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INTRODUCTION

What is bonsai?

Bonsai, literally translated, means tree-in-a-pot. This, however, is a broad definition which needs qualification. Perhaps it would be easier to explain what bonsai is not. A bonsai is neither a dwarf variety, nor is it a tree miniaturized by means of magic. Keeping the roots confined in a pot assists with mobility and allows for a unified composition but that is not what keeps a bonsai small and beautiful, either. The size, shape and attractiveness of a bonsai is entirely dependent upon its owner’s dedication to its daily care and his or her taste and artistic ability.

Nobody knows when the idea first arose that one could shape trees in containers to mimic their full-sized counterparts. There is clear evidence that the Chinese were doing it over 2000 years ago. Paintings of that period depict shallow pots with trees and rocks, which look like landscapes in miniature. However, it was the Japanese who took up, refined and developed the practice.

Much of Japanese culture and art throughout history has come under the influence of the Chinese. The Japanese script even uses the same characters for the word bonsai as does the Chinese. But within the past few centuries the two cultures have moved further and further apart. In China, most bonsai, (pronounced ‘punsai’) or penjing include elements of landscape.

In full bloom, a beautiful bonsai azalea in the Shakan or Slanting Style. Azaleas are calcifuges so they will only thrive in a lime-free soil.

In this old Japanese painting, well-dressed ladies are depicted in an elegant garden setting. On the left of the garden room is a table on which a few bonsai trees are on display in porcelain pots. The bonsai echo the full-size tree in bloom outside, at the edge of the tranquil lake.

Bonsai trees are sometimes displayed in creative ways to mimic trees in their natural environment. This Japanese White Pine (Pinus parviflora), seemingly growing on a hill, is actually a 100-year-old miniature specimen.

The trees themselves may appear to imitate animals and those with bizarre, unnatural-looking shapes and exposed roots are often the most highly prized.

The Japanese have simplified the bonsai image, distilling it to its basic elements. They have refined both the artistic and horticultural aspects of bonsai culture to such an extent that they have set almost impossibly high standards for the rest of the world to follow. Certain classic styles have been defined, based on the attitudes of the trunks. The ideal positions of branches, the proportions of the trees, the shape of the trunks and the relationship between the plant and its container, have all been perfected by them.

The first major exhibitions of bonsai trees were held in Japan in the early 1900s. This was a turning point. For the first time, members of the public and wealthy patrons of the arts came together to acknowledge the artistic value of the bonsai and the number of professional growers increased dramatically. Then, in the 1920s, a devastating earthquake destroyed a large proportion of the main bonsai growing area on the island of Hokkaido. Vast numbers of trees were lost and many of the country’s most accomplished practitioners perished. With the determination typical of the Japanese, a handful of hardy survivors founded a bonsai village in Omiya, on the outskirts of Tokyo, where they began once more to cultivate the attractive miniature trees.

Omiya has been almost absorbed by the urban sprawl of Tokyo’s suburbs. But some of the original nurseries are still there, many owned by descendants of the founding masters. Other countries in the Far East also have centuries-old traditions of bonsai culture. Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan and Indonesia, among others, have very fine growers and have developed recognizable national styles. The stylistic distinctions between peoples are, as often as not, the result of differences in climate. Each climatic zone has its own species of trees available for local artists to work with. The different growth patterns, individual responses to training techniques and, of course, the natural forms unique to each species, are all factors which influence the final image a grower is able to produce.

Other factors also influence the emergence of national or regional styles, such as religion, heritage in terms of art, economics and social structures. It’s interesting to note that in countries where the standard of living is generally high, the bonsai are larger, more lush and more refined. In those where the population at large spends most of its waking hours at work, the bonsai are more modest.

Bonsai is not a hobby only for the rich and leisured, but it does involve some expense and demands considerable time and commitment if one is to be successful.

