Bonsai, Styles And Classification - 1

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

The art of showing beauty in a miniature plant. Basic bonsai styles

"A tree in a pot" or "growing on a tray" is approximately how this word is translated from the Chinese language. Bonsai is the art of showing beauty in a miniature plant that combines the forces of Nature and the individual skill of man.

To see the great through the small”- this is the basic principle followed for more than a thousand years by oriental bonsai masters. The birthplace of this ancient art is China, but no one knows for sure when the first bonsai was grown. Perhaps he was born thanks to trade caravans from ancient China. The merchants took herbs and essences in pots with them on their journeys and noticed that over a long time the plants, being in unusual conditions for them, became very beautiful and took on unique forms.

However, as an art, bonsai received its maximum development in Japan.

Over time, Japanese masters perfected the technique of transforming a plant into a small "living sculpture" to such an extent that they were able to grow miniature trees - real works of art.

In Europe, the first bonsai appeared in the second half of the 19th century, they were brought to France, at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1889, where they were perceived with surprise and delight as a real miracle of nature.

But only in the 50s of the XX century, bonsai began to gain recognition, fans and craftsmen all over the world, trying to reveal the secrets of bonsai and wanting to grow miniature plants.

Basic bonsai styles

When creating bonsai, it is customary to adhere to one of the traditional styles:

"Formal straight" style (chokkan) - In this traditional style, the trunk remains straight, thickening at the root. The lower third of the trunk is free of branches, the branches decrease towards the top (see photo 1) - the author of this work is Zhi Zhong Quan.

Informal straight style (moyogi) - the branches or trunk may be slightly curved. The top of the trunk is always in a straight line extending perpendicular to the ground at the point where the root begins (see photo 2) - by Foschi Ottavio.

Italic Style» (shakan) - this style - a symbol of variability, tree growth is at an angle to the ground.

"Literary" (bunjingi) - characterized by a straight tree trunk with one bend and with a minimum of branches at the top (see photo 3) - by Sallusti Enrico.

"Double barrel" (shakan) - is a composition that differs from the rest by the presence of two barrels. They can be different in size and form one crown (see photo 4).

"Tree with a stone" is one of the most interesting styles of bonsai, which is shaped like a tree (often a fig) growing on a stone. Two directions are distinguished here:

The first is Ishitsuki. The style is characterized by the fact that the tree is planted in a crevice of stone, its roots are hidden inside (see photo 5).

The second direction - Sekijoju - the trunk of the tree is right on the stone, and the roots fancifully twine it (see photo 6) - the author of the composition is Rizzi Rosario.

The “tree bent by the wind” (Fukinagashi) is a great visual example of it, only in natural growth) can be seen on the seashore. It seems that the tree is constantly blown by a strong wind.

"Cascade" (kengai) - imitates the growth of trees near water or on a steep cliff. In a complete cascade, the top of the tree grows beyond the border of the pot and sinks significantly below it (see photo 7) - by Buccini Fabrizio (flowering rosemary).

“Half-cascade” (han'kengai) - the plant has a trunk that grows upwards and then tilts to the side, sometimes to the base of the container (see photo 8). "Grove" (yamayori). Several trees of different heights (usually more than 9) grow side by side, giving the composition a natural grove look (see photo 9) - by Fini Fabrizio.

“Group of several trunks” (iose - ue) is a very effective style. The group is formed from adjacent independent trunks of different sizes, using plants of the same species: various conifers or deciduous trees (see photo 10).

"Lightning struck " (sharimiki) - in this bonsai, the trunk is devoid of bark, like a dead tree. In nature, you can see a tree that has been hit by lightning, and part of it is burned, while the other remains alive. This style is quite complicated, you need to artificially kill a part of the tree so that it looks beautiful and does not lead to the death of the entire plant.

"Wave of Feelings" (bankan) is an ancient Chinese style, one of the most complex styles in which the trunk of a plant is twisted into a picturesque knot.

Rooted tree (Neagari) is a very beautiful style in which the roots of the tree protrude from the soil, which gives it an unusual look. For this style, plants that form aerial roots are suitable, for example, ficuses (see photo 11) - by Sallustri Enrico.

Tokonoma: Bonsai is arranged in a composition with a tiny ikebana of grass or other plant or suisek - "beautiful stone". On the back wall of the "cell" of the exposition there can be a written message from the author with his feelings, impressions expressed in the composition. All presented elements are closely related and strictly subordinate to certain canons of traditional Chinese bonsai.

Bonsai is also classified by height. This refers to the distance from the top of the trunk to the base. All dwarf trees are classified into three main groups:

• mini bonsai: Keshitsubu - plants are up to 5 cm high; Mame and shohin - up to 10 cm; Komono - from 10 cm to 20 cm;
• medium bonsai: Katade and moki - from 20 cm to 40 cm; chuhin - from 35 cm to 70 cm; Chumono - from 30 cm to 60 cm;
• large bonsai: Omono - up to 1.5 m.