Bonsai

Bonsai (盆栽?) Is a dwarfed plants or trees in shallow pots with the purpose of making a miniature of the original shape of large old trees in the wild. Planting (sai, 栽) conducted in shallow pots called bon (盆). The term bonsai also used for traditional Japanese art in maintenance of plants or trees in shallow pots, and appreciation of the beauty of the form of branches, leaves, stems, and roots of trees, and shallow pot into a container, or the overall shape of the plant or tree. Bonsai is the Japanese pronunciation for penzai (盆栽). This art includes various cutting techniques and pruning plants, wiring (the formation of branches and tree limbs by wrapping the wire or bend the wire bonding), and make the roots spread on the rock. Making bonsai takes time and involves a wide range of jobs, such as fertilizer application, pruning, crop establishment, watering, and replacement pots and soil. Plants or trees dwarfed by cutting roots and branches. The tree is formed with the help of wire on twigs and shoots. The wire must be taken before they could scratch the skin of the tree branch. Plants are living things, and no bonsai that can be said is complete or finished. Changes that occur continuously in the plant according to the season or natural state is one of the attractions of bonsai.

Type

The most common tree species are pine dibonsai. Types of plants and trees used to classify the types of bonsai:

• Bonsai pine and oak trees: tusam, china fir, spruce thorns, toothpick, and others 
• Bonsai fruit trees to enjoy the beauty of the fruit (Ilex serrata, persimmon, Chaenomeles sinensis, mini apples, etc.) .
• Bonsai flowering plants to enjoy the beauty of the flowers (Prunus Kyoto, Chaenomeles speciosa, sakura, Satsuki azalea).
• Bonsai trees to be enjoyed form of leaves (maple, Zelkova serrata, Rhus succedanea, bamboo).

There are so many tropical plants that have been tested and found suitable for dibonsai, including tamarind, banyan, fir shrimp, hibiscus, and guava. 

Prototype

• Straight Upright (直干 Chokkan?)

    The trunk is straight up vertically. The tree is said to have an ideal trunk if the tree has a trunk diameter decreasing progressively upwards, starting from the stem near the roots. The tree is said to have an ideal limb when the limb is in the front-back or left-right crossing each other mutually. Distance antardahan growing up more and more narrow. Ideal is the root of the root which when viewed from above, radiating in all directions.

• Winding Upright (模様木 Moyogi?)

    The trunk is straight weaved to the left and to the right. Stem diameter decreasing progressively upward with the left and right balance is good. Wicker is a good branch at the top of the arch tree. Branch was cut on the inside of the arch. From the base of the stem to the top of the tree can be pulled straight line, and the people who look not worried about the balance of the tree.

• Leaning (斜干 Shakan?)

    The trunk is tilted to one side like a constant wind direction. Just as there are objects blocking on one side, leaning tree grows to the other side. Characteristic of this form that exists only in the form of branches at the top of the arch bars, and criss-cross on the left-right and front-rear.

• Gloves Wind (吹流し Fukiganashi?) / Blown [2]

    Than bonsai shape Leaning trees grow while having a more violent coercion. Trunks and branches of trees leaning in one direction only. Trunks and branches of trees leaning to one side much longer than the height of the tree is measured from the base of the stem to the top of the tree. The position of trunks and branches similar to the bonsai style hanging half, but the stem and branches appear to form parallel lines.

• Dangling (悬崖 Kengai?)

    Likened to a tree growing on the surface of the walls are steep seaside cliffs or steep valley walls. Growing like a tree trunk hanging down a cliff. The tree tops hanging far exceed base pot. When the top of the tree does not exceed the basic bonsai pot called Half Hanging (Han Kengai).

• Trunk curl (蟠干 banking?)

    Looks very twisted tree trunks, or tree growing tendency to twist himself. The trunk is so visible twisted like a snake that was coiled.

• Sweep Upright (箒立ち Hōkidachi?)

    Perpendicular to the rod in the middle before spreading branches and twigs grow in all directions. Difficult to determine the tree tops of a number of existing branches so that the peak shape is similar to bonsai broom of bamboo. The beauty of bonsai style is assessed from a neat branching limb, and the point of beginning of the spread of branches and twigs in all directions, tall trees, and the balance of these elements.

• Highlighting Root (根上り Neagari?)

    As a result of the tree is maintained in the maintenance of the cruel, the base root branching in the soil to be exposed to the outside on the ground like a result of the wind and rain.

• Trunked Many (多干 Takan?)

    From the base of the roots growing up more than one tree. When growing two trees, the bonsai is called Trunked Two (Sōkan). If there are three trees, then called Trunked Three (Sankan). Bonsai trunked five or so called stumps Upright (Kabudachi). Trunk odd number is preferred. In addition to two trunked bonsai, bonsai the trunk even number unpopular and not made.

• Intertwined Roots (根連なり Netsuranari?)

    The root of the number of trees of a species (three or more trees) attached to each other and relate to each other. This form can also be derived from a tree trunk that had been upright, but collapsed and buried in the ground. The part that used to be a branch of a tree, changing roles and grow as a tree trunk. From the tree trunk out roots, and roots intertwined with the roots of the tree of origin. Form similar to Roots Entwined called rafts or Grown from Stem (Ikadabuki). Growing Bonsai shape of stems also from the tree was upright, but collapsed and turned the role into the stem branches. The difference with the Roots Entwined lies at the root of which only exist in one place. Just as bonsai Trunked Many, even unpopular trunked tree.

• Group (寄せ植え Yoseue?)

    More than one tree planted together in a shallow pot or planted in stone. Trees can be planted a few trees of one species, or a mixture of several different species. Elevated values ​​of creativity can work with a mix of decorative items placed as an extra.

• Trees Poets (文人木 Bunjinki?) / Free [2]

    This bonsai shape origin of the Nanga mimic the shape of the tree. Named bonsai tree forms of literary writers since the Meiji era was very fond of this form of bonsai. In the current era, thin stem, number of branches a bit, and short branch is also called the Tree of writers.

• Trees Not Unusual (代わり木 Kawariki?)

    This form is used to refer to bonsai that can not be classified into bonsai shapes are prevalent.

History

Bonsai art miniaturization comes from a plant called penjing (盆景) of the Tang Dynasty period. At the tomb of the son of Empress Wu Zetian are murals depicting female waitresses bringing flowering trees in shallow pots. Small shallow pots is a miniaturization of the landscape. Nobility in Japan began to recognize penjing around the end of the Heian period. Kanji script for penjing (盆景) pronounced the Japanese as bonkei. Similarly, in China, in Japan bonkei also the miniaturization of the natural landscape. Art that is only enjoyed by the upper classes, especially among the courtiers and samurai, and just called bonsai in the Edo period . Planting bonsai is a sideline samurai Edo period, when bonsai peak popularity. Since the Meiji era, is considered as a hobby bonsai style. However, maintenance and watering bonsai takes a lot of time. In line with the neighborhood in Japan are more modern and do not have a page, bonsai enthusiasts finally limited to the elderly.

Bonsai at the "Foire du Valais", Switzerland, 2005.

Bonsai are classified into six groups based on plant height from the base of the stem to the top of the plant:

    giants: tree height more than 101 cm.
    very large: between 76-100 cm tall tree.
    large: tree height between 46-75 cm
    were: tree height between 31-45 cm
    small: tree height between 16-30 cm
    very small: tree height is less than 15 cm.