Bonsai is not a static art. In spite of the quite rigorous criteria of the classical practice, there is much creative potential on offer to the imaginative artist with a green thumb. Several new classical styles have become accepted as the old ways slowly give way to change and the development of modern techniques will enable growers to do things which were previously impossible. One thing, however, will endure, and that is the feeling of joy that arises from contemplating the living work of art that is a bonsai masterpiece.

This hardy European Hornbeam (Carpinus betalus) takes on a magic all of its own when the first snow has fallen in winter.

The hobby today

The practice of growing and shaping trees in containers was carried out in Europe in the 18th century, but there is no evidence to suggest that this was done for decorative purposes. It was more likely to have had a practical origin, in that favourite fruit trees could be more easily transported from house to house by itinerant merchants. Bonsai from Japan and China first appeared in Europe at an exhibition in Paris, towards the end of the 19th century. The little trees turned up in London soon after that and history records that auctions of specially imported bonsai had been held there prior to World War I. Those plants were not long-lived because no one knew how to care for them properly and the hobby failed to capture the imagination of the public.

Merchants and diplomats returning from the East would occasionally bring trees home. In the USA there are still some Hinoki Cypresses (Chamaecyparis obtusa) that formed part of a venerable collection brought back by Larz Anderson, a former American ambassador to Japan. Among these ancient bonsai are some with a recorded history dating back to the early 1800s, and they are still going strong.

It was not until after the end of World War II that the art of bonsai began to achieve popular recognition worldwide. The servicemen returned home with memories, and sometimes, examples of these fascinating little trees. Gradually, people began to learn more about them, how to keep them in good condition, how to shape and train them and, best of all, how to create them from scratch.

In the USA, the expatriate Japanese population of California was instrumental in spreading the word. One of them, John Yoshio Naka, achieved such renown both in the USA and in Japan, that he was granted one of the Emperor’s highest awards for his services in sustaining and promoting the respected art of bonsai.

Throughout the West, groups of enthusiasts began to band together and by the 1970s, most countries had their own thriving bonsai clubs. Enterprising nurseries began importing trees from Japan. In those days they were not only much more expensive than they are today but were frequently better as well. Now bonsai are mass-produced for export in such enormous volumes that both price and (unfortunately) quality have declined. Trees of excellence – formerly exported by Japanese owners who were delighted that their work was so admired in the West – are now reserved for the serious domestic collectors. Western enthusiasts who want to own a truly great specimen bonsai tree have either to create it themselves, or purchase one of those produced by local growers.

In the full glory of its typical autumn foliage, the Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) is related to the Virginia creeper.

A well laid-out modern bonsai nursery in Omiya, Japan, where trees are developed and refined before being offered for sale.

Some Western bonsai artists are these days producing work that is much admired in Japan. The repetition and conservatism that characterize so much part of Japanese culture have led to a vast understanding of trees; how they function and how best to train them. However, these traditional traits have also served to discourage experimentation. Western culture, on the other hand, tends to promote progress: to make your own rules and to do your own thing are actively encouraged. Exciting developments are possible when such freedom is creatively applied to the art of bonsai. One day, perhaps, Japanese bonsai masters may come under the influence of their Western counterparts and begin to expand the artistic frontiers of their own work.

Bonsai is now an established pastime throughout the world. Mass-produced, so-called bonsai are sold in super-markets and florists wherever you may be. There are clubs and national and international associations which organize popular events and exhibitions that are very well-attended. Specialist nurseries abound where trees, pots, tools, soil, everything the enthusiast could want, can be bought at half the price one would have had to pay 20 years ago.

However low the price of ready-made bonsai may fall to satisfy the market, nothing can rival the satisfaction of growing your own. Whether you start with a seedling or an ancient tree rescued from a lost garden, the intimacy of working with nature to create a thing of great beauty has a profound effect on the soul. Enjoy it to the full.

An expert practitioner conducting a workshop for an enthusiastic group dedicated to the practice of a venerable and ancient art.

Exhibits at the famous Kokufu Ten bonsai exhibition which attracts well over 20,000 visitors to Tokyo each February.