Bonsai: Difference between revisions

[[File:Eurya, 1970-2007.jpg|thumb|Bonsai at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the [[United States National Arboretum]]]]

 

Similar versions of the art exist in other cultures, including the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese {{lang|vi|[[Hòn non bộ]]}}.

During the [[Tang dynasty]], when ''penjing'' was at its height, the art was first introduced from China.

 

===Early versions===

The [[Japanese art]] of bonsai is believed to have originated from ''[[bonkei]]'' ({{lang|ja|盆景}}, ''[[penjing]]'' in Chinese) introduced from China.<ref>{{cite book|last=Taylor|first=Patrick|title=The Oxford companion to the garden|year=2008|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-955197-2|page=53|edition=2nd}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Keswick | first=Maggie | title=In a Chinese Garden: The Art and Architecture of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden | year=1991 | publisher= Raincoast Book Dist Ltd. | location=Vancouver | isbn=978-0-9694573-0-5 | page=59 |author2=Oberlander, Judy |author3=Wai, Joe }}</ref> In the [[Tang dynasty|Tang Dynasty]], there was the art of representing natural scenery with plants and stones in a tray.

 

In the [[Heian period]] (794-1185), ''suhama'' ({{lang|ja|洲浜}}, {{lit|Intricate beach|lk=yes}}), which expressed a beautiful landscape with plants and trees (often made of artificial materials) and accessories to match the title of a waka poem, were exhibited at poetry contests and competed with each other.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last = Moriya |first = Takeshi |title = 島台 |trans-title = Shimadai |magazine = Japan Arts and Crafts |issue = 497 |publisher = Nihon Bijutsu Kogeisha |date = February 1980 |doi = 10.11501/2281354 |page = 93}}</ref> ''Suhama'' is similar to ''bonkei'', but expresses a uniquely Japanese scene of white sand and green pine trees on a tray with legs that imitate a sandy beach. Later, it came to be called ''shimadai'' ({{lang|ja|島台}}, {{lit|island tray|lk=yes}}), and has been passed down to the present as a wedding ornament.

 

In the [[History of Japan|medieval period]], recognizable bonsai were portrayed in [[handscroll]] paintings like the ''[[Ippen Shōnin Eden]]'' ({{lang|ja|一遍上人絵伝}}, 1299).<ref name="Kobayashi 2011 15">{{cite book|last=Kobayashi| first=Konio|title=Bonsai|year=2011| publisher=PIE International Inc. | location=Tokyo|isbn=978-4-7562-4094-1| page=15}}</ref> The 1195 scroll ''Saigyo Monogatari Emaki'' ({{lang|ja|西行物語絵巻}} is the earliest known to depict dwarfed potted trees in Japan. Wooden tray and dish-like pots with dwarf landscapes on modern-looking wooden shelves also appear in the 1309 ''[[Kasuga Gongen Genki E]]'' ({{lang|ja|春日権現験記絵}}, Legends of [[Kasuga Shrine]]) scroll. Dwarf trees displayed on short poles are portrayed in the 1351 ''Boki Ekotoba'' scroll.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.magiminiland.org/Paintings/Japanto1600.html |title= Japanese Paintings: to 1600 |publisher=Magical Miniature Landscapes |access-date=2010-04-07}}</ref> Several other scrolls and paintings also include depictions of these kinds of trees.

 

 

==={{nihongo|||Hachi no ki}}===

Around the 14th century, the term for dwarf potted trees was {{nihongo|"the bowl's tree"|鉢の木|hachi no ki}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.magiminiland.org/HachiNoKi.html |title= Hachi-No-Ki |publisher=Magical Miniature Landscapes | access-date=2016-08-10}}</ref> This indicated use of a fairly deep pot rather than the shallow pot denoted by the eventual term ''bonsai''. {{nihongo3|''The Potted Trees''||Hachi no Ki}} is also the title of a circa 1383 [[noh]] play by [[Zeami Motokiyo]], based on a story about an impoverished [[samurai]] who burns his last three potted trees as firewood to warm a traveling monk. The monk is a disguised official who later rewards the samurai for his actions. In later centuries, [[Woodblock printing in Japan|woodblock]] prints by several artists depicted this popular drama. There was even a fabric design of the same name. Through these and other popular media, bonsai became known to a broad Japanese population.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

 

Japan also hosts several annual bonsai competitions where trees compete for awards in different categories. The most prestigious bonsai competition for amateur-owned trees, although most trees are prepared for display by professionals, is the Kokufu-ten, held every year in the month of February in the [[Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum]]. The Kokufu-ten is the oldest competition in Japan, celebrating in 2023 its 97th edition. Awards are presented in different categories.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.magiminiland.org/Days/Kokufuten.html|title=Kokufu Bonsai Ten Shows, Part I|website=www.magiminiland.org}}</ref>

 

 

==Size classifications==

[[Category:Trees]]

[[Category:Gardening]]