in the wild came from the

Ishizuchi mountain range The is a limited express train service in Japan operated by JR Shikoku, which runs from to , and . The ''Ishizuchi'' service was introduced on 10 April 1988. Route The main stations served by this service are as follows. - - - - Rollin ...

on Shikoku Island. Collected Shimpakus are known for their deadwood, called jin and shari in the bonsai community. Many bonsai masterpieces are Shimpaku Junipers.

Masahiko Kimura was a Japanese judoka and professional wrestler who is widely considered one of the greatest judoka of all time.Jim Chen, Theodore ChenThe Man Who Defeated Helio Gracie.July 3, 2003. He won the All-Japan Judo Championships three times in a row ...

is known for having many outstanding shimpaku.

Gardening information

:Zone: 3 to 9 :Plant Type: Needled evergreen :Family:

Cupressaceae Cupressaceae is a conifer family, the cypress family, with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27–30 genera (17 monotypic), which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130–140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdio ...

:Height: :Spread: :Sun: Full sun :Water: Medium :Maintenance: Low

Cultivars

:Itoigawa :Kishu

References

External links

Missouri Botanical Gardens

WBFF Shimpaku Article
chinensis Shimpaku Plants used in bonsai {{conifer-stub