Bonsai as the name suggests is formed from two words, 'bon'meaning tray or dish and 'sai' meaning tree or plant, so its'literal translation is 'tree planted in a dish'. A bonsai isthus a miniaturized tree grown in a dish, resembling in allrespects its larger counterpart in nature. In a nutshell Bonsaiis a tree or shrub grown in a container
First origin Bonsai first appeared in China over a thousandyears ago, where it was the practice of growing single specimentrees in pots because it was considered as an expression of theharmony between heaven and earth, man and nature. These earlyspecimens displayed sparse foliage and rugged, gnarled trunksthat often looked like animals, dragons and birds. Throughgrowing a bonsai plant a person experiences a new rhythm of theseasons, and nurtures within him the power of creativity as heshapes and miniaturizes his trees. No doubt, cultivating abonsai tree requires some care and attention, but as a reward itbrings tranquility to the mind, a feeling of being refreshedand, inner peace.
Travel to Japan Many years later with Japan's adoption of manycultural trademarks of China - bonsai was also taken up. Oncebonsai was introduced into Japan, the art was refined to anextent not yet approached in China. The word bonsai also isactually taken from a Japanese word 'pun-sai' which means a treeplanted in a container without any landscape. But over time, thesimple trees were not just confined to the Buddhist monks andtheir monasteries, but were also introduced to be representativeof the aristocracy, a symbol of prestige and honor. For theJapanese, bonsai represented a fusion of strong ancient beliefswith the Eastern philosophies of the harmony between man, thesoul and nature. The 'Japanese elite' also brought bonsaiindoors for display at special times.
Evolution as an art form Over time, bonsai began to take ondifferent styles. Finally, in the mid-19th century, Japan openeditself up to the rest of the world. Word soon spread fromtravelers who visited Japan of the miniature trees in ceramiccontainers which mimicked aged, mature, tall trees in nature.Due to this phenomenal upsurge in the demand for bonsai, the nowwidely expanding industry and lack of naturally-forming, stuntedplants led to the commercial production of bonsai by artiststhrough training young plants to grow to look like bonsai.Several basic styles were adopted, and artists made use of wire,bamboo skewers and growing techniques to do this - allowing theart to evolve even further. The Japanese learnt to capitalize onthe interest in this art form very quickly - opening upnurseries dedicated solely to grow, train and then export bonsaitrees. Different plants were now being used to cater forworldwide climates and to produce neater foliage and moresuitable growth habits
Importance as of today In Japan today, bonsai are highlyregarded as a symbol of their culture and ideals. The New Yearis not complete unless the tokonoma - the special niche in everyJapanese home used for the display of ornaments and prizedpossessions - is filled with a blossoming apricot or plum tree.Bonsai is no longer reserved for the upper class, but is a joyshared by executive and factory worker alike. These complexplants are no longer permanently reserved for outdoor displaybut have become an important part of the life of all by beingdisplayed on specially designed shelves.
About the author:Rob Mellor owns www.lost-bonsai-secrets.com This website helpspeople find out more about the bonsai tree. Please visit the site for moreinformation on bonsai care
