The Bonsai Handbook

What is bonsai? onsai, 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.