
Poetry by Mototada Takatsukasa and others. Reproduction by Takao Itabashi, original by Takakane Takashina. Read more about the history and origins of Bonsai. These are just a few points, it is up to you to decide what Bonsai means to you.
Define zen scenery portable#
Something held in such high regard that it was allowed to be brought temporarily into the house for honored guests even though it contained soil from the garden.Ī portable oasis and transportable miniature garden which can represent the seasons and vast or favorite landscapes close-at-hand for meditation or contemplation assistance. Something so valued that it has received care for virtually every day of its containerized life. Relative smallness, compared with those same types of trees outside of the container, for ease of transport and ability to keep nearby.Ī sense of naturalness which has been subtly accentuated by human intervention but which is not spoiled by stark evidence of human interaction.Ī particular representation of something much more than itself, and thus allowing each viewer to interpret what is shown and to build-upon this based on his or her own experiences and memories. The connotations or added/implied Bonsai tree meanings include:Ī general tree-like shape or style (although not necessarily natural to that type of plant growing full-size in the wild).Ī profile that is not as detailed as a photographically-real tree but has just enough features to easily suggest a full-grown tree. We now know the literal translation of Bonsai is "tree in pot", but what is the meaning of a Bonsai tree? A Bonsai tree is a replication of nature, in the form of a miniature tree, without displaying the human intervention too clearly.

“Bonsai” thus means or denotes “a tree which is planted in a shallow container". “Sai” is a tree or other growing plant which is planted – “planted,” as would be a halberd or spear or pike stuck into the ground. “Bon” is a dish or thin bowl (“a modified vessel which has been divided or cut down from a deeper form”). In short, the definition of Bonsai can be explained as:

The Chinese characters for their older dwarf potted tree landscapes were adopted to name the Japanese art-form. Read more about the smallest trees in the Shohin and Mame Bonsai article.īonsai for sale in a market, Japan. The size classifications, increasing in size The classifications are originally based on the number of men needed to lift the actual tree. Several classifications of Bonsai have been put forward, and although the exact size classifications are disputed, they help to gain understanding of the aesthetic and botanical aspects of Bonsai. As a Bonsai gets smaller (even down to a few inches/centimeters) it increasingly becomes abstract, as opposed to resembling nature in a more precise way. The ultimate goal of Bonsai is to create a realistic depiction of nature. Or use this guide to identify your Bonsai tree species in two steps. In our Bonsai tree species guide you can find more information about specific care per species. Most native plants can be grown outdoors material from more tropical climates needs at least some protection from the elements in the temperate zones. Carefully collected during the appropriate growing or dormant season with proper permission, your composition is begun. Look around at your trees, bushes, hedges, the copses in your yard or park, plants in the nursery or wild landscape – essentially any of those can be starter material. In fact, any plant species that has a woody stem or trunk, grows true branches, can be successfully grown in a container to restrict its roots/food storage capability, and has smaller or reducible-leaves can be used to create a Bonsai. However, plants with smaller leaves do make these compositions easier to design. Most commonly kept under four feet (or about a meter) in height, Bonsai are not genetically dwarfed plants. Techniques such as pinching buds, pruning and wiring branches, and carefully restricting but not abandoning fertilizers are used to limit and redirect healthy growth. Bonsai are not genetically dwarfed plants, in fact, any tree species can be used to grow one.īonsai "Akirafutokoro Prince" (706 AD).

The ultimate goal of growing a Bonsai is to create a miniaturized but realistic representation of nature in the form of a tree. It has been around for well over a thousand years. This art form is derived from an ancient Chinese horticultural practice, part of which was then redeveloped under the influence of Japanese Zen Buddhism. The word “Bon-sai” (often misspelled as bonzai or banzai) is a Japanese term which, literally translated, means “planted in a container”.
