What is Bonsai?
Bonsai (盆栽) are trees that are stunted in shallow pots with the aim of creating a miniature of the original form of a large tree in nature. Planting (sai, 栽) is done in shallow pots (bon, 盆). The beauty of bonsai is seen from the shape of the trunk, branches, twigs, leaves and roots of the tree, or the whole shape of the tree.
This art includes various techniques of cutting and pruning, wiring (forming stems, branches and ratings by wrapping wires or bending them with special techniques), as well as making roots spread over the surface of the ground.
Making bonsai takes a long time and involves a variety of jobs, including applying fertilizer, pruning, forming, watering, and replacing pots and soil.
There is no bonsai that can be said to be finished or finished, because bonsai is a living thing. Changes that occur continuously in trees according to the season or natural conditions are one of the attractions of bonsai.
History of Bonsai
Bonsai comes from the art of miniaturizing a tree called Penjing (盆景) from the Tang Dynasty period. In the tomb of Empress Wu Zetian’s son there is a fresco depicting a maidservant carrying a flowering tree in a shallow pot. This small shallow pot is a miniaturization of the natural landscape.
The nobility in Japan began to recognize Penjing around the end of the Heian period. The kanji for Penjing (盆景) is pronounced in Japanese as bonkei. As in China, bonkei in Japan is also a miniaturization of natural scenery. An art enjoyed only by the upper class, especially court officials and samurai, and it was only called bonsai in the Edo period.
Basic Shapes of Bonsai
Formal Upright (直幹, Chokkan)
The tree trunk goes straight up. A tree is said to have an ideal trunk if the tree has a trunk diameter that gets smaller and smaller, starting from the part of the trunk that is close to the root. A tree is said to have an ideal branch if the branches are on the front-back or left-right sides crossing each other. The distance between the branches getting up and narrower. The ideal root shape is a root that, when viewed from above, spreads in all directions.
Informal Upright (模様木, Moyogi)
The upright tree trunk meanders left and right. The stem diameter is getting smaller and smaller with a good left and right balance. A good branch is a branch that is at the top of the arch of the tree trunk. The branches that are on the inside of the arch are cut. From the base of the trunk to the top of the tree one can draw a straight line, and one who sees is not worried about the balance of the tree.
Slanting (斜幹, Shakan)
The tree trunk tilts to one side as if the wind is blowing in that direction. As if something were blocking it on one side, the tree trunk grew leaning towards the other side. The characteristic feature of this form is that there are branches that are only at the top of the trunk arch, and alternate on the left-right side and front-back.
Windswept (吹流し, Fukiganashi)
Compared to the Slanting form of bonsai, Windswept has a tree shape that grows with more violent coercion. Tree trunks and branches only lean in one direction. Trunks, branches, and tree branches that lean to one side are much longer than the height of the tree, measured from the base of the trunk to the top of the tree. The position of the trunk and branches is similar to that of a Half Hanging style bonsai, but the stems and branches appear to form parallel lines.
Cascade (懸崖, Kengai)
Trees are likened to growing on the surface of a steep wall on a seaside cliff or a steep valley wall. Tree trunks grow like hanging down a cliff. The top of the tree hangs far beyond the bottom of the pot. If the top of the tree does not exceed the bottom of the pot, the bonsai is called Half Hanging (Han Kengai).
Crinkle Stem (蟠幹, Bankan)
Tree trunks look very twisted. The tree trunk looks so neat like a dragon in mythology.
Broom (箒立ち, Hōkidachi)
The trunk is perpendicular to the middle before the branches and twigs grow to spread in all directions. The top of the tree is difficult to determine from the tops of the existing branches, so the shape of this bonsai is similar to a broom being turned upside down. The beauty of this style of bonsai is judged by the neat branching of the branches, and the point at which the branches and twigs spread in all directions, the height of the tree, and the balance of these elements.
Exposed Roots (根上り, Neagari)
As a result of the tree being kept in an abusive maintenance environment, the roots that branch off underground become exposed above the ground.
Root-over-rock (石上樹, Sekijoju)
This style in which the roots of the tree are wrapped around a rock, entering the soil at the base of the rock.
Multi-trunk (多幹, Takan)
From a single root base grow many upright stems. When two trees grow, the bonsai is called Two-Trunked (Sōkan). If there are three trees, they are called Three-Trunk (Sankan). Bonsai with five or more trunks are called Upright Stumps (Kabudachi). An odd number of bars is preferred. Apart from two-stemmed bonsai, bonsai with an even number of stems are not liked and are not made.
Intertwined Roots (根連なり, Netsuranari)
The roots of a number of tree trunks of one species (three or more trees) are attached and connected to each other. This shape can also come from tree trunks that were upright, but collapsed and were buried in the ground. The part that used to be a tree branch changes roles and grows as a tree trunk. From the trunk of the tree roots emerge, and these roots are intertwined with the roots of the original tree. Forms similar to Intertwined Roots are called Rafts (Ikadabuki). A raft-shaped bonsai also comes from a tree that was upright but collapsed and the branches changed the role of a trunk. The difference with Intertwined Roots lies in the roots that only exist in one place. As with the Multiple-Trunked bonsai, even-stemmed trees are frowned upon.
Grouping (寄せ植え, Yoseue)
More than three trees are planted together in a shallow pot or planted on a rock. Trees planted can be several trees of one species, or a mixture of several different species. The creative value of the work can be increased by a combination of decorative objects that are placed as an addition.
Literary (文人木, Bunjinki)
This form of bonsai originates from imitating the shape of a tree in a dragon. Named the form of the Literary Tree bonsai because the writers of the Meiji era really liked this form of bonsai. Nowadays, the slender trunk with few and short branches is also called the Literary Tree.
Shari (舎利幹, Sharimiki)
This style involving the portrayal of a tree in its struggle to live while a significant part of its trunk is bare of bark.
Unusual Bonsai (代わり木, Kawariki)
This form is used to refer to bonsai that cannot be classified into common forms of bonsai.
Bonsai Size
Bonsai are grouped into six groups based on the height of the tree from the base of the trunk to the top:
Imperial bonsai: height between 152-203 cm
Hachi-uye: height between 102-152 cm
Dai: height between 76-101 cm
Chumono: height between 41-91 cm
Katade-mochi: height between 25-46 cm
Komono: height between 15-25 cm
Shohin: height between 15-20 cm
Mame / Shito: less than 15 cm high
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