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Few things are as indelibly Japanese as the art of bonsai, or “tray planting”. This is where, through artful growing and pruning, a tree is miniaturised to look exactly how it would look in nature. You can see these tiny tree masterpieces all over the country, from the Imperial Palace to your neighbour’s back garden. This delicate art form has been delighting and mystifying Japanese and visitors alike for nearly 1000 years.
Actually imported into Japan from China over a millennium ago, bonsai has become permanently linked to Japanese culture ever since. The constant trimming, wiring, and nurturing over the years, though hard and sometimes tedious work, leads to fantastic miniaturisation of trees grown from normal-sized seeds. There are entire museums dedicated to bonsai and related arts.
Where do I begin?
How is such an undertaking started? Well, first you have to choose a tree species. Of course, the classic image of a bonsai tree is that of one made from a conifer tree, such as pine. But almost any other kind of tree will work: juniper, elm, oak, even spruce.
Once you’ve decided your tree species, next you’ll have to decide what style you’d like your subject to take. There are a few common, familiar styles, the most famous being the slanted style. This is where the tree is grown so it is a bit slanted in the potting tray.
Some find this style most pleasing to the eye, but there are other styles as well, such as formal and informal straight, forest and multi-trunk, and rock formations. One of the most dynamic is the cascade style, where the treetop ends up being lower than the bowl itself!
Growing a bonsai
Once all of that has been decided, then it’s time to actually grow the tree. So, set aside some time. A good bonsai could take anywhere from decades to centuries to truly achieve your vision for it, so be sure to grab a magazine or something to pass the time. Don’t worry, as it’s definitely not all just waiting for the tree to grow. You’ll have plenty to do, such as watering and fertilising the tree, re-potting it many, many times, and being sure it gets just the right amount of light and temperature. To do all of this, you’ll have a plethora of specialised tools at your disposal to grow and nudge the tree to just the right proportions.
So as you can see, bonsai can be quite a difficult art to wrap your head around. But, it is also incredibly satisfying to those who do it. The best part is the ingenuity and creativity that the artist can display during the long cultivation of the tree. To walk around a bonsai growing area or a museum is to be constantly blown away by the artistry shown by these tiny trees. The intricacies and beauty of the trees is belied by the hard work and years of care that went in to the entire process leading up to that point.
One of the most famous examples of bonsai is a pine bonsai cared for by Tokugawa Iemitsu. Iemitsu was the shogun of Japan more than 400 years ago and the tree is considered a National Treasure. This goes to show that the art of bonsai, like many other arts, can easily outlive its creator. Indeed, one of the most difficult concepts upon first starting to practice bonsai is to accept that all the hard work and care you put into a tree maybe won’t even be for your benefit and enjoyment. It may not reach full potential for decades, or centuries even. But once you’ve accepted this fact, the art of caring for the tree is all you’ll need!
If you’re staying in Tokyo on your trip to Japan, we can arrange a day trip to Omiya – a district famous for its bonsai tradition, where you can try out bonsai care techniques first-hand and see some examples grown by a master. Click here to read more.