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During one of my recent trips to San Diego, I got a chance to check out the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. I love animals and find the different ways they have adapted to survive is amazing! Among the different habitats of the animals, I discovered a small Japanese style garden. This small section of the park was complemented with many different types of bonsai trees.
Growing up in Hawaii, bonsai plants are nothing new. For those who are not quite sure what Bonsai trees look like, just think of the Karate Kid and Mr Miyagi. However, I didn’t know much history of the Bonsai. This led me to and learn more so I decided to take this opportunity to learn more about it.
The history of bonsai was first traced back to the Chinese empire. By the year 700 AD, the Chinese practiced the art of ‘pun-sai’. A technique used to grow dwarf trees in containers. It is believed that during the Kamakura period, where Japan adopted most of China’s culture, the art of pun-sai was also adopted. The difference between pun-sai to the bonsai we know nowadays, is due to different techniques and styles influenced by Zen Buddhism.
But what are some of those styles? Well surprisingly there are over 10 different bonsai styles. While I will not be going over every style there is, I am going to go over the three most commonly used one. When people see a bonsai tree, they are most likely seeing one of these three popular techniques of growing a bonsai tree.
The first style that I will go over is the Chokkan, the formal upright Bonsai style. This style best represents the basics of a natural growing tree. The tree must be grown straight up, where the trunk is thicker at the bottom and get thinner towards its top. The branches need to be alternating the higher up the tree. The branches are also made to slight downward to give the appearance of an aged tree.
IMG source: https://i2.wp.com/bonsaitoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/bonsai-chokkan.png?fit=640%2C625&ssl=1
There are not many people that don’t know of the Karate Kid movies. In this movie, there was a central character by the name of Mr. Miyagi who played a vital role in the movie. Anyone who watched the movie would also remember that Mr Miyagi had a bonsai tree. That brings us to our next style, the Moyogi, or the informal upright bonsai style. This tree must be grown curved, in roughly an “S” shape. The trunk of the tree must be thicker than the higher portions. At each turn of the curve branching must occur. By practice, the branching should occur outside the curve line, never inside.
The last style is a bit more advanced than the other two. The Han-kengai or Semi cascade bonsai style can occur in nature on steep cliffs where the trunk starts to bend downward due to snow, or falling rocks. This bonsai is very similar to the Kengai, or Cascade bonsai style. The only difference is that this style the trunk will not grow past the bottom of the pot. What makes this style difficult to grow, is that it growth is opposite to tree’s natural tendency to grow upwards. People who attempt this style will use trees that don’t have strong upright growth.
Img Source: https://bonsaibark.com/2014/10/22/semi-cascade-not-windswept/
While I was not expecting to find that Bonsai session in a safari park, I’m glad I did. When I started researching Bonsai styles, I had no idea that there were so many. What is your favorite style? Would you, or have you ever, try growing your own Bonsai tree before? Please let me know in the comment section below.
Information sources:
https://www.bonsaiempire.com/origin
http://www.cutebonsaitree.com/style-rules/upright-bonsai.html
http://bonsai.shikoku-np.co.jp/en/word/2009/04/post-184.html
http://ofbonsai.org/techniques/styles-and-styling/bonsai-styles-semi-cascade-han-kengai
