The Art of Bonsai- What is the art of Bonsai?
June 16th, 2008 -- Posted in What | 1 Comment »The Art of Bonsai- What is the art of Bonsai?
Bonsai (literally “potted plant”) is the art of aesthetic miniaturization of trees by growing them in containers.
Originating in China, Bonsai is a Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Penzai. The word Bonsai has been used by the West as an umbrella term for all miniature trees.
History
The history of bonsai is cloaked in the mist of the past, but it is now widely believed to have started during the Han Dynasty in China. It was the Chinese who first created the miniature landscapes and trees that we now know as bonsai or Penzai. Since originating in China many centuries ago, it has developed into many new forms in various parts of China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam.
At first, the Japanese used miniaturized container-grown trees for decorating their homes and gardens.
During the Tokugawa period, landscape gardening attained new importance. Cultivation of plants such as azalea and maples became a pastime of the wealthy. Growing dwarf plants in containers was also popular, but by modern bonsai standards the container plants of this period were inappropriately large.[citation needed] The then-term for dwarf potted trees was “a tree in a pot”.
The c.1300 rhymeprose essay, Rhymeprose on a Miniature Landscape Garden, by the Japanese Zen monk Kokan Shiren, outlines the aesthetic principles for bonsai, bonseki and garden architecture itself.
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