The concept of bonsai can be quite confusing. Is it a sort of tree? A philosophy? Or is it a form of art? At the same time, one instantly recognizes a bonsai when seeing it. With an average height of about one meter, these trees are a lot smaller than their natural examples. But still, they look rather old, which gives them a mystical presence. For us, bonsai is the most unnatural nature that exists. This predicament is based on the degree of human intervention. To understand better what makes a tree a bonsai and which need they fulfil, we study the origins and development of this cultural phenomenon.
It is impossible to pinpoint the origin of bonsai. There are multiple histories on the moment and place when plants were first potted. Most likely, the technique arose simultaneously at different places in the world. Although the question of origin remains unanswered, many accounts give the same explanation for the question why: plants were potted out of necessity. The connection with a philosophy or art was made only later.
The oldest proof of potted plants is found in murals from the tomb of Nakht in Thebe, Egypt, around 1500 BC. The cultivation of plants in pots was developed further in the Persian Empire and China. While plants in Persia were potted in big containers because of drought, in China it became a custom to pot plants in smaller and manageable containers. How the need emerged to use trees instead of plants and to transform them into miniature nature is not clear.
During the Han dynasty (200 BC – 220 AD) bonsai art reached it’s peak in China. At that time, it was an art form that occupied only the bourgeoisie and monks. The combination of technique, nature and simplicity made the concept bonsai appealing to Buddhists. With the spread of the Buddhist faith across Asia, bonsai reached Japan in the middle ages. Around 1190 the first trees were exported to Japan, where bonsai was met with a great enthusiasm. It is in Japan that the first style forms and rules to which a bonsai must oblige, were written down. At the same time, the Japanese improved the prevailing techniques with which trees could be transformed and manipulated. Influenced by essentialism, the emphasis in 18th century teachings of bonsai was on form. This idea was based on the conviction that for every entity a series of characteristics and qualities is set. Following this idea, a schematic division was made between 15 ground forms on the basis of their natural habitat. A tree on a mountain slope, for instance, looks very different from one that lives near a lake, at sea level.
Also in the 18th century, the Japanese board of sages appointed the first bonsai master: Ibo Ito. He was the first to combine the essence of bonsai with poetry in the form of Haiku. By combining a bonsai, a stone and a haiku, Ito made his first tokonoma’s. These were meant to give its viewer a sense of tranquillity by removing all noise from the real world. With the rising popularity of the tokonama came new insight in the idea bonsai. Zen Buddhism influenced the growing importance of bringing back bonsai to a natural essence. The art of bonsai yet again, influenced Japanese garden architecture, by emphasizing a pure experience of nature.
When Japan opened its borders for the world in 1850, foreign eyes saw Japanese gardens for the first time. Astounded by the perfect harmony these gardens seemed to have with the human mind, Japan was invited to participate in the World Expo in London in 1862. The English, especially, were interested in the insights Japanese could give in perfect gardening. After participation in three more World Expo’s in Vienna and Paris, Japan’s stock of bonsai had almost vanished. It was decided that big nurseries should grow bonsai for the sole purpose of exporting. At this time, the worldwide popularity of bonsai was established.
Ever since, bonsai hasn’t only been spread over the world, but has been developed with influences of other cultures. Our interest lies in trees that are localized; for which a maker took his own environment as subject for his bonsai. This conviction results in the expanding of variety, style and appearances. But the question that arises is: when is a bonsai a bonsai? There’s no definite answer, but it depends on a presence of natural beauty. This beauty is determined by the shape of the tree, in combination with the landscape (pot) in which it is planted. Usually, it takes about three years to train a tree to become a bonsai. During these first three years, the final shape of the tree will be determined, but after that its life as a bonsai will begin. An important feature we encounter time after time is age. A good bonsai looks aged. Some are really old. Others are made to look it.
Whatever means used, the apparent age of these little trees contributes a lot to the mystery. Not only, because they might remind you of long forgotten myths or a jungle. Maybe even more, because they make you realize what it takes to bring a tree back to its essence.