枝の付け根で切る──植木職人が付け根を読む目と、ブランチカラーを残す切り方(Where to Cut: Reading the Branch Base in Japanese Pruning Practice)

Where to Cut: Reading the Branch Base in Japanese Pruning Practice

The pruning cut belongs just outside the swelling at the base of the branch (the branch collar). This article shows, with illustrations, how a Japanese gardener reads that base by eye and by touch, how to find the cutting line, the angle of the cut, and how to work deep inside a crowded branch or on a large limb, checked against municipal pruning documents and Shigo’s research.

This is the third article in our series on the pruning techniques of Japanese gardeners (niwashi, ueki-ya). The mechanics of cut position (how the branch collar works, flush cuts and stub cuts, the three-cut method) are covered in an earlier article on the branch collar. Here we write from the hand’s side: how to find that position in the field and how to make the cut.

Learn the two landmarks at the base of a branch

Japanese gardeners say they remove a branch “from its base.” That does not mean cutting along the surface of the trunk. Two landmarks tell you where the cut belongs.

The first is the branch bark ridge: a thin raised line of bark on the upper side where branch and trunk meet, running down the trunk in a V. The second is the branch collar: the gently swelling ring on the underside of the branch base, where the branch widens toward the trunk. The cut goes just outside these two landmarks.

Shigo wrote that the branch bark ridge is the guide to proper pruning. Place the shears or saw in front of the ridge and cut downward and slightly outward, and the branch comes off without injuring the main stem. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s street-tree documents likewise call for cutting just before the branch collar, leaving it intact, and not damaging the bark ridge. Sources in different countries agree on where the cut goes.

Cut outside both landmarks and the swelling on the trunk side stays, and no stub is left. Whether you use ueki-basami, sentei-basami or a saw, only the tool changes; the position is the same.

Read the base with your eyes and your fingers

The landmarks are not always as clear as in a diagram. Species, branch thickness and bark texture all change how they look. American pruning guidance (Del Hotal) also notes that the collar is evident on many species, but more on some than others.

From our experience in the field, we do not look only from the front. We shift our body a little and look along the branch from the side; the way the bark wrinkles, the change in color and the point where the branch starts to widen toward the trunk are easier to read at an angle.

Once the eye has a guess, we check with the pads of our fingers. From experience, as you slide a finger from the branch toward the trunk, you feel a catch where the swelling begins. Among craftsmen it is said that you look first, then confirm by hand before the blade goes in. It is a habit of touching the tree with bare hands before picking up a tool.

For branches that are still hard to read, there is a rule of thumb attributed to Shigo. First find the branch bark ridge. Next, imagine a line perpendicular to the axis of the branch, outside the base. The cut goes exactly halfway between those two lines. Even on a tree with a vague base, this keeps you between a stub and a flush cut.

Shigo’s booklet says that on both hardwoods and conifers, and on living, dying or dead branches, the branch collar should not be injured or removed. A dead branch is not a license to cut along the trunk.

The angle of the cut: not parallel to the trunk, slightly outward

Even if you know the position, the wrong blade angle will shave away the landmarks. Cutting parallel to the trunk removes the swelling at the base. The basic cut starts in front of the bark ridge and goes downward and slightly outward.

Cut this way, the wound is a small, nearly round section of the branch, with the swelling still around it. A cut made parallel to the trunk takes bark with it and leaves a long, deep oval wound. Compare the two wounds seen from the front and the difference is clear.

The Saitama Prefecture street-tree pruning manual says to cut with a slight slope so that water does not collect on the cut surface. A sloped cut also makes sense because rain does not pool on it.

With shears, the blade orientation decides where the cut falls. Why the broad cutting blade goes on the side that stays is illustrated in our article on ueki-basami and sentei-basami.

Finding the base deep inside a crowded branch

In sukashi (thinning), the base of the branch is nearly always hidden by leaves and twigs. In the depth of a dense evergreen, you may not even see where the branch you want to remove comes from.

From our experience, we part the near twigs gently with the left hand until the base can be seen, and only then put the tip of the ueki-basami in with the right. Cutting by feel, without seeing, ends either in a stub in front of the base or in shaving away too much behind it. We cut only branches whose bases we have confirmed with our own eyes.

Municipal maintenance specifications also define branch removal (eda-nuki) as cutting unnecessary branches in overcrowded areas at their base. The idea behind it is in our article on eda-nuki. Not skimping on the effort of exposing the base is what separates a clean cut from a poor one.

On a large limb, decide the final cut at the base

If a large limb is cut off in one go, its weight tears the bark down below the base. The Tokyo documents also ask that the limb first be cut shorter above the final position to lighten it, and only then cut back at the proper position, because the weight of the limb will otherwise split the bark below the base of the trunk. It is the same idea as the three-cut method in our earlier article.

The final cut at the base, after the limb has been lightened, is the one that needs the most care. Support the short remaining stub lightly with the left hand and set the saw just outside the branch collar with the right. Japanese hand saws generally cut on the pull stroke. Start with little force, place the teeth on the position, and pull lightly to cut a groove. If you feel the position is off, re-set the saw while the groove is still shallow.

A limb that has been prepared this way has no weight left and parts quietly where you aim. The last cut is decided by position, not by force.

The tree finishes the cut: a craftsman reading old pruning scars

A cut at the base is not finished on the day. Over several years the tree rolls wound tissue in from the edges and covers it. Among craftsmen it is said that the true result of a cut shows only after some years. What matters is not that the cut looks clean on the day, but that it is made where the tree can close it.

A gardener who has tended garden trees for many years reads the earlier work from old pruning scars. If the rolled-in tissue forms an even ring, the cut was made just outside the base. If it is long vertically and raised on one side, the cut was too close to the trunk or left a stub. From our experience, a tree’s bark keeps the habits of earlier hands honestly for years.

In Japanese garden making there is an aesthetic of leaving little trace of the work and letting the tree look natural. Cutting just outside the base and waiting for the tree to cover the wound itself runs in the same direction. A tree where, years later, people say “I can’t tell where it was cut” is a tree that was well cared for.

Whether to apply a dressing to the cut is treated differently by different sources. The Tokyo documents call for treatment of pruning cuts. Shigo’s booklet, on the other hand, says not to paint wounds except for cosmetic reasons. We cover this point in detail in our earlier article.

Four checks before you cut

Here are the steps to keep in mind in the field when cutting at the base.

• Find the two landmarks (bark ridge and branch collar) with your eyes and your fingers.
• Expose a hidden base by parting the twigs. Do not cut what you cannot see.
• Set the blade in front of the bark ridge, going downward and slightly outward.
• On a large limb, shorten and lighten it first, then decide the final cut at the base.

Frequently Asked Questions (Q&A)

Q1. Where exactly at the base of a branch should I cut?

A. Leave the swelling on the underside of the branch base (the branch collar) and the raised bark on the upper side (the branch bark ridge), and cut just outside them. Cutting along the trunk shaves away the swelling.

Q2. What if the swelling at the base is hard to see?

A. Picture the line of the bark ridge and a line perpendicular to the axis of the branch, and cut halfway between them. Moving your body to look along the branch, and feeling for the change at the base with your fingertips, makes it easier to judge.

Q3. What angle should the cut be?

A. Start in front of the bark ridge and cut downward and slightly outward. Cutting parallel to the trunk removes the swelling at the base. Give the cut a slight slope so that water does not collect.

Q4. Isn’t it safer to cut a little away from the base?

A. Leaving branch beyond the base creates a stub. The wound cannot roll over, and decay in the remaining piece can advance into the trunk. As a guide, cut just outside the base, leaving neither too much nor cutting too deep.

Q5. Do I leave the collar on dead branches too?

A. Yes. Shigo’s booklet says not to injure the branch collar on living, dying or dead branches. Do not cut along the trunk even for a dead branch.

Sources

– Alex L. Shigo. A Pictorial Primer for Proper Pruning.
– Tom Del Hotal. Natural Target Pruning. California Rare Fruit Growers.
– Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Construction. Street Tree Maintenance Plan (December 2021), section 2; Standard Specifications for Street Tree Maintenance, Greenery Management (April 2013).
– Saitama Prefecture. Street-tree pruning manual, chapter 5.
– City of Yokohama. Common Specifications for Street Tree Maintenance Contracts (January 30, 2026), Article 41.

Masatoshi Nakamura
Jumokui (Tree Doctor), Toshi Landscape Co., Ltd., Tokyo