In considering the general appearance of the bonsai and before applying the techniques it is good to keep in mind and know some principles and information aimed at modifying the appearance of branches, roots and trunks with appropriate methods, which are also very ancient. To obtain a beautiful appearance of these works of gardening art, it is necessary, as is the case for normal plants, to practice topping, pruning and anything else that can contribute to making the bonsai unique in its kind. To carry out the construction, development and maintenance work of the bonsai technique, some tools are needed that are used not only for a simple practical method, but each one made and studied for a specific function. Most of the tools needed to practice bonsai techniques correspond to normal gardening equipment and are therefore readily available in specialized shops. However, there are some particular tools commonly used in Japan, but difficult to find (or very expensive) in the West. Fortunately, they are not fundamental tools with the only exception of the special shears capable of cutting the branches from the trunk, leaving a concave wound on it. If possible, it is advisable to always keep them all together on the work table in order to always have them at hand during the processing of the bonsai. To start with the processing of bonsai, we therefore need important tools.

A workshop for the processing of Japanese-style bonsai consists of many small tools that are as useful as they are fundamental. First of all you need a revolving table which will be used when you have to subject the bonsai to some particular operation. In fact, it will be possible to observe it from all sides with ease and without causing the plant to undergo too many movements. The original Japanese turn tables are equipped with a brake that locks them in the desired position. The most important elements, however, are the scissors and you will need several and various sizes. These are used to cut, trim the foliage, eliminate useless or diseased branches with pruning. It will also be good to have some of the Chinese type with long handle available. The latter type allows you to reach the critical points between the branches and the foliage with a firmer hand. The scissors are also pliers-shaped which are used to cut branches and stems of a certain consistency, such as concave cut. This is a brilliant Japanese tool that allows you to create a concavity in the point of the trunk from which a branch comes off and during this same operation that will welcome a new bark in its growth, preventing it from exceeding the surface of the trunk and creating an unsightly bump scar. The workshop is completed with the use of typical Chinese sticks that are used from the thin part to gently push the soil between the roots during the potting operation.

There are three basic scissors for bonsai processing and each has a different shape and function, studied in detail, allowing you to carry out operations without using special shears or saws to remove or cut thick and resistant shrubs. The first scissors we analyze is the one for cutting the roots. This has a very small cutting part but on the other hand the handle is very large and the handle allows you to insert between the rings more than one finger if, not even four fingers, allowing you to practice a minimum effort to cut roots that are sometimes very hard with steel wires. In other words, it is a so-called advantageous type of leverage. The second type of scissors for bonsai is used to cut the shoots especially when they are attached to each other and thanks to the thin tips they allow us to be able to cut them one by one, without affecting the adjacent ones, perhaps not to be cut. The third and last type of scissors used in bonsai processing is used to eliminate small twigs. Its shape obviously the same but compared to the previous ones it is very elongated both as a handle and as a cutting part. With this tool, the twigs to be eliminated, especially those in depth, can in fact be cut with an operation at the limits of surgical precision.

The substantial difference between the art of creating and caring for bonsai, between Chinese and Japanese culture consists precisely in the cutting methods used by the two ethnic groups. While in fact the Japanese have handed down the art of bonsai and their precious cutting tools over the centuries, the Chinese, a people more reluctant to traditions, have continually changed the type of scissors for bonsai both for laziness and for convenience. In fact, the three scissors have been replaced by two other types, always with the sharp cutting part to reach the roots and the shoots, but with the difference that the cut is no longer smooth but toothed. According to recent interpretations, blanking with this new type of scissors allows a less clean cut but on the other hand wanted because, the brittle edges obtained from the cut, closing form a sort of plug in correspondence with the cut, thus eliminating the risk of seeing the live part branch, blacken because it became soaked. Ultimately we can say that the art of bonsai to be practiced and applied according to the original systems must be equipped with these precious and small cutting tools.