Nerding out in Japan, autumn of 2025

We celebrated a bit of good news in our household with a spontaneously planned trip to Japan in November. Completely unintended, the trip coincided with the full regalia of fall colors. Particularly notable were the popular Japanese maples of every size and variety with their brilliant reds, yellow, oranges, greens, and rusts. But happy accident, we learned a few things about the art of sculpting full-grown trees - niwaki - and how to protect plants from ice and snow over the winter - yukizuri.

Winter is coming

Although the fall colors were still in full swing, with crowds of adoring leaf-peepers like me filling the famous gardens and parks, there were already serious preparations for the coming winter. Fancifully pruned trees - the tree-sculpting art of niwaki similar to bonsai -  were being trussed with ropes and propped up on long poles.

As newcomers, the preparations seemed extremely odd, as if some hurricane was about to shred the life out of every branch and bush. But, we discovered we were witnessing an age-old garden technique - yukizuri - ensuring that valuable plants would survive undamaged from heavy snowfall. These sudden snow dumps are an example of the sea-effect snowfall prone to occur near the coasts. Although designed to mitigate damage, the ropes and supports were precisely and beautifully installed, a work of art in themselves (see below).

Himeji Castle garden

Kaleidoscope of delicate maple leaves, Himeji Castle grounds

Niwaki, the art of sculpting full grown trees, city of Kanazawa

Japanese tree-sculpting - niwaki

Because the islands of Japan are narrow and mountainous, the arable and habitable spaces are limited. Gardens tend to be quite small and therefore the plants that fill the gardens often are pruned and manipulated to look like they are larger and older. 

Domestic garden

The goal of many gardeners is not to grow a large variety of plants, but rather to grow a limited set of plants to make the small garden seem as large, weathered, and as natural as possible. Niwaki is the term used for these sculpted plants, regardless of their species.

Native Japanese maple, cherry, evergreen pine and cypress trees (sugi) are commonly used for their adaptability to this form of management. Varieties from outside of Japan are seldom used, often because they look out of place - unnatural - mixed with native plants.

The art of niwaki and bonsai are similar. The difference is niwaki plants are grown in a garden bed, whereas bonsai plants are in a pot.

Domestic garden with sculpted trees, niwaki

Careful pruning and support eventually produce the desired shape of a niwaki tree

Even vast trees can be sculpted over time with the right supports and protection.

Japanese tree suspenders - yukizuri

Yuktzuri (also spelled yukitsuri) is a general term for a family of techniques using rope and bamboo poles for the support of valuable trees and shrubs through the winter months of heavy snowfall. A single pole is erected to rise above the top of the central tree trunk. Similar to the concept of a medieval May-pole, ropes are attached from the top of the pole to the tip of each branch to absorb the weight of any snow that might collect and cause the branch to snap.

Rope suspended from a central pole to prevent snow damage, yukizuri

Yukizuri literally means “tree suspenders”, and is used to varying degrees in parts of Japan that receive enough snowfall to pose a risk to vulnerable tree branches. In Japan, snowfall may vary significantly depending on altitude and proximity to large bodies of water (lake-effect, sea-effect, or ocean-effect snowfall).

Bushes as well as trees can be protected from the damage of snow and ice

Although yukizuri may be used to protect trees and shrubs in any part of Japan, the west coast regions of  Kanazawa and Niigata are known to have especially heavy snowfalls every year. In Niigata snowfall can exceed 3.5 meters in a season (approximately 140 inches). A fine example of the use of this technique is in the city of Kanazawa, at the Kenrokuen Garden. There, the gardeners have to support approximately 300 trees each year from the heavy wet snow (sea-effect snow). Other snowy areas in Japan may receive as much snow as Kanazawa, but it is drier and lighter, where yukizuri may be less useful.

Trees and shrubs in municipal parks of Kanazawa are protected through the winter

Small domestic garden protects their sculpted trees from damage

Train station gate, city of Kanazawa (photo courtesy of Tom Wilson)

If you want to nerd out even further...

Yukizuri is a broad term for "snow suspenders", within this technique are subtypes of structures for protection of plants from snowfall and frost damage, depending on the situation. Just a few of these additional examples are listed here:

• Ringo-tsuri - a single bamboo pole is erected to rise above the top of the central trunk. Similar to the concept of a May-pole, ropes are attached from the top of the pole to the tip of each branch to absorb the weight of any snow that might collect and cause the branch to snap off

• Yukigakoi - a frame of strong poles surround a tree or shrub

• Mitsumata-shibori - three-pole teepee around a tree or shrub, with rope ties to form a cage

• Ensui-gata - a cone of poles surrounding a tree or shrub

For support of garden shrubs and hedges using poles and ropes::

• Gassho-gata - flat-topped pyramid-shaped frame

• Tanagakoi-gata - A-frame-shaped

• Oshibori - using rope ties to bring together vertical branches of a shrub, in the shape of a cylinder

• Take-ippon-shibori - same technique as oshiborie, but with an added central pole for strength