What's the fuss about Itoigawa Juniper?

They seem to go for way more, than the non itoigawa juniper,but why is this so?

The foliage densifies really easily.

Basically if you want dense scale foliage… you go for one of the specific Japanese varieties… kishu or itoigawa.

It’s pretty common to graft young itoigawa on more established trunks, after spending years trying to densify the original foliage.

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It’s a staple species of bonsai. Between the attractiveness of the foliage and the beautiful red color of the bark as well as the deadwood its been the go to species for bonsai for the last 100 years. Shinpaku fever hit Japan about 100 years ago and they proceeded to harvest yamadori shinpaku to the point of near extinction and its just never fell out of fashion. Supply and demand. Plus it’s just a sexy ass tree.

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Thanks guys for the answer. That makes sense.