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Send
a Bonsai Tree
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Bonsai first appeared
in China over a thousand
years ago on a very
basic scale, known as
pun-sai, where
it was the practice
of growing single specimen
trees in pots. These
early specimens displayed
sparse foliage and rugged,
gnarled trunks which
often looked like animals,
dragons and birds. There
are a great number of
myths and legends surrounding
Chinese bonsai, and
the grotesque or animal-like
trunks and root formations
are still highly prized
today. Chinese bonsai
come from the landscape
of the imagination and
images of fiery dragons
and coiled serpents
take far greater precedence
over images of trees-
so the two forms of
this art are quite far
apart.
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With Japan's adoption of many cultural
trademarks of China - bonsai was
also taken up, introduced to Japan
during the Kamakura period (1185
- 1333) by means of Zen Buddhism
- which at this time was rapidly
spreading around Asia. The exact
time is debatable, although it is
possible that it had arrived in
AD 1195 as there appears to be a
reference to it in a Japanese scroll
attributed to that period. Once
bonsai was introduced into Japan,
the art was refined to an extent
not yet approached in China. Over
time, the simple trees were not
just confined to the Buddhist monks
and their monasteries, but also
later were introduced to be representative
of the aristocracy - a symbol of
prestige and honour. The ideals
and philosophy of bonsai were greatly
changed over the years. For the
Japanese, bonsai represents a fusion
of strong ancient beliefs with the
Eastern philosophies of the harmony
between man, the soul and nature.
In an ancient Japanese
scroll written in Japan around the
Kamakura period, it is translated
to say : "To appreciate and find
pleasure in curiously curved potted
trees is to love deformity".
Whether this was intended as a positive
or negative statement, it leaves
us to believe that growing dwarfed
and twisted trees in containers
was an accepted practice among the
upper class of Japan by the Kamakura
period. By the fourteenth century
bonsai was indeed viewed as a highly
refined art form, meaning that it
must have been an established practice
many years before that time
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Bonsai were brought
indoors for display
at special times by
the 'Japanese elite'
and became an important
part of Japanese life
by being displayed on
specially designed shelves.
These complex plants
were no longer permanently
reserved for outdoor
display, although the
practices of training
and pruning did not
develop until later
- the small trees at
this time still being
taken from the wild.
In the 17th and 18th
century, the Japanese
arts reached their peak
and were regarded very
highly. Bonsai again
evolved to a much higher
understanding and refinement
of nature - although
the containers used
seemed to be slightly
deeper than those used
today. The main factor
in maintaining bonsai
was now the removal
of all but the most
important parts of the
plant. The reduction
of everything just to
the essential elements
and ultimate refinement
was very symbolic of
the Japanese philosophy
of this time - shown
by the very simple Japanese
gardens such as those
in the famous temple
- Roan-ji.
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