About Bonsai

What is bonsai?

BONSAI IS A LIVING ART FORM.

The aim is to create in miniature an image of a tree or landscape as you’d see it in a natural setting. Bonsai embodies a harmony between artistic interpretation and the character of the tree. As a living art form, it must take into account aesthetic principles such as balance, harmony, perspective, and composition, while considering the character of the tree and its horticultural requirements.

NO ONE KNOWS WHEN THE SHAPING OF TREES IN POTS TO MIMIC THEIR FULL-SIZE FIRST BEGAN.

There are pictoral records in early Egypt, about 4,000 years ago, showing trees in pots. Ornamental plants and miniature landscapes appeared in China during the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BCE). Penzai as it is known in China, reached its peak in the Ming dynasty (1368–1644 CE). Buddhist monks brought the practice to Japan in the 10th and 11th centuries, where it became known as bonsai; ‘bon’ meaning a tray or pot and ‘sai’ meaning tree. The Japanese introduced bonsai to western society at the Paris Exhibition in 1878. It became popular in the West after the Second World War as people returned from the Far East.