Discover The Beauty In Japanese Bonsai

Most of us have seen a small and beautiful tree growing in a pot and know that it is called a bonsai, and assume that the style originated in Japan. It was actually the Chinese who created the first miniature trees, and it was over 1,700 years ago. The art spread to Japan during the T’ang Dynasty in the 7th century. The term pen-t’sai was used by the Chinese to describe this art form that created small, miniature landscapes that included trees, rocks, and sometimes water. The Japanese transliterated the term pen-t’sai into “bonsai”, which is translated to mean “planted in a small basin”. This beautiful art form, although originated by the Chinese, was popularized by the Japanese who receive credit for the fine art form that it is recognized as being today.

Japanese bonsai is the marriage of art and gardening. It is the process of discovering the true essence of trees, rocks, and soil, and reproducing them in miniature, giving the appearance of a mature landscape that is accurately and artistically reproduced, and fitting it all into a small pot.

For the majority of bonsai hobbyists, the creation of beautiful bonsai is more than just being a specialized gardener. They may consider the hobby as a therapeudic getaway from the stresses of everyday life. One thing for sure is that it allows a person to connect to the natural world which sometimes we just don’t get enough of.

If you’re philosophical, you might see bonsai as that inseparable connection between man and nature, a universal oneness. At the same time it can be an artistic expression of your own interpretation and communion with nature.

At the same time bonsai requires gardening skills that have been used in the practice for many, many centuries. today these skills are used all over the world. The gardening knowledge and skills for bonsai can be learned quickly, but they will be perfected over a lifetime. And one day the products of your discipline, your patience, and your dedication to this craft will have taken the form of a miniature tree, which will embody your unique visions and interpretations of nature. It’s a great feeling.

The popularity of this hobby of Japanese bonsai continues to grow. The variety and beauty of bonsai plants is remarkable. To create a bonsai specimen, one that is uniquely yours, as there can be no others like it, and then to admire, and have it admired by others, is an emotion and life experience to be treasured. The hobby of bonsai should be experienced by everyone. Your life will be transformed as you experience bonsai